For five years, the City of Warsaw has had a tenant in one of its flats, not paying any rent, not responding to any letters, not opening the door to anyone. And finally, the authorities decided to pay him a visit - bust into his lonely nest off ul. Okopowa, and found... a skeleton. He'd been dead since 2007.
The story's here in the Warsaw edition of Gazeta Wyborcza. It's a harrowing tale which suggests that the city authorities have only just begun to take the issue of rent arrears seriously. Could something like this happen in the UK?
The last time the world had had any contact with Andrzej J (born 1926) was in September 2007, that was when his neighbours had last seen him, that was the date of his last rent payment.
It was only when Warsaw mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz (second term in office) decided to get the ZGN (the city's property administration authority) to engage more directly with its tenants did they discover this situation.
Apart from the human tragedy of a man without family or friends who died and was missed by no one (did the neighbours not notice or even care?), there's the issue of how the local authorities could be so remiss as to allow this situation to continue for five years, despite letters to the courts, eviction notices, futile visits from bailiffs etc. How many other surprises could turn up in flats owned and managed by the city authorities?
This time last year:
Drifting home
This time two years ago:
Today's dose of wintery gorgeousness
This time three years ago:
First intimations of spring
Could something like this happen in the UK?
ReplyDeleteCertainly.
This film http://dreamsofalife.com/ tells a true story of an approximately similar event that happened in London just a few years ago.
The local authorities chase council tax arrears so actually most unlikely. Also most old people still have milk delivered by the milk milkman - this is usually the first person who knows something is amiss. And of course there is the meals on wheels service.
ReplyDeletesadly, these tragic incidents happen frequently in the UK.
ReplyDeleteSometimes accompanied by the 'if only we had known he was ill/alone/etc' refrain or 'we realised that we hadn't passed him in the corridor for ages' or 'he always kept himself to himself'.
It's very sad and says a great deal about notions of existence, neighbourliness and community.
Michael, you do a great service in writing about these issues that go to the heart of human vulnerability and transience.
J