![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I wish the title had more to do with the sky and stars and planets than with what it actually refers to, Sky TV. Let me explain.
About two months ago, a new managing agency took over the managing of my block of flats / house. Mostly, what they do is keep the common parts in order and clean. Since they are a new managing agency, they also make up new rules, it seems.
In what they call "common parts" and I would call hallway or stairwell, there are a few nooks, such as under the stairs, where people keep their bikes. Fine by me, if I had a bike I'd not want it in my small flat either, or left outside to the ravages of the weather and other people. The bikes most certainly do not block any way. There are also a couple of plastic garden chairs on the landings, and they have been there before I moved in, so well over a year now. But now, there are notices posted that these items will be removed if they are still in the common parts in two weeks. However, the lights on the outside of the building and on the ground floor are still broken. Priorities, people!
Now, the Sky Saga.
Chapter one. A few weeks ago, we all received a letter from the managing agency, letting us know that a communal Sky TV system would be installed in our block of flats, that installation would take place on October 6th, and that it would be "in our best interest" to be at home on that day to make installation work easier and not have the additional cost of the workmen having to be called out twice.
Aha?
I don't even own a television set, and I don't miss it either. If I watch BBC, I use the iPlayer. I spend too much time on the computer anyway, and there are many, many books I want to read. Also, I don't want to take a day's holiday to have something installed that I'm not going to use. Since they gave a contact email address, I wrote them a nice little email. This is where working in a property law office comes in handy, because phrases like "I refer to your letter of..." and sentences like "You will appreciate that I am reluctant to take a day's holiday to be present for the installation of a system that will not be used by me" just flow into the keyboard without a second thought.
Anyway, I got an email back which basically said, if I don't want Sky, the installation won't affect me. Yay!
Chapter two. A day later, I get an email from my letting agency (I had copied them in on my email because they have my landlord's contact details etc). Seems my landlord would like Sky to be installed for any future letting of my flat. Fair point. But I still don't want to take a day off work to be here waiting for workmen. Now, my letting agency has a key to my flat, and I give them permission to be here and open the door for the workmen (we've done this before for the plumbers, so no problem). Ah, but my letting agency contact person, Debbie, has her day off on Wednesday, so she asks me if I can give my keys to my neighbours so they can let the workmen in.
Umm...
My next-door neighbours are a very polite and friendly family; they're also Polish and speak very little English. I don't know them from Adam, and leaving my keys to strangers is not my idea of fun (especially to get a system installed in my flat that I'm not going to use etc.). The neighbour I know a little better is the taxi driver downstairs, whom I rarely see since he works nights - he leaves for work as I get home, and I don't want to make him wake up early to let workmen into my flat to get a system installed that... oh I already said that.
Chapter three. When I got home tonight, there was a friendly woman from Sky here giving out little cards with the installation date on it and a number to call in case of questions. So of course, I give them a ring. Now, the woman on the other side of the line was definitely English, but I don't know what accent she spoke, and with an added crackle in the line, it was hard to understand her, so much so that I had to resort to the "I'm sorry, I'm not English, can you please speak a little slower"-sentence which I hate. But if I understood her correctly, the only way that Sky will be installed in my flat is if I subscribe to it. If I'm not with Sky, the installation won't affect me. If a future tenant wants Sky, they will install the thing then.
This I wrote to my letting agency, together with the phone number I called. I hope they can sort this muddle out. I don't want there to be a Chapter four.
About two months ago, a new managing agency took over the managing of my block of flats / house. Mostly, what they do is keep the common parts in order and clean. Since they are a new managing agency, they also make up new rules, it seems.
In what they call "common parts" and I would call hallway or stairwell, there are a few nooks, such as under the stairs, where people keep their bikes. Fine by me, if I had a bike I'd not want it in my small flat either, or left outside to the ravages of the weather and other people. The bikes most certainly do not block any way. There are also a couple of plastic garden chairs on the landings, and they have been there before I moved in, so well over a year now. But now, there are notices posted that these items will be removed if they are still in the common parts in two weeks. However, the lights on the outside of the building and on the ground floor are still broken. Priorities, people!
Now, the Sky Saga.
Chapter one. A few weeks ago, we all received a letter from the managing agency, letting us know that a communal Sky TV system would be installed in our block of flats, that installation would take place on October 6th, and that it would be "in our best interest" to be at home on that day to make installation work easier and not have the additional cost of the workmen having to be called out twice.
Aha?
I don't even own a television set, and I don't miss it either. If I watch BBC, I use the iPlayer. I spend too much time on the computer anyway, and there are many, many books I want to read. Also, I don't want to take a day's holiday to have something installed that I'm not going to use. Since they gave a contact email address, I wrote them a nice little email. This is where working in a property law office comes in handy, because phrases like "I refer to your letter of..." and sentences like "You will appreciate that I am reluctant to take a day's holiday to be present for the installation of a system that will not be used by me" just flow into the keyboard without a second thought.
Anyway, I got an email back which basically said, if I don't want Sky, the installation won't affect me. Yay!
Chapter two. A day later, I get an email from my letting agency (I had copied them in on my email because they have my landlord's contact details etc). Seems my landlord would like Sky to be installed for any future letting of my flat. Fair point. But I still don't want to take a day off work to be here waiting for workmen. Now, my letting agency has a key to my flat, and I give them permission to be here and open the door for the workmen (we've done this before for the plumbers, so no problem). Ah, but my letting agency contact person, Debbie, has her day off on Wednesday, so she asks me if I can give my keys to my neighbours so they can let the workmen in.
Umm...
My next-door neighbours are a very polite and friendly family; they're also Polish and speak very little English. I don't know them from Adam, and leaving my keys to strangers is not my idea of fun (especially to get a system installed in my flat that I'm not going to use etc.). The neighbour I know a little better is the taxi driver downstairs, whom I rarely see since he works nights - he leaves for work as I get home, and I don't want to make him wake up early to let workmen into my flat to get a system installed that... oh I already said that.
Chapter three. When I got home tonight, there was a friendly woman from Sky here giving out little cards with the installation date on it and a number to call in case of questions. So of course, I give them a ring. Now, the woman on the other side of the line was definitely English, but I don't know what accent she spoke, and with an added crackle in the line, it was hard to understand her, so much so that I had to resort to the "I'm sorry, I'm not English, can you please speak a little slower"-sentence which I hate. But if I understood her correctly, the only way that Sky will be installed in my flat is if I subscribe to it. If I'm not with Sky, the installation won't affect me. If a future tenant wants Sky, they will install the thing then.
This I wrote to my letting agency, together with the phone number I called. I hope they can sort this muddle out. I don't want there to be a Chapter four.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}