This category is about one of the biggest lies that has ever been told to me and the balcony of which I have not had the full use since mid-2019.
By all means, do not let such minor details deter you. You are driving a motorised vehicle. In Berlin, that automatically categorises you as a V.I.P. first-class citizen.
That gives you the right to do whatever you like.
Including leaving the rubble on the ground, spreading all over the driveway, leaving a horrendous mess. But don’t worry about that. We are honoured to have to look at that because it means that a very important person was here.
Happy Corona summer on the balcony.
Edit 6 August 15.45: Wow. What a difference a Facebook post can make. That is a heck of a lot more light than before. What happens next is of course a worry, but for now I assume I can risk starting to clean and re-furnish and use the balcony. And enjoy what is left of the summer.
I still wish they would inform me (IN WRITING) what is going to happen to that wall and to my balcony, and preferably approximately when, because I am fully aware of the fact that the real nightmare may not even have started yet, but they do not seem to want to do that.
This morning:
Every time I think it will get better, it gets worse.
In an e-mail last week, I was informed that the last work would be done on 3 and 4 August, and that the net could then also be removed (I don’t know what it is doing there at all now). I therefore dropped my plans of leaving Berlin for any considerable length of time.
I did flee the chaos for three days, and arrived home in the afternoon of 5 August hoping to be able to slowly start cleaning and using my balcony (and my living room) again.
Instead, I found things looking worse than ever. In addition to some more boards and some more rubble, they have installed what looks like an entire euro-pallet – ON my balcony. So much for “your balcony will not be affected”. That statement is becoming more and more laughable by the week, and has been for over a year now.
No work was being done on that wall yesterday afternoon, and none whatsoever today, 6 August, either.
I don’t know what is more breathtaking – the arrogance or the propensity to lie over and over again. Do they actually think it is nice to have a good-sized balcony and not be able to use it? Especially during the summer, in a year where I ought to be at home most of the time? Not to mention the fact that my living is full of most of the things that are normally on the balcony.
EDIT: Latest development: There is now an agreement that the current work will be finalised, and the net removed, by the end of next week.
I will make sure I am not in Lindenstraße, or even in Berlin, a lot during the next ten days.
During the week 10 to 15 August I will then be able to clean everything and take possession of my balcony again. They did offer to do the cleaning, but I prefer to do that myself. I really am not in the mood to have strangers invading my home these days and I do not want to talk to anybody.
I sincerely hope that these are the last words I will ever write about this matter.
EARLIER: Now they are turning up on my doorstep – unannounced – asking to be let in. Why? So they can tell more lies, this time undocumented? If they want to see the balcony, they are almost standing on it.
The must have eaten nails, as we say in Danish.
I guess there is no point in cleaning the balcony today (see video below). I hear a fresh layer of dust descending upon the one from yesterday (see next post).
I just spoke to one of the young people in the WG next to me who was almost in tears. All three are either studying or working from home and keep having to go somewhere else, and they have so far been unsuccessful in obtaining a reduction in rent (despite the fact that the owner of the flat will sooner or later receive compensation, or at least that was promised in a meeting of owners with the Hausverwaltung in spring 2019 – but perhaps that was also a lie, just like the claim that our balconies would not be directly affected).
And still no indication how long this is going to last. But I guess that is better than when they lie and say they have finished when they clearly have not.
They said they had finished and that it was no longer necessary for the balcony to be empty, so I cleaned parts of the balcony yesterday and started to put things back on it.
Now I just arrived back from a daytrip and found this. The entire balcony looks like this – again.
F…! It was THIS close to having been a lovely day.
I was always taught, in school and by my parents, that lying was completely unacceptable. Here in Germany, it seems to be a sport. That, and blaming others for everything that goes wrong. You can certainly see where a certain US president, with German ancestors, gets his habits of lying and blaming others from.
By the way, what are those black stains, and how do I remove them? They appeared during the work they did last summer, shortly after this part of the scaffolding had been erected. There are many more, also on the marble shelf and on the floor of the balcony – currently covered by dust – again. I thought I would be able to scrape them off, but they are completely solid and stuck.
Is it because the monstrosity is under Denkmalschutz that they can get away with being so unbelievable arrogant and do what like?
Schön & Sever , Cresco Capital Group, Cresco Real Estate
Background:
EDIT: I have just been informed that this is what it is going to look like for the duration, as far I understood the vague reply. That means at least another couple of years. I think I am going to scream. Does anyone know a lawyer with whom I could have a word about this?
