Man lives in degrading conditions in Antwerp basement: ‘That’s why it stunk like that’ | Abroad
“A while ago I saw someone crawl out of the cellar hole,” a neighbor of the building in question testifies. “I assumed it was a vandal because the building looks almost uninhabited.” She is shocked when she hears water that happened last week in the Provinciestraat.
After a report of a dangerous neighbor, the Antwerp police checked the basement of the building last week. The Center district team found a man who turned out to be living in part of the communal basement.
Need in plastic bag
According to eyewitnesses, the floor was littered with rubbish. There were no sanitary facilities in the room, running water heating. The resident testified that he did his in a plastic bag, which he then left in a garbage can on the street.
The man’s small mattress was nestled between the power lines, fuses, and open gas pipes. Despite the fact that the sockets were not there, a deep fryer was still connected.
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Provincial Street.
Joris Herregods
The resident told the police that he paid rent, but the owner of the property strongly contradicts this. He included that he was aware that someone in the basement of the property had not paid, let alone paid. Further research will have to show who is telling the truth.
Odor nuisance
In any case, it remains very strange that the man says he lived in the basement for months, without anyone ringing the alarm bell. “I had already complained several times to the landlord about odor nuisance,” says one of the residents.
“In the hallway it often smelled terrible, a mix of leftover food, cigarettes and urine. The landlord stayed. Only now do I know why.”
The property owner has placed a cellar space and a new lock on the front door so that you cannot just walk in and out. The resident to the police that he wants to continue living in the basement.
“We have a message that he can always go at night,” says Wouter Bruyns, says van de Antwerpsekorf.
The city council of the city of Antwerp seizes the event to point out to all residents the seriousness of the problem. “Slum dairy farms of this level still exist,” says Lauranne Van Dongen, according to Mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA). “If you notice anything suspicious as a resident, be sure to report it, because these kinds of degrading circumstances must stop.”