The original purpose of this blog was not to get sympathy or anything else really but to keep a diary of what Bristol City Council have been up to.
This year I have had two calls about 'anonymous complaints' about the garden. My question in each case was: "Could you please give me your full name and I would like to speak to your supervisor" The response in each case was that they did not have to give their names as a matter of personal security -wrong. Also, THEY were the supervisor. My question after this is whether they can, after 23 years, provide a copy of a written complaint or exact details of when, where and how the complaints were made. No -"data protection" well "data protection" is not a good enough reason after threat and more threats (including at one point when I was a metre away from the council official and was wearing garden gloves, had secateurs in my hand and was surrounded by bush and tree cuttings and gardening tools) about taking action over my not gardening. In all 30 plus visits not one council official has seen anything wrong with my garden -apparently it says so on my file! No evidence -I put the phone down.
What I hope this blog has shown is that tenants of local councils -who slam private landlords- should not be afraid to speak out if they face these problems.
A year ago, when I was very ill and was awaiting a Tribunal Hearing after another "Medical assessment" resulted in my benefit being stopped, the council was made fully aware of the situation but even sent me a letter stating I would no longer be allowed to live in the property and proceedings were underway -this just as I won my appeal and the council got all of its back rent.
Despite the visit by the head of Estate Management, Paul Bannerman, a few year back and despite a total of 12 surveyors calling about repairs not one single repair has been carried out. For a year water was gushing from a piupe under the sink -corroded pipes. Nothing done. Letter to the City Mayor as well as a copy to a journalist friend enclosing photos of the mess -within two days visit after visit until all the pipework was replaced.
More surveyors looking at repairs -all noting this and that. Three years on -nothing done.
According to the rules there should be an electrical survey of council properties every ten years. I have neighbours who have lived in council homes 20, 35 and even 40 years and never had a survey. Guess how many I have had in ten years? SEVEN. My property is cramped and small and I have just gotten it back to livable after the last lot of council insistence on something being done. Now I am told everything will need to be moved again for another electrical survey -the 8th in ten years.
"Tough" is the basic council response as "I have to abide by the tenancy agreement" (apparently only I have to). The council knows my health situation including PTSD and yet here we go again.
As a neighbour put it: "Seems they can't get you with the garden so they're using this" and this neighbour says he really wants a survey with the problems he is having. Oddly, I have had other phone calls about my caravan or vehicle causing problems and having the relevant part of the tenancy agreement quoted at me. Well, neither I nor my neighbours have a caravan and though some of them do seem to like to reverse into my fence I have no car., Never driven in my life so every time I put the phone down. Wait a few months then....another call.
The Tenancy Agreement" you sign as a tenant is strictly one way: the council wipes its hands of anything they have to do under this agreement such as repairs or dangerous footpaths.
The point is that no one who is a tenant of any council should feel they are going to be kicked out of their home. Yes, I am highly suspicious of all these surveys of just my property -they used a sudden survey of gas fittings at my last property to label the home unfit for human habitation despite qualified gas engineers giving everything the all clear two weeks before/ Could not be repair "because" -I get moved on and the property is demolished and redeveloped. Always be suspicious!
Go to your MP or any other body or person you can but do not give in the bullying. I have chatted with 20 other Bristol City Council residents who have had the same problems but are terrified of speaking out. YOU have rights. Yes, free legal help is impossible to find but do not give up.
I will post an update when this 'survey' is carried out and my thanks to the 20,000 people who have read this blog and I hope it has helped you.
This year I have had two calls about 'anonymous complaints' about the garden. My question in each case was: "Could you please give me your full name and I would like to speak to your supervisor" The response in each case was that they did not have to give their names as a matter of personal security -wrong. Also, THEY were the supervisor. My question after this is whether they can, after 23 years, provide a copy of a written complaint or exact details of when, where and how the complaints were made. No -"data protection" well "data protection" is not a good enough reason after threat and more threats (including at one point when I was a metre away from the council official and was wearing garden gloves, had secateurs in my hand and was surrounded by bush and tree cuttings and gardening tools) about taking action over my not gardening. In all 30 plus visits not one council official has seen anything wrong with my garden -apparently it says so on my file! No evidence -I put the phone down.
What I hope this blog has shown is that tenants of local councils -who slam private landlords- should not be afraid to speak out if they face these problems.
A year ago, when I was very ill and was awaiting a Tribunal Hearing after another "Medical assessment" resulted in my benefit being stopped, the council was made fully aware of the situation but even sent me a letter stating I would no longer be allowed to live in the property and proceedings were underway -this just as I won my appeal and the council got all of its back rent.
Despite the visit by the head of Estate Management, Paul Bannerman, a few year back and despite a total of 12 surveyors calling about repairs not one single repair has been carried out. For a year water was gushing from a piupe under the sink -corroded pipes. Nothing done. Letter to the City Mayor as well as a copy to a journalist friend enclosing photos of the mess -within two days visit after visit until all the pipework was replaced.
More surveyors looking at repairs -all noting this and that. Three years on -nothing done.
According to the rules there should be an electrical survey of council properties every ten years. I have neighbours who have lived in council homes 20, 35 and even 40 years and never had a survey. Guess how many I have had in ten years? SEVEN. My property is cramped and small and I have just gotten it back to livable after the last lot of council insistence on something being done. Now I am told everything will need to be moved again for another electrical survey -the 8th in ten years.
"Tough" is the basic council response as "I have to abide by the tenancy agreement" (apparently only I have to). The council knows my health situation including PTSD and yet here we go again.
As a neighbour put it: "Seems they can't get you with the garden so they're using this" and this neighbour says he really wants a survey with the problems he is having. Oddly, I have had other phone calls about my caravan or vehicle causing problems and having the relevant part of the tenancy agreement quoted at me. Well, neither I nor my neighbours have a caravan and though some of them do seem to like to reverse into my fence I have no car., Never driven in my life so every time I put the phone down. Wait a few months then....another call.
The Tenancy Agreement" you sign as a tenant is strictly one way: the council wipes its hands of anything they have to do under this agreement such as repairs or dangerous footpaths.
The point is that no one who is a tenant of any council should feel they are going to be kicked out of their home. Yes, I am highly suspicious of all these surveys of just my property -they used a sudden survey of gas fittings at my last property to label the home unfit for human habitation despite qualified gas engineers giving everything the all clear two weeks before/ Could not be repair "because" -I get moved on and the property is demolished and redeveloped. Always be suspicious!
Go to your MP or any other body or person you can but do not give in the bullying. I have chatted with 20 other Bristol City Council residents who have had the same problems but are terrified of speaking out. YOU have rights. Yes, free legal help is impossible to find but do not give up.
I will post an update when this 'survey' is carried out and my thanks to the 20,000 people who have read this blog and I hope it has helped you.
