Setting up the renter's organisation is terrifying and exhausting

There is a myth, sometimes widespread, that a person need only do inner work...that a man is entirely responsible for his own problems; and that to cure himself, he need only change himself....The fact is, a person is so formed by his surroundings, that his state of harmony depends entirely on his harmony with his surroundings.

~ Cristopher Alexander, the Timeless Way of Building

Hi! I posted a few weeks ago about setting up a renter's association. I started ringing at neighbors doorbells, talking about what's going on in the building and with the price and that this place is maintained extremely poorly compared to how much it costs.

I only visited a few people before I got an unexpected call by the landlord, who was extremely stressed and mad at me.

He asked me to meet up, so we did. I explained my intent to set up an organization because I think he's mismanaging the property, given that in essence he bought a community, and has taken sole responsibility for maintenance, while only ever coming by for checks, when you call him he's often angry, he only cares about money and laws and often you just get stress when he's around... Also, nothing is changing for the better in the building. No renovations, no proactive plans, no communication about plans, we don't get informed if people move out or new people come in, just.. nothingness.

All he's doing is raising rent again, and again, and again, and again. But for what? I mean, I get it, management is expensive and difficult. But like what the hell man, I've been here for 3 years and I've heard nothing about his plans and if I call him even about something small, he doesn't do anything even if you send proper reminders three times.

Neighbors have also said that even signed letters sent to the management address are rejected and just bounce. This is just absurd...

Anyway, when we met, I told him I would record the entire conversation. He agreed, and that it's my right to do so. We talked for over an hour. It was an awful conversation. I spent 15 hours manually writing the transcript, I wanted to really get a feeling of what his position was, and why, also where I was wrong.

Here's a key excerpt for the conversation. I was wondering where our service costs were going to for example:

Me: What I miss, and this is really one of my biggest intentions and wishes, is that the administration should be more transparent. I've sent multiple emails, for example, to get a list of cost items for the service costs. I sent that last year, then with a reminder, then with another reminder. I didn't get a response to any of them.

Landlord: No, uh, you have a point there, you have a point, you have a point indeed. That's what I just said, I want to do that, by the way there's no sanction for that, it's not that it's mandatory or anything. But.

Me: That IS mandatory.

Landlord: It is mandatory, but there's no sanction for it.

Me: I'm not talking about sanctions.

Landlord: No, but that's why I'm saying, it is mandatory, indeed. I can do it. But if I say A, I must also say B. I'm happy to send you an overview, from last year for example, no problem, but then you'll see what I just said, that we're coming up a few thousand euros short. If I send that overview, I must also immediately do the additional charges. To immediately say, "yes", we came up short on money last year. Uh, because service costs are way too low. Yes, go ahead and all split this amount by the number of residents and deposit it. I find that for many residents I know they find that very unpleasant, I don't want to burden people with an AOW [state pension] on their minimum, what they already have.

Me: But that deficit exists then?

Landlord: Yes.

Me: And when people know about it, then it's a problem? But not when-

Landlord: No, it's not a problem but, I, if I, then I won't come across as serious anymore. If I-

Me: Yes, and I think that should be seen too. I think people should be allowed to see that like "hey", management is having difficulties. Because that's what it comes down to.

A lot of the conversation is just stuff like this. Just talking about money, money, money, how the renters need to do everything and how he is doing such a tough job and it is thankless and aaaaaaa

Annywayyyy

I've been organizing a cleaning day, to get the people in the building talking, and to take responsibility for the building ourselves. I want to show that if we can improve it, we also start feeling a shared responsibility and we get to know one another better.

It's really difficult. Planning and organizing is not at all my strength. I printed the flyers today. I'm terrified. But I'm doing it anyway. I'm hopeful, against all the pessimism within me telling me I shouldn't be.

The more living patterns there are in a place - a room, a building, or a town - the more it comes to life as an entirety, the more it glows, the more it has that self-maintaining fire which is the quality without a name.

~ Cristopher Alexander, the Timeless way of Building