Also, it turns out that they did what they had to do last week and that it was no longer necessary for the balcony to be empty. They just could not be bothered to inform me and grant me the honour of cleaning the balcony of the thick layer of dust and put everything back on it. I spent almost two hours yesterday cleaning the balcony. Today I went out most of the day and came home to find another thick layer of dust everywhere, including on the plants which I had been naive enough to put back. The nightmare never ends.
Earlier: I know it seems that I am just very angry – no more no less – but I am actually devastated.
I thought my balcony was chaotic in the past thirteen months or so, but just as I thought it was bound to get better soon, it got 150 percent worse. Not only is my balcony now even less useable, but my living room is barely live-able-in because so many things from the balcony have to be stored in there. Of course they said my balcony would never be directly affected (that’s almost hilarious ….), but to be fair, they never promised me that my living room would not be affected ……
This year of all years, where many of us have to stay at home the majority of the time, and not go out and be among other people, and not travel, it would have been so good to have a comfortable and nice-looking home, and the option to spend a lot of time on the balcony for daylight.
Now, having to spend so much time incramped and ugly surroundings, especially having no idea how long it will last (because Cresco Real Estate refuses to answer questions about it) is extremely stressful.
I used to love my flat and consider myself so lucky to have found it, but had I known what was going to happen and for how long, I am not sure I would have bought it. And now it is not only semi-un-useable, it is definitely un-sellable, and probably will be for the next around five years – this being Berlin.
Background: this and several other posts: https://www.hellemoller.eu/2020/07/20/the-saga-about-the-scaffolding-continues/.
The whole thing is literally zum Heulen, as they say. And there is no end in sight. Again today, NOTHING is happening at this end of the building.
And the irony: They are not even building a contemporary and interesting building. They are spending probably the best part of a decade, and I don’t even to know how many euros, plus making life a misery for hundreds of people living in the area – to restore one of the ugliest monstrosities in the world (Victoriahöfe, Lindenstraße).
EDIT 26 July: A full working week later, absolutely nothing has happened (apart from another couple of mm of dust). The situation is 150 percent worse, as I now am not able to use neither my balcony nor my living room, and my wild flowers and herbs are dying because they are not suited to be indoors.
The initial promise that our balconies would not be directly affected, which turned out to be false already more than a year ago, is getting further and further from the truth by the day.
Maximum daylight, and to have full use of my balcony, would have been particularly important to me this year where I am still trying to stay at home four to five days a week most weeks. As it is now, I barely have the use of neither my balcony nor my living room.
How is it even allowed to encroach upon other people’s private property, as seen in the photo, for so long?
The arrogance of Cresco Real Estate is breathtaking.
EARLIER: Around mid-day on Friday 17 July, I was ordered – not asked – to empty my balcony of all plants, furniture etc. before Monday 20 July, because on that day, they wanted to start repairing the wall where the scaffolding is.
Despite the fact that 1) we were told at the beginning that this would not directly affect our balconies (in the case of my balcony, it has done nothing else for 13 months now ….), 2) it would cause some chaos in my living room and kitchen to find room for everything, and 3) technically, I was away from my flat for the weekend, but luckily, I was not further away than I was able to cancel two other plans, and go home and do as I had been told.
I even did that quite happily, because I thought it would be the beginning of the end of the nightmare.
Now, on the evening of Monday 20 July, has anything happened – anything at all? Nope.
Do I feel stupid for believing them, and for clicking my heels and letting myself be bossed about by them? Yep.
I could have kept my week-end plans, and then spent today emptying the balcony.
Instead, I am now wondering how many weeks or months I have to live with the chaos (and watch my herbs and wild flowers die because they are not meant to be indoors).
I often find that many Germans are very suspicious of others, and I understand better and better why. They probably think everybody is as unreliable as they are.
PS The background has been outlined in several earlier posts, most recently here: https://www.hellemoller.eu/2020/07/12/i-am-not-going-to-stop-till-i-get-a-response/.
Time to recap what I have already outlined in several previous posts. Perhaps if I link to the entrepeneur, Cresco Real Estate, often enough, somebody will finally respond.
Some time during the first half of 2019, we were informed that a scaffolding would be constructed at the end of the neighbouring building, that it would be there for six to eight months, and that it would NOT directly affect our balconies.
The scaffolding was constructed during June 2019, and before the end of the summer, the work for which it had been constructed was completed (it had created an unholy mess on my balcony, but that is another story).
