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| Colombian born Edgar Cruz Martinez keeps his winter jacket on to stay warm. |
As of today, the young Vaicityte has accomplished much in her life; she earned her first master's degree in Organizational Psychology form Vilnius University, and now works as a researcher for the Media, Communication and Organization (MCO) department at the UT. Last Spring, she completed her second master's degree in Human Resource Development. With all of her housing troubles in recent months, Vaicityte can barely manage her work, and volunteer efforts as a choir leader for the ITC Fellowship Church.
The sudden shift to winter temperatures in December of last year caused the two UTers to wear winter jackets inside their apartment. According to Vaicityte, `I have never lived in such a cold house, though I come from Lithuania where temperatures can drop to minus 30 Celsius.' She immediately contacted the housing corporation Woonplaats after the first night to discuss her grievances.
The earliest appointment available was on December 11, two weeks after the compliant was lodged. By this time, Vaicityte was feeling sick with a cough that would not seem to go away. The Home Team, a contractor for Woonplaats, arrived to examine the problem and fix the loose tiles in the bathroom. The man was friendly enough, but he told the couple that he first needed approval from his supervisor to repair `bigger problems.'
On December 14 with the winds in Twente blowing through all the holes in the apartment, the source of the problem was becoming obvious: poor insulation, and gaping holes around the windows, doors and seams in the walls. Within three days, on December 17, the supervisor arrived. He felt the problem had to do with the ventilation being closed, and suggested that they turn the heat up. They told him, `If we open the ventilation; it will be freezing.' Vaicityte says, `He turned an insulation problem into a ventilation problem, and even called me cold-blooded.'
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‘I've had to call the housing corparation so many times. One time mycomplaint had disappeared from their computer database,‘ says Loreta Vaicaityte. |
Being researchers, the couple decided to investigate the root of the problem to speed-up the long process of receiving service. They discovered big air holes throughout the apartment, and went to the trouble of drawing an air-leakage scheme to illustrate the problem.
Vaicityte says, `If you don't go with a candle and your finger over the seams, you can't detect the problem.'
In the Netherlands holiday time is holy, few people work and finding a repairman can be next to impossible. With the problem still not resolved, and the offices closed from December 24 through January 1, the couple felt that it was high time to seek help from Dutch friends and UT colleagues. Vaicityte laments, `I had to endure so many personal offenses. I really want them to personally apologize.' She adds, `Unlike many renters, I pay automatic incasso, which allows the Woonplaats to automatically withdrawal the monthly rent from my bank account. It's their job to fix repairs before a new renter even moves into an apartment.'
On January 3, yet another contractor visited the apartment, without making any repairs. According to Vaicityte, `They told me that they were not authorized to make the repairs.'
The saga continued on January 4 when the supervisor visited the apartment, and the Dutch colleague was invited by the couple to help them communicate their concerns. But Vaicityte believes, `It's nothing to do with a language barrier. He understood and spoke fluent English.'
The last straw for the couple was on January 10 when a subcontractor arrived without even calling in advance. The company was sent by the supervisor to check for holes, but again, no repairs were performed.
Vaicityte filed a complaint letter to Woonplaats, and awaits an answer. She advises other students, `Check the condition of the apartment before you move in.' Why doesn't she just move? The problem is that she has invested 1,000 Euros in this apartment and likes the locations.
Despite all their efforts, the problem is still not resolved. Vaicityte says, `In the Netherlands, many people live from the social system; they should value renters like us.'
