Categories: scming
Tags: housing
Date: 21 January 2006 11:57:31
Today I have things to do so I'm coming to let you know so you can nag me and check up on my progress. If you're unlucky, you might even get photos...
My flat, you know the one I mentioned in December, January, February, April, May, October, etc. Well, it has finally got to be too much and part of the reason I've been quiet is related to it. I've been ill. I've still got no proper heating and the problems I reported in April still haven't been sorted. It's also been very damp. I hadn't realised how damp until I went home for Christmas.
It takes about 3 weeks for anything I wash in the washing machine to get to tolerably damp. At home it takes about 24 hours. I took all my washing home to do in a place where it dries. When I got back, I realised that it does feel cold and damp here. I got back, checked the usual mould spots and thought I'd survived okay but then started moving furniture and found new, different mould. Okay, it's a chest infection and I've had them before but this time was more interesting. A couple of friends took me in for a couple of nights so I could go somewhere warm and dry to recover for a while. It meant I was well enough to go back to w*rk :D then I came home again, and after two nights was not well enough to work yesterday. It's really not good. When I went to look out of the window, I discovered that the windowsil was black and furry. I hate mould. This all grew in the week and a half I was ill and running the portable heater! It's disgusting. This morning I discovered the curtains are going mouldy too.
I have been hoping that I can move out, across the road, to a flat that is being done up. Initially I was told this should be done by Christmas, now I'll be doing well if it's done by mid February. If it's not done by then, I can't move until April! I am yet to be convinced that the builders have started so have decided things are going to get more exciting with my current landlord and agency. I looked at the Shelter website last night and I intend to make sure they deal with things this time. I'm going to photograph the mould and send them by email to the agency. I'm also going to clean the whole flat properly and move the furniture about so I can catalogue the extent of the problems. Once I've sent the email, I'm going to get mean. I'm going to seek advice from a Shelter centre if I can find one, call in environmental health, threaten them with legal action and inform them that I want compensation for anything that goes mouldy or gets messed up due to the state of the flat. As this includes my health, I'll get notes from the doctor and work about the time off.
I now intend to make them wish they'd not only done the work in the first place, but also never crossed Never Conforming in the first place (if I can maintain my annoyance, and the enthusiasm hasn't worn off).
Now, one of the reasons I'm telling you all this is that I have cleaning and tidying to do. I guess I'd better go and do something otherwise you might nag me. Please nag me.