Residents of Flogsta demand a rent reduction

The old and broken door in Magnus Dicander s corridor is now kept in the common area next to the kitchen. The malfunctioning lock and broken door was acting up for seven months before it finally gave up and broke down completely. At that time Magnus Dicander had notified the landlord Heimstaden three times, without getting the problem solved. Another resident of the corridor had a party this spring when uninvited people tried to get into the corridor, and broke the door. Finally, on a saturday night a couple of weeks ago the door could not be opened at all and the residents were locked in.
– We had to use the fire escape, that one still works. We didn t dare to kick the door open, but one of the neighbours texted Heimstaden and the on call janitor was determined and kicked the door in, says Magnus Dicander.

After this incident, Magus Dicander wrote a document where he demands a reduction of his rent because of the fact that he and his neighbours had a broken door for seven months. He also put the form up on a Facebook group for people living in Flogsta, and other students have now started dowload it to demand a rent reduction. Ergo has received stories from building 1,2, 5, 8 and 12 where doors have been broken from 2,5 months, up to 2 years.

Regardless of whether it was the door incident or the complaint that Magnus Dicander has made, now his door has been replaced. But accordning to Magnus Dicander, far from everyone who needs a new door or other repair work done, gets it on time from the landlord. Something that has been an object of discussion at the tenancy compound of Flogsta higrises, where Magnus Dicander is a member of the board.
– As soon as things starts to cost money, it takes a long time to get things done. Last year Heimstaden said replacements of all the corridor doors is a part of their five year plan. But during that time, most people will have the time to move in and move out again, and while living here, one would want a functioning door, he says.

During a walk in Flogsta highrises we find more broken doors. In one staircase a piece of metal is holding a front door open.
– No, don t remove that, then I can t get in again, a student says, who is on her way down the stairs to smoke outside.

The corridor has had trouble with the door locks for as long as she can remember, but she wants to stay anonymous, to avoid getting on the wrong foot with the landlord. The card reader does not work properly and therefore the door is kept open 24/7. Another student comes out to talk to us and lets us know that the door lock has been acting up for a year, as long as he has been living there.
– But a friend in the corridor told me when I moved in that it had been broken for about a year at the time.

Haven t you told Heimstaden that the door is not working properly?
– Yes, several times. There was someone here to fix it two and a half weeks ago, but that person left without the door getting fixed. I guess you could say we have given up, the student says.

How does it feel that people can just walk in to you corridor?
– Not so good, we have been robbed of food several times, but we don t know if this is a problem within the corridor or if someone from outside has entered.

Gustaf Lantz is a legal counsel at the Swedish tenant s association (Hyresgästföreningen) and explains that one can get a rent reduction from the time the tenant notifies the landlord of a deficiency in the apartment, until the time it has been repaired. nbsp;
– Then the deficiency needs to be a barrier and lack of access rights as one says in legal terms. I have not seen any court cases concerning doors, but it is serious if the tenant can not access the apartment, Gustaf Lantz says. nbsp;

A tenant that has invited a person who breaks something in the apartment can be held responsible for the deficiency, but not if unauthorized people tries to get in and breaks the door.
– If you live in a corridor and someone else breaks something, it s still a deficiency for the people living there, Gustaf Lantz says. nbsp;

Johan Sandberg, area manager at Heimstaden in Flogsta, does not want to comment on the initiative to demand rent reduction, at first, and says that the doors have been kicked and broken by the tenants. When we talk for the second time, he totally agrees that it should not matter who breaks a door in the first place. nbsp;

Regarding Magnus Dicander s door Johan Sandberg says that the doors have special mesurements and that it therefore can take some time to replace them, but that the door now has been fixed. nbsp;

Ergo: But that was after three complaints and it took seven months.
– It should not take that long. But there they broke the card reader by kicking it, so we had to order new parts which are harder to find. But we shall fix anything broken as soon as we can, regardless who breaks something. But it is sad that it happens and we are looking at buying new security doors, says Johan Sandberg.