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I called the freeholder this morning with regards to Mr Smelly-Opposite.
It turns out he was aware that he's squatting in the burned out flat - he was there when the loss adjuster came yesterday. It took them ages to get him to wake up and when he was woken up he was clearly still under the effects of alcohol. The freeholder seems to be at his wits end with the guy - he told me that one option which he's seriously considering would be to buy the flat back from Mr S-O and let him get on with his life elsewhere. His difficulty with that is that when he's seen him, Mr S-O is too drunk to make a decision.
I'm rather attracted to this idea. It does mean that there's every chance of Mr S-O ending up on the street, but frankly, and it's not that I don't feel for him, but if it ever comes to a choice between me and him, I'm going to choose me every time.
What's going to happen now, I'm told, is that the loss adjuster will give his agreement for a clearance company to go in and clear the flat of everything that's been damaged. That means, the freeholder tells me, everything in the property - even the loss adjuster said the place made him itch. He beleives that at that stage Mr S-O will not be able to squat in the flat because he won't have anything to sit on or use. He'll have to spend some of the money he's indicated to the freeholder that he has (I don't believe him) buying furniture. If the loss adjuster has been round and is about to give permission for the place to be cleared, there doesn't seem any point in calling the environmental health people. Let's hope they act quickly, though. The smell is terrible.
The freeholder didn't say anything about decorating the place, but I'd imagine that's Mr S-O's responsibility, in which case I doubt it will get done. I believe, and this is what I told the freeholder, that he won't do anything without prompting and the freeholder will end up doing the work of making anything happen. I just don't think Mr S-O is capable of making decisions, especially as he seems drunk all the time. The freeholder told me that when he and the loss adjuster called, even once he'd been woken up, he had his dressing gown on back to front. Added to which so far he hasn't managed the surely basic step of getting a locksmith to replace the locks.
I suggested to the freeholder that we call social services, and he agreed to do that. He's also going to call the police to see if he can't find out what happened last night that they had to be called. I didn't call them, I'd suspect it was either the neighbour below Mr S-O, or the one above. So who knows what he was doing which annoyed them.
The thing which worries me, it's an image I can't get out of my mind, is that if he's living there and still smoking and drinking there's a chance he'll set the place on fire again. I suggested the freeholder mention that to the social services department, otherwise he'll get the 'people are entitled to live as they choose' speech from them. They are entitled to live as they choose - but not if it's endangering other people.
It turns out he was aware that he's squatting in the burned out flat - he was there when the loss adjuster came yesterday. It took them ages to get him to wake up and when he was woken up he was clearly still under the effects of alcohol. The freeholder seems to be at his wits end with the guy - he told me that one option which he's seriously considering would be to buy the flat back from Mr S-O and let him get on with his life elsewhere. His difficulty with that is that when he's seen him, Mr S-O is too drunk to make a decision.
I'm rather attracted to this idea. It does mean that there's every chance of Mr S-O ending up on the street, but frankly, and it's not that I don't feel for him, but if it ever comes to a choice between me and him, I'm going to choose me every time.
What's going to happen now, I'm told, is that the loss adjuster will give his agreement for a clearance company to go in and clear the flat of everything that's been damaged. That means, the freeholder tells me, everything in the property - even the loss adjuster said the place made him itch. He beleives that at that stage Mr S-O will not be able to squat in the flat because he won't have anything to sit on or use. He'll have to spend some of the money he's indicated to the freeholder that he has (I don't believe him) buying furniture. If the loss adjuster has been round and is about to give permission for the place to be cleared, there doesn't seem any point in calling the environmental health people. Let's hope they act quickly, though. The smell is terrible.
The freeholder didn't say anything about decorating the place, but I'd imagine that's Mr S-O's responsibility, in which case I doubt it will get done. I believe, and this is what I told the freeholder, that he won't do anything without prompting and the freeholder will end up doing the work of making anything happen. I just don't think Mr S-O is capable of making decisions, especially as he seems drunk all the time. The freeholder told me that when he and the loss adjuster called, even once he'd been woken up, he had his dressing gown on back to front. Added to which so far he hasn't managed the surely basic step of getting a locksmith to replace the locks.
I suggested to the freeholder that we call social services, and he agreed to do that. He's also going to call the police to see if he can't find out what happened last night that they had to be called. I didn't call them, I'd suspect it was either the neighbour below Mr S-O, or the one above. So who knows what he was doing which annoyed them.
The thing which worries me, it's an image I can't get out of my mind, is that if he's living there and still smoking and drinking there's a chance he'll set the place on fire again. I suggested the freeholder mention that to the social services department, otherwise he'll get the 'people are entitled to live as they choose' speech from them. They are entitled to live as they choose - but not if it's endangering other people.
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