Never will I knock on my neighbors door!

I live in a ten floor building in one of the most developed and preferable areas in Tirana. Often I am happy to live there, but also happens to repent and sometimes I curse it and plan to change residence not because of the quality of construction, infrastructure and services, but only because of the neighbors` indifference. Residents of the house where I live have it difficult to be organized and meet their duties in the community. For instance, if water tanks are broken, nobody cares to repair the damage. The stairs and the squares in front of our flats are often dirty even when we pay. The elevator doesn`t work every day or when running in the morning may not work in the afternoon. One will ask “Do you have an administrator? Yes, we once had, but as other administrators in charge of this job, he just quitted. Why? Because some, only some (not the majority) of the residents in our flat do not pay the maintenance and administration fees. Meanwhile, there is no water in my house since two days, I am stressed, and what irritates me is not the lack of water, but the lack of a solution to the problem. I knock to the neighbor next door who seems quite indifferent, as she has no problem at all. This soundsstrange I think and how on earth is she so quiet?! We both have little children to be bathed several times a day. Damn it! What to do? Where to go?! I knock to the administrator`s door. He seems bored with the situation, but he says there is nothing to do. The washing machine is full of dirty clothes, the dishes are piled up and then the toilet to be washed off; my face as well, better not mention the latter. I go to take my daughter from kindergarten and when I am back the elevator doesn’t work. But I do not complain on holding my daughter till the ninth floor when I think the lack of water at home is far worse.You are tired of my stories I guess…maybe…but I am sure than many of you will face any of these stories someday. It is weird how these citizens pay 80 thousand euros to buy an apartment and do not pay 1000 ALL for the maintenance and its administration. Ben is called the former administrator of my flat. He is at his late 60`s, who admits to be responsible at the beginning, but later on he was insulted by many of neighbors. -I am nearly 60, not a kid and I cannot put up with the fact that they see me when I knock the door and they do not open it! I got bored with these people, that`s why I quit! I needed money and I was obliged to do that, but this way I just can`thandle it. -Well then, - I say to him,- we have to find a solution. We will pay the money for those who don`t. -Well, you pay, what about the others?! Ma`am, people have troubles, they count coins, I have seen that! - But I need water! You understand?! While I speak to Ben, other neighbors pass nearby after doing some shopping. Instead of stopping and discussing about the problem and find a solution they just say “Never mind, our flat is organized this way!” and then jump on the dirtiness of the stairs and pretending not to see it and then enter their apartments as everything was in order inside. To me they seem like mice fleeing in holes. -Now I understand Ben why you just can`t deal with us! - Eh! Those who run away are those who don`t pay for months and those who have more money than others are quite as difficult as those who don`t have to pay. It depends on where he comes from, the integrity of the person! - What should I tell him?! Even though there is a law since 8 years (April 2009) which regulates the administration of joint properties, its implementation has failed. Albania prohibits by law the smoking in public premises, but actually, everybody can, whenever and wherever they want! As provided by law, every items sold, should be accompanied by a receipt, but no receipt is delivered to the client in most of the cases. Only in cases of “actions’ performed by inspectors or tax officers, smoking is forbidden and also receipts are delivered, but this is a matter of hours, or a matter of days. “It depends on where he comes from, the integrity of the person”! - Ben words echo in my ears. But what about water now?! The residents in my flat do not even know each other due to this hectic life, some live abroad, some tenants are temporary who come and go. This makes self-administration even more difficult. I look forward for the Tirana Municipality to stop this job which complicates people`s lives and then attributes it to the law in power. As a matter of fact, the Municipality has just started to implement the project for the selection and the registration of the assemblies and administrators of the flats. After some failed attempts in my flat, I am pretty sure that the administration of the joint premises should be carried out only through local power, with a certain fee. Someone must be in charge of such services such as elevator maintenance, stairs, take care of equipment for the fire protection, lightening system, generator (if there is any), clean and maintain the pumps and water tanks, the terrace, garages, parking lots and neighborhood yards. Finding a consensus with 60 families at a time, when you are obliged to work all day long is really a nightmare! In the meetings organized by the administrator, where is one, there are only 4 -5 families attending them (they never meet together), not to speak on the criteria on hiring an administrator, who needs to be “just unemployed”. The good news to me is undoubtedly the declaration of the Municipality that within 2017, around 5 thousand flats in Tirana will have their administrators. Is it maybe one of those “actions” as those previous ones? If this initiative will be put in action, the residents of this city will be released from a daily nightmare. The flat builders delegate the administration to the residents themselves. Even the state itself, by law no. 10112, dated09.04.2009 “On the administration of joint residential properties”, has legally passed the “ball” of responsibility to itself. The implementation of this project will provide a door to knock to for every citizen and this will not be our neighbors’ door hopefully. The common residential premises, as well as streets, public parks, schools and kindergartens, hospitals as well, need the attention of state organisms, our taxes and most of all our integrity.This way Tirana will be a real metropolis, a more suitable place to live, with urban esthetics and social cohesion. The Municipality has already presented the project on the selection and the registration of the flat assemblies and administrators. The administration will be carried out directly from the municipality through private subcontractors who will be monitored by the municipality itself. The director of the Joint Residential Premises and Development of Community Relations and the Administrative Units in the Tirana municipality, Admir Abrija, highlights that there is a platform already in place which will assist to 500.000 Tirana citizens. He explains that there are around 3500 employees to serve to this purpose in the 25 Administrative Units. The administrators will be equipped with a license for performing this task. According to the law, they must report on problems encountered. According to the Tirana municipality, there will be a coordinator for 20 administrators serving as communication bridges between the Municipality and the citizens. The Mayor, Mr. Veliaj has emphasized: We will start the equipment with licenses of the flat administrators in Tirana, in order to get a report on every flat. A licensed contact point will be hired who will be paid for the job, even report on everything”. Municipality police and the Construction and Urban Inspectorate will have their role in monitoring flats` administration by the administrators. The issue is the fee to be paid. Sources from the Tirana Municipality state that the fee will be higher than 1 thousand ALL for the new flats and 1, 5 thousand ALL for the old ones. The payment will be set based on the building year of the flat and the apartment size, etc. Nonetheless, there will be the assembly run by residents themselves that will set the fee. Each family is aware of the fact that the elevator fee, or the cleaning fee is nearly as much as the power and water bills, and there is the case of neighbors who hide and do not open doors to the administrator. We all become aware of that when we hear histories of tragedy such as the event of 2012 in Fier, where Nasi Mema died inside the elevator and his wife Angjelina Mema was badly injured, or the tragedy in Fresku area in January 2017 in Tirana, where Drilona Duriçi pregnant and only 30, died as a result of fire wounds inside the flat elevator, mother of a 5 year old. These tragedies took place due to negligence of elevator maintenance, as the residents do not pay for the service. The specialists say checks are compulsory once in a month, besides cases of defects. But these checks are not carried out in our flats, not to speak of cleaning services and parameters of water filtering, which might have never been cleaned in most of the cases! Our concrete yards have never been green, as they serve as parking lots, the flat entrance look like caves, while housewives leave the garbage at the front door. All of us want a better place to live! Tirana is not only the boulevard of the center, but even its neighbors and its yards, those we step on every day and make this city livable or not.