Three important factors are 1) that that part of the scaffolding is not linked to the original scaffolding around that building. It was put up much later, and could therefore also be removed without affecting the original scaffolding. 2) It has not been used for anything at all since late last summer. And 3) As far as I can see, when they get around to repairing that part of the building, they will need to take the scaffolding down anyway and use another one.
So that was one summer partially ruined, for which we were promised financial compensation – money that we have not seen or heard of since then, but it is also not really my point. I would rather have had the full use of my balcony all this year.
Fast-forward to February-March this year, when we all started to look forward to getting rid of the scaffolding and thus get a lot more daylight on our balconies and in our homes.
Nothing happened. On 7 April, in an e-mail to Cresco Real Estate, and to our Hausverwaltung, Schön & Sever, I asked when we could expect the scaffolding to be removed, enabling us to fully enjoy the priviledge of having a balcony, especially this year, where we have to stay at home much more than normally. I re-sent the e-mail a week or two later. I have not yet received a reply (as of 21 July).
A couple of weeks ago, some workers suddenly appeared on the scaffolding, raising my hopes that it would now be removed, but they only removed one little component, which caused part of the net to fall on my balcony. They did not bother to pick it up, but left soon after. I had to get out my ladder and a hefty pair of scissors to remove it.
Meanwhile, the scaffolding has now been there for 13 months, not six to eight months which we were initially informed, and the best part of the second summer partially ruined. How much longer will we have to look at this eyesore, and how much longer will it be stealing valuable daylight, for no purpose whatsoever. Both Cresco Real Estate and Schön & Sever are still refusing to answer this question.
By the way, did I mention that the entrepreneur is Cresco Real Estate?
One more thing – especially this year, where socialising is so limited, it would have been ideal to be able to invite one or two visitors for brunch or lunch or coffee or whatever, on the balcony from time to time. Obviously, the way that looks now, this is not really possible.
As if the often infernal noise was not bad enough, but that is unavoidable so everybody tries to just ignore it . (Unlike the inexplicable shouting and singing which starts shortly after 6AM, and the loud “music” being played at intervals during the day, but our complaints about that are largely ignored),
But THE most frustrating thing is the fact that my questions about it are studiously ignored, both by Cresco Real Estate and by Schön & Sever who both still refusing to respond.
Starting to sound like a broken record, but I am SO TIRED of being met with the sight of this mess every morning.
On 1 June, my hopes were raised when a couple of workers turned up and removed …….. ONE little component, which resulted in parts of the netting falling onto the table on my balcony (photo in previous post). They did not bother to pick it up. They just disappeared again and I have not seen them since. I had to get out my ladder and a hefty pair of scissors in order to get rid of the bundle of netting.
As described many times before, this part of the scaffolding went up early last summer, beginning of June as far as I recall, it is separate from the rest of the scaffolding, and the word was it would be there six to eight months (!) which would have meant it would be gone my March this year (2020). Fast-forward to July, it is still there.
If it had a purpose, and was actually being used for something, that would be another matter, but it has not been used for anything at all since about August or September last year (when they made an unholy mess on my balcony, but that is a seperate story). All it has done is stealing valuable light – light which would have been especially important in March and April this year (which was the time they had told us it would be gone again) where most of us stayed at home 24/7 except for very short grocery-shopping trips, light which would have been valuable now, and light which will be even more valuable, but I fear it will still be lacking, come late summer and autumn.
Some of us are still spending much more time at home than we would normally, and we still have to look at that mess which makes it hard to fully enjoy the priviledge of having a balcony in these times.
But the most frustrating factor is that nobody wants to deal with or even hear about it. Obviously not the workers, and also not the entrepreneur, and not even our Hausverwaltung. On 7 April, I e-mailed them both asking how much longer, and re-sent that e-mail a couple of weeks later. So far, none of them have bothered to reply.
In short, both our Hausverwaltung Schön & Sever and the entrepreneur Cresco Capital Group or Cresco Real Estate or whatever they are called are still refusing to answer questions about it.
Since e-mails are ignored, perhaps a frequent mention here will finally wake somebody up: Schön & Sever , Cresco Capital Group, Cresco Real Estate.
Schön & Sever , Cresco Capital Group, Cresco Real Estate .
Schön & Sever , Cresco Capital Group, Cresco Real Estate
Schön & Sever , Cresco Capital Group, Cresco Real Estate