SLEEPING QUARTERS designed for domestic workers who work at Marloth Gardens, a city housing estate, are being illegally used as dwelling units despite the city’s Human Settlement’s Department concerns that the building is not structurally sound and could collapse.
The rooms, according to councillor Chris Pappas, were designed for domestic workers who would work and eat at the main flat, and only use the rooms for sleeping and washing. “This means that the original sleeping quarters are not suitable for the type of dwelling units they are currently being used for. One-room single dwelling units are being occupied by four to seven people,” he said.
Pappas explained the problem was being compounded by the fact that domestic workers originally signed a lease agreement with the main flat they worked at and once they no longer worked within Marloth Gardens, they were meant to move out.
“Not all the original occupants of the flats still live and work at Marloth Gardens, but some of the flats are allegedly collecting rent from the people living in the quarters. The municipality plans on issuing eviction notices and having residents living in the rooms sign a disclaimer about the risk of collapse. Whether or not they will follow through I am not sure,” he said.
Pappas said Marloth Gardens residents had to contend with a number of problems which highlighted the challenges the city was facing in that there were not enough housing options available.
“Many people can pay some form of rent but because there are such limited options in terms of pricing, many people have no other option but to live in slums, informal settlements or in places such as Marloth Gardens. Social housing, subsidised units, and incentives for lower rentals all need to be considered in order to alleviate the problem,” said Pappas.
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Among the complaints residents living in the flats have lodged is the severe lack of maintenance at the property and the city’s failure to respond to complaints. One resident said she had requested a dedicated quadriplegic parking outside her block of flats as her husband was disabled and used a walker to get around, however her request was turned down.”The parking at this estate is ridiculous. In some cases, one flat will need three parking bays. It’s madness. Some garages allocated to flats are being used for storage or are being rented out. I have to be up at 4.30am to get my husband to the hospital, but the municipality won’t help by erecting a sign to allocate a disabled parking outside my block of flats,” she said.
The woman, along with other residents, also complained about the lack of maintenance to the flats and the grounds.
“A pipe burst in the rooms above my garage and leaked into my garage for ages before anything was done,” said another resident who has lived at the estate for 33 years. She added that she had also tried unsuccessfully for almost 13 years to get the municipality to re-tar the driveway and space outside the garages.
Another resident complained about the paint peeling off in her flat and said there was borer in the floor, door and window frames of all the ground floor flats. “We pay rent and lights, so the municipality should do repairs,” she said.
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