Stolen packages, intruders, urine on the floor, a broken elevator, no hot water. These are just some of the complaints from residents of the relatively new student complex, Libertas. And SSH, responsible for the building, is doing nothing, they say.
The eighteen-storey building, located at the corner of the W. van Doeverenplein and Vrydemalaan, has two elevators that frequently break down, says resident Mike. The business and economics student also says that the front door of the building regularly malfunctions. ‘Previously, we could just open it with our hands, and homeless people knew about this too. Now it’s better, but not perfect, because sometimes the door just stays open.’
The intercom also does not work, making package deliveries difficult. ‘It’s not normal for an eighteen-storey building to have an intercom where you can’t even open the door downstairs, which also leads to a lot of stolen packages.’
Intruders
Residents have repeatedly seen intruders, usually homeless individuals, entering the building and even going into apartments. ‘He sometimes does his business in the building. He once pooped on the staircase and regularly pees on our floor’, says student Anna, referring to a homeless man who often stays in the building.
Another student says they don’t necessarily feel unsafe but do feel uncomfortable. ‘I sometimes feel uneasy taking the stairs because I’m afraid of turning a corner. It’s quite easy to get in, and someone could be sitting there’, says Alina.
Keys and open doors
SSH blames students for leaving doors open, according to Mike. But he argues that’s not the only issue—keys are also being stolen. Residents who permanently leave the building must drop off their keys in a box near the entrance, which non-residents can easily access.
‘I saw an intruder entering an apartment with my own eyes. I also saw his keys’, says Mike. This happened during the Christmas break. When he complained to SSH, he was told it was because residents left doors open. ‘I saw him just going in and out of the bike shed. How can he enter our building and always go to the same unit? That doesn’t make sense.’
Heating problems
‘I didn’t have hot water for four to five months’, says resident Will. This issue began when he moved into the then-new building two years ago. He says he called SSH multiple times to complain, but the problem was never solved.
‘It really had a negative impact on my mental health. I wouldn’t shower for days,’ he says. Alina recognises the issue. ‘Last year, we had about fifty days without hot water. Residents received compensation of 10 euros per day without hot water, but the problem is happening more and more often.’
Absent management
‘Sometimes, the property manager is absent for weeks, which is why companies call us because they think we are the managers’, says Mike, who moved into Libertas in August last year. He says it’s difficult to schedule an appointment with the property manager and that complaints are not taken seriously.
Lisa Plender, spokesperson for SSH, says they are in contact with residents to resolve the situation. ‘We are very sorry to hear that students are experiencing problems. We encourage them to submit a repair request via mySSH so we can carry out the repairs.’
Plender acknowledges that heating remains an ongoing issue. She also says that an email has been sent to organise a meeting with the residents of Libertas. ‘We are going to talk to the students and would like to hear what’s happening and what we can do about it.’
Do you have a similar experience to the residents of Libertas and would like to file a complaint? Share your story with us at [email protected]
The names of the students/residents in the article are not their real names. They are known to the editors.