Questioned for many months about the dysfunctions of towers A7 and A8 in the Argentinian district of Beauvaisthe lessor Clesence organized a meeting with residents this Thursday, November 28. The opportunity to collect tenants’ grievances, but above all to respond to complaints and ensure that everything will be returned to order.
“There are still some finishing touches…» A simple sentence at the start of the meeting was enough to provoke laughter from the audience and set the tone for the evening. “We have minimal things left…» tried to sue the works manager. Without more success. “There’s one arm left to go», Retorts a man. It will take some time before the professional can explain that the missing elements of the facade have been ordered but not yet delivered and that the problems inside are partly due to damage.
The hot water must return
Thibault Thomas, the director of the Clésence de Beauvais agency then took the floor to detail the “five priorities» established by the lessor and the means to remedy them. He started by talking about hot water which is a recurring problem in these towers. “I don’t have hot water between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the morning. On the phone I was told that as I am retired I only have to take my shower at 10 a.m.», Testifies a resident. A response deemed unacceptable by all parties.
As for hot water:we are in a period of adjustments», reassures Thibault Thomas. According to him, the work is completed, the company now needs to correctly adjust the water settings so that everyone can take a shower in the morning without creating any problems.
A residentialization project
The second priority mentioned is that of insecurity. Several tenants report drug trafficking in the A7 tower. “Menus” were in fact tagged on the walls of the building. And the closing of magnetic doors is a thing of the past, which also brings its share of problems.
Clésence says that actions have already been taken with the police. First on November 14, an operation was carried out with a dog squad to search for narcotics and a possible nanny apartment. Apparently without results. Then, on November 19, another action was carried out at the foot of the buildings, this time.
For her part, Clésence presented a “residentialization project» of towers A7 and A8. Thanks to an additional gate and a better network of video surveillance among other things, the lessor hopes to improve security for residents. But the latter primarily require a guard dedicated to their building.
Pests dealt with by the end of the year
For tenants, a guard would also be important to deal with acts of incivility in common areas. Particularly for waste management. Some people complain about the garbage room door which is never closed. “You’re lucky, you have oneretorts a resident of the other tower, not us…»
Inconveniences which inevitably bring pests.
That’s good Thibault Thomas has good news on this subject. He changes slides and his presentation displays a drawing of a rat. Which provokes laughter from some. “Ah, we know them. These are our new tenants», jokes a lady. A priori not for long since a rodent and disinsection campaign is planned “by the end of the year“. But it will only be truly effective if the mandated companies can access each home.
No cut asbestos
Another point of tension among residents is the execution of the work, which they sharply criticize. “Everything you do in the hall is brown. As soon as you touch something it’s brown», complains a tenant. Damien Sionneau, CEO of the Sionneau group which is carrying out the work, has another opinion. Coming this Thursday evening to meet the residents, he gave his version: “We were bad at deadlineshe concedes. In terms of execution of the work, things were generally satisfactory. If there is a problem we can hear it. Now there are guarantees.» Which did not convince the residents.
They also fear having been exposed to asbestos during the cutting of a wall which was suspected of containing it. All without prior protection. Damien Sionneau reassured them. “We made a mistake cutting down this wallhe still recognizes. It shouldn’t have been done like that. The person in charge, I can guarantee you, took a volley. So when we found out, we sent a specialized team from home to carry out measurements. They were able to take the measurement and there was no asbestos in this wall.” “We don’t know, we haven’t seen this report», Retorts a lady. But the response seems to have generally allayed some apprehension.
The mayor’s rant
At the end of the meeting, the Clésence representatives listened and noted the various problems encountered in the apartments. Leaks, among others, reported on the top floor and which are rotting accommodation. A cellar emptied without warning the tenants after a flood. And other safety issues and poorly done work. They promised to make an appointment with all these tenants to resolve their problems.
Mayor Franck Pia, arriving at the end of the meeting, also spoke to defend the residents. And complain about the lack of responsiveness of the social landlord. “It’s true gentlemen. I saw that there was a real problem of communication with the residents. We ourselves challenged you with answers that did not come. I was quite annoyed by the situation. There is the work that dragged on Mr. Sionneau», He said, turning towards him. “You have responsibilities. (…) When the work is not done well, we hire another company. At town hall that’s what we do.» He concluded by announcing an inter-donor conference to clarify things.
