Posted by alexandra_k on August 23, 2018, at 18:58:24
So, I moved into a State House back in January. After a period of homelessness and so on...
It's a pretty nice State House. It's free-standing on a 800 square meter section in a quiet neighbourhood. I can always put myself in a room in the house where I can't hear people yelling out at each other, or whatever.
It only had a enclosed fire in the living area for built in heating, though. So I brought 2 electric heaters. One for my bedroom to keep the bedroom / hallway area warm. One for the kitchen / dining. I sit them on thermostats. Mostly don't heat the other bedroom, the living area (unless I want to light the fire), the laundry, the toilet, the bathroom.
There isn't air extraction in the toilet, so I need to keep the window open a bit in there, for external ventilation. So, I can't really heat the toilet.
The bathroom has air extraction, and there is air extraction over the stove, in the kitchen.
There are curtains / drapes in the rooms - but no window furnishings over the kitchen sink, in the bathroom, the laundry, the toilet. The windows are single pane glass and there is no insulation in the brick walls.
I pay quite a lot for power, running two free-standing electic heaters. But I try and keep things within World Health Organisation standards on a healthy home. But the toilet is a bit of an out-house in the winter, yeah.
Anyway...
I move in and the electrical outlets don't work. I phone the hotline number and electritions come out and bang about... And go away... And come back... And bang about... And eventually wire them up properly.
I notice lots of cracks in the windows so I phone the hotline number to announce their presence. I send them photographs. Because it wasn't noted on the housing inspection and I don't want to have to replace windows when I leave or be regarded a bad tenant.
They say they are too small (less than 5cm long, or similar) to be replaced. But note there presence - which was what I asked of them.
A guy turned up at the door telling me he was here to do a housing inspection. I said I hadn't received notification so no, he was not. He said he would take a note that I was non-compliant.
Months later I got a letter that there would be a housing inspection. That was done. No problems.
Around a month later I got a letter that there would be a housing inspection by an externally contracted firm to check security latches and check smoke alarms. That was done. He replaced one of the smoke alarms was replaced. That was good. I didn't know what to do about that. I told him that the knobs on the oven were cracked (cheap plastic) so the turning mechanisms didn't work well. I'd also noticed the power switch to the oven at the wall had been installed upside down. So flicking the switch down cut power to the oven, and flicking the switch up provided power to the oven. I said it didn't matter to me because I'm good at double-checking it by trying the light inside - but it was clearly a hazard to someone with a kid etc who might be distracted.
A few days later I got a letter that there would be a housing inspection in 2 weeks. I phoned to say there didn't need to be another one. If someone could put the 2 oven knobs for x brand of oven in my mailbox, that would be great. If the oven switch could be fixed for the NEXT tenant, that would be great.
I was told: Tough. It's happening. We have legal authority. Lady came and tested all the smoke alarms (which only needed to be tested every month). I told her that if tenants were given information on how to look after the smoke alarms (we are meant to vaccum around the detector weekly and beep test them monthly, change batteries ourselves, and landlord is meant to provide us with functioning alarms) then she wouldn't need to come and test them when they didn't need testing (and of course not be there to test them when they did). She didn't seem to care. I asked her again about the oven knobs (put them in my post-box) and explained and showed her how the oven switch had been wired upside down and my concern for the NEXT tenant.
Since then I've got an endless succession of phone calls from trade people about them coming to look at the oven.
I'm f*ck*ng sick of it.
I don't want to talk to them on the phone. I have talked to people in person and on the phone. I couldn't have been any clearer about fixing the switch for NEXT TENANT not for myself. About putting the oven knobs IN MY F*CK*NG MAILBOX.
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I told my housing manager I have right to quiet enjoyment, or whatever. Any more housing inspections this year... Impinging on quiet enjoyment - yeah?
But if she decides she's got nothing better to do...
And I... What... Lose this house because I don't grant her access to it, whenever she desires that. ? Or just do whatever she says out of fear that that is what could happen. I think she would quite like the thought that I think she has that power - whether or not she actually does.
__
__We have to complete a census once ever 4 years. Paper forms. Last time, we could fill out forms online, or paper forms. Every time people won't do it / refuse. Every time at least some of those people are hauled before the courts. There is some fine... Can't remember the amount. There is stuff accessible on Google about how the public defender tells people 'here's the paper form do it now' which preventes it from going before the judge at the last minute...
We also have to complete Stats NZ (government department) surveys if we are selected for them. I got selected for an economic survey. Something about how much money I have and how I spend my money so the government can plan for infrastructure. I was told that a Stats NZ surveyer would interview me, in my home, for 40 minutes. I needed to phone them to set up a time that was convenient for me, otherwise, they would come back door-knocking at a time that was convenient for them.
I emailed them. Leave paper forms in mail box or by side door. I'll post them to return.
Then I got a succession of calling cards shoved under my door. One of them hand scribbled 'can't do that, survey needs to be done in person'.
I taped notes to my door 'for the second time leave paper...'
calling card..
'for the third and final time leave paper...'
calling card..
I taped a tresspass note to the door with the name of the particular Stats NZ person.
calling card..
I took a copy of the tresspass note to the police station to log (as you are supposed to) and the police wouldn't accept it. I had to pay, like 12 bucks to have it track and trace and sign for delivery.
Why?
So when I get fined 600 dollars for not doign the survey the judge can see that I've done my best to do the survey in an official language of this country (written English). Whether or not the trespass note is binding (the issue is you might need to hand it to the person personally rather than leaving it someplace for them to collect -- even though my front door was already established as a medium of communication between us and they had responsed to notice from there before and they certainly can't claim they didn't know that I wanted them to leave paper forms and otherwise leave me alone later).
Anyway...
Now I'm finding that I get 'missed call' from tradespeople several times a day.
And calling cards from stats NZ fairly often when I come back from having gone out (talking about 4 or 5 calling cards, here).
SOmetimes BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG on the door.
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YOu might think: Why not just answer the phone or answer the door and talk to them.
Why not??
Could I have been any clearer about what it is that I want?
If people aren't responsive to what I've said already...
Why would I open my door / answer my phone to them
?
I f*ck*ng hate this country.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1100563
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20180816/msgs/1100563.html