Major flooding, leaks and mold. It all occurs in the apartment complex on Jordaensstraat in Den Bosch, where Maaike Vermeulen lives. She and her fellow residents say they have been ringing the bell with housing corporation Zayaz for years, but they get nothing done. “We are being kept on a lead.”
There is an apartment complex of a few floors on Jordaensstraat. Maaike has been living there for a few years. Since the apartments were renovated a year ago, she says it has been all misery.
“We are afraid that the glass roofs will give way.”
“There is something going on everywhere: damp spots under the floors and against the walls, leaking gutters and problems with the sewerage,” says Maaike, who speaks on behalf of several residents. “At two apartments we are afraid that the glass roofs will give way when it rains. Then the water flows down like waterfalls”.
Together they ring the bell several times with the landlord, housing corporation Zayaz. They also ask for help from the sewerage company of the complex and the municipality. “We have the idea that we are being sent from pillar to post,” says Maaike, who has even hired a lawyer.
“It’s an outdated sewer.”
Zayaz said he regrets the dissatisfaction with the newly renovated apartments and that action is being taken to resolve the issues quickly.
A spokesperson acknowledges that complaints have been made about the poor sewage system for longer: “The sewerage system is outdated. We have discussed this with the municipality. The aim is to solve this as quickly as possible.” The municipality confirms this and says that a new sewer system will be built.
Last Thursday, the housing association had drone images taken to inspect the gutters. “Due to the recent storms in combination with the greenery in the neighbourhood, the gutters became full of leaves and branches extra quickly. The cleaning round was already planned for this year.” said a spokesperson. “We are now having this performed at an accelerated pace. If it turns out that the maintenance frequency is insufficient, we will increase it.”
“We’re all set.”
Maaike continues to have her reservations. “They really know very well what is going on. We are completely done with it. As a housing association, they are obliged to provide a tenant with a pleasant living experience, without daily nuisance.”
The corporation says that one report was made in 2019 about mold formation, a result of a leakage at the neighbors above. “We recently received a similar complaint from the same address. We are now investigating the cause of this at that address. This is an immediate reason to inspect the condition of the sewer after the renovation. If it turns out that something is not right here , then we will carry out a broader inspection in the complex.”
It is not the first time that Zayaz has been criticized by tenants. Similar problems previously occurred in the Kruiskamp and De Haren districts in Den Bosch.
The SP and the PvdA then stood up for the residents. Spokespersons for the two parties are not surprised that something is wrong again and say that they do not want to let it go.
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