ROI Properties

Formal complaint regarding the handling of serious tenant safety, security and property-management concerns

I am lodging this complaint regarding the conduct of the managing agent, Jolene, and the manner in which several serious concerns I have raised as a tenant have been handled. I am a Black woman living alone. I share the same property with a male tenant whose unit is separated from mine by a wall. I reported an incident in which this male tenant became aggressive and attempted to enter my property. Given that I live alone, I found this conduct deeply intimidating and concerning. No tenant should have to feel unsafe or threatened in their own home.What is particularly troubling is the response from the managing agent after I raised the matter. Instead of treating my complaint as a serious safety and security issue and taking appropriate steps to address the conduct reported, I was told, in substance, that I have burglars and should use them. I consider that response wholly inappropriate. Suggesting that I should resort to private individuals to deal with a tenant who has allegedly behaved aggressively and attempted to enter my property does not address the underlying problem and is not an acceptable response to a tenant raising a legitimate safety concern. There has also been a separate and ongoing property-management issue that has significantly affected my ability to reasonably enjoy my home. I was left with a skip placed directly in front of my front door for more than a month. This was not simply a skip somewhere on the property, it was positioned at my entrance and remained there for over two months. Having to live with a skip directly outside my front door for more than two months, while also dealing with a serious security concern involving another tenant, has been extremely distressing and unacceptable. I am paying rent for my home and expect basic safety, security and reasonable enjoyment of the property. Instead, I have had to repeatedly raise concerns that I believe should have been dealt with appropriately by the managing agent. I have retained documentation relating to these matters, including photographs and WhatsApp communications, and can substantiate the concerns I have raised and the communications surrounding them. I am also concerned about what I perceive to be a pattern in the conduct of this male tenant. In my experience, he appears significantly more willing to confront women, while his behaviour changes when challenged by men. I raise this because it is relevant to my experience of the situation and to why I feel particularly vulnerable as a woman living alone. I am not asking the managing agent to take sides in a neighbour dispute. I am asking for a serious complaint concerning aggressive conduct and an alleged attempt to enter my property by another tenant on the same property to be handled professionally, impartially and with appropriate regard for tenant safety. I also expect property-management issues affecting access to and enjoyment of my home to be addressed within a reasonable period. Leaving a skip directly outside my front door for more than a month falls far short of what I would consider reasonable. Unfortunately, the way these matters have been handled has left me with little confidence that my concerns are being taken seriously. I am therefore documenting the matter publicly and considering escalation to the appropriate housing and tribunal authorities for independent consideration of both the conduct reported and the manner in which my complaints have been handled. I have retained the relevant evidence and expect all communications and records relating to these matters to be preserved. Tenants should be able to raise genuine safety, security and property-management concerns without being dismissed, belittled or effectively told to deal with the problems themselves.