In April we wrote extensively about the De Meester residential complex at Verspronckweg 150 in Haarlem. The former vocational school has been converted into an apartment complex. The result is a feast for the eyes, but tenants complain a lot about noise pollution. The owner promised improvements, but what is it like now?
The building also looks beautiful at the end of December. The flagpole outside the entrance has Christmas lights and there is a beautiful Christmas tree in the central hall. The parcel deliverer appropriately placed his parcels under that tree. Anyone who enters De Meester immediately tastes the history of the building.
In the hallways there is an original stained glass window and several black and white photos from the time when the building was still a school. What is also noticeable in those corridors are new acoustic panels that suppress reverberation. We do not see those panels hanging in the hallway where tenant Jos Huigen lives.
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Jos has lived in De Meester since June 2022. The first few months were a lot of fun, but when his downstairs neighbors moved in, the problems started. The downstairs neighbors have a washing machine on a mezzanine floor. When they do laundry, Jos’s entire apartment shakes.
He plays a recording of such a washing machine moment. Hearing and seeing pass away. “Isn’t that out of proportion? And the downstairs neighbors have a very modern washing machine that should be whisper quiet. That’s not the problem.”
Vibrations
Jos even suffered from a neurological disorder: he sometimes feels vibrations in his body that are not there at that moment. He even ended up seeing a psychiatrist. “I still suffer from it. It is getting better now, but unfortunately I am not rid of it yet,” says Jos.
Huigen is now a member of the residents’ committee of De Meester. “One of the other tenants started this, but she has since moved. I have also become a member of the committee. You can keep complaining, but you can also try to do something about it.”
Tied hands and feet
De Meester is owned by investor Bouwinvest, but the landlord is Rebo Vastgoedmanagement. That’s difficult, says Jos. “In the beginning, we as a residents’ committee were not taken very seriously. We were given an account manager who left very quickly. There is now a new contact person, it remains to be seen whether things will improve later. But you get the feeling that Rebo wants to, but is tied hand and foot to the owner Bouwinvest.”
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“It doesn’t really strengthen trust if they are so secretive,” Jos explains. “They have taken noise measurements, but we are not allowed to see that report. The measurements would show that it all falls just within the standard, but I do have my doubts about that. Why be secretive if you have nothing to hide?”
Jos is certainly not the only resident who complains about noise pollution. “We conducted a survey. Some people experience more nuisance than others. Many people hear footsteps from the residents above them. I live on the top floor, so fortunately I am not bothered by that.”
Hassle about the deposit
The woman who previously took the initiative for the residents’ committee appears to no longer live in De Meester. She moved because of the nuisance, she says via email. “I left. Before the twelve-month lease expired. I also received confirmation from the landlord of the lease termination and final delivery, but then the circus really started.”
According to Rebo, that confirmation was sent by an ‘unauthorized’ employee. Because there was no new tenant for the apartment yet, the landlord did not want to refund the deposit. After legal wrangling back and forth, a settlement followed: the woman only received part of the deposit paid back.
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Back to Jos. Why hasn’t he left if his health is in such poor condition? “I am happy with the apartment itself. I came to live here with the thought of staying here for the rest of my life. I am trying to hold on here, I wouldn’t really know where to go either.”
“For me, the solution would be for Bouwinvest to check all the homes here to see how the washing machine is installed. By the way, they already hand out rubber caps to reduce vibrations. But you also have insulation cabinets, I understand. That will cost money, so I’m afraid they don’t want that. I don’t see a solution for the other impact noise.”
New Year’s wish
Eight months after we first visited De Meester, not much has improved. The acoustics in the corridors have already been addressed and must be further improved next year.
Jos also has some wishes for next year. “We now have two people in the residents’ committee, and we want to expand that number as quickly as possible. I also wish that I get rid of those vibrations. And that the shaking of that washing machine is remedied.”
“It is of course really great that this beautiful building has been given a new purpose. Unfortunately, it was not properly executed,” concludes Jos Huigen.
The teacher
The De Meester apartment complex consists of several buildings. The most striking part is the former trade school at Verspronckweg 150 in Haarlem. Those apartments were completed last year. As far as we know, the problems only occur in that building.
Bouwinvest previously reported: “Due to the construction method (old/monumental building), there is a lot of reverberation/loud noise in some of the corridors. In addition, there appears to be noise pollution in apartments or between apartments. A research agency has been engaged to investigate this. to investigate the complaints. As far as contact noise is concerned, the homes fell within the standard.”
The De Meester complex also consists of new-build homes, where as far as we know there have been no complaints about noise pollution.