Toulouse: vandalism, noise pollution, water leaks… The infernal daily life of residents of a brand new residence
For several months, residents in brand new housing in the Croix Daurade district have been raising multiple issues. Problems with access badges, repeated water leaks or even acts of vandalism… These residents do not hide their anger.
Thefts from vehicles, access badges that don’t work, water leaks… The inhabitants of the “Esprit Parc” residence in the Croix Daurade district of Toulouse are at the end of their tether. Sparkling facades, freshly completed roads, state-of-the-art equipment… Yet everything suggested that by moving into these places, life would be pleasant, comfortable and peaceful. “I moved in a year ago, a few months later, we had a water cut because a pipe had given way,” says a resident of a residence in the residence. “I’ve been living here since last May, very quickly my ventilation stopped working causing traces of mold on the walls even though the paintwork is new, I reported the problem but nothing was done”, loose on his side, a young woman, a little desperate of the situation. A person who waits in front of his front door when asked about his living conditions points to the multiple waste strewn on the ground. “Here, there are people who do not respect the places. They stole my access badge by breaking my car window yet parked in a secure parking lot”, she notes before rushing into his automobile. An opinion shared by a young resident on her way to work. “Some do not know how to live in a community, the elevators are already degraded when it’s brand new,” she adds. In front of a white gate, four people are waiting in front of an intercom. “I’ve been waiting for 15 minutes because my badge doesn’t work,” a tenant gets carried away, visibly exasperated by the situation. His neighbor shows the lampposts of this small artery delimiting the different residences and explains that these have never worked.
A sponsored petition
This deleterious climate has led to tensions between neighbors but has also increased the pressure on the side of tenants. So much so that last November, a petition was induced. The various actors, managers, owners or social landlords of this housing complex have been alerted on several occasions to these problems poisoning the daily lives of the inhabitants. Among them, Toulouse Métropole Habitat, which of the 349 housing units recently delivered, has 68, all currently occupied. But also, 47 accommodations, properties of 3F Occitanie which have a caretaker living on site as well as a co-ownership trustee responsible for managing the common areas of the residence.
For its part, in order to manage this particular situation, the teams of Toulouse Métropole Habitat have set up a specific system. “A monthly meeting is organized with the inhabitants, a file is regularly updated in order to show the progress of the subjects, this makes it possible to follow up on a precise with the tenants”, underlines Julien Sasso, customer manager and who has responsible for managing the accommodation in the Esprit Parc residence. The latter confirms the acts of vandalism and ensures that the security devices will be put in place at the level of the garages in order to limit access to these places only to residents.
Resolve security issues
Rounds, twice a week, by the security teams of Toulouse Métropole Habitat have been carried out for more than a year. With regard to concerns related to intercoms or various housing problems, the social landlord specifies that it is being resolved. “The first two years after the delivery of new housing, there is always an adaptation phase. This is linked to the guarantee of perfect completion, for one year, the builder or the developer, is responsible for the payment of all the malfunctions relating to the construction, the operation of the equipment called during commissioning. As for the intercom, this is what happened”, indicates the person in charge of the sector. As for lighting concerns, here again, the manager specified that the situation was on the way to being effective and that the connection should be made in the coming days. Finally, the organization of an Operational Partnership Group (GPO) whose purpose is to bring together all the partners on site (municipal and national police, landlord, city services, tenant representative, trustee, etc.) in order to to identify actions to solve security problems is being implemented. A first meeting took place on February 3.