From Mr M. Aquilina

I refer to the letter “Council-built flats and the Housing Authority”, (TMIS, 24 July) written in reply to an article by Noel Grima entitled “Housing Authority washes its hands of apartment blocks once they are sold”.

I back Noel Grima’s article featured on 17 July, and fully agree with what he wrote.

In the UK, council-built houses are both for sale or rent, and are the cheapest on the market, unless they are in the borough of Westminster. They are cheap because they are neglected, dirty, covered in graffiti and overrun by dogs. Some are unsaleable and are demolished, like what happened a few years ago in the east end of London.

Dr Ray Zammit wrote about the Housing Authority shifting responsibility onto the residents’ association. The people running such associations, if and where there is one, are not fit to do so. They are dog-owners, and bend the rules in our contract to suit themselves. I was in the Block A5 Residents’ Association and resigned, as some members expected me to turn a blind eye to what was going on. I am not that type. One such example was when I was told by a member of our committee to leave the people using garages for business purposes in peace, and as he put it, “let them earn an extra lira.”

What action is taken against such individuals? Nothing.

Dr Zammit sent us residents a copy of the contract in August 2004 and another copy in April, and I am wondering whether they were meant to be a deterrent to stop what’s going on. In reality it didn’t change anything. Same problems, different day.

I bought my apartment on the strength of what was written in the contract. It sounded good then. I have been misled, cheated and deceived. If the authority had no intention of acting as watchdog or caretaker, it should have refrained from writing these contracts that are full of fancy talk. The last paragraph in the contract and letter signed by Ray Zammit, of which I have a copy, states that if such conditions are not met and observed, legal action will be taken. Who is going to enforce what Dr Zammit wrote and signed?

What I would like to suggest is, that Joe Public should be told exactly what the appropriate State organs and legal channels are, instead of beating about the bush. This will save us all from this unnecessary hardship.

Mario Aquilina

QAWRA