Tower Hamlets Homes are an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) that run the government housing in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on behalf of the local council. They oversea leases and rent payments, and are also responsible for building maintenance.
These ALMOs are funded by local councils and were created to move the day-to-day responsibilities of managing government housing, enabling councils to better focus on other priorities. Whilst not every borough of London opted to introduce an ALMO, my home borough of Tower Hamlets did.
So considering the enormity of managing government housing in London’s poorest borough, you can imagine my surprise when I received a letter from Tower Hamlets Homes informing me of an obstruction in the communal area of my residence being caused by my… doormat.
Whilst I rent in the private sector, the building I live in was once exclusively government housing and is therefore managed by Tower Hamlets Homes. One of their many responsibilities is ensuring outdoor areas are kept free of items that restrict communal use, listed on the letter I received as ‘household items, bikes, plant pots, washing lines and gates’.
It seems my doormat, which measures 28x55cm (11×21 inches) falls into the category of ‘household items’ and must be removed in the next 7 days. If I fail to remove the doormat myself, a contractor will be hired to remove the obstruction for which I will be charged. A couple of questions spring to mind here. Does the removal of my doormat really warrant an external contractor? And how much would such a contractor charge for removing a doormat?
As a tenant of a ground floor flat, communal space is abundant. In fact, there is over 8 metres (26 feet) of open space between my front door and the next building, leaving me to wonder how much of an ‘obstruction’ my 28cm doormat really is.
Whilst I support the goals of Tower Hamlets Homes in ensuring communal areas are kept free from obstructions, this case seems a touch pedantic. A doormat cannot truly be considered an obstruction, and anyone who would argue it so has clearly been affected by the box-ticking, paperwork-centric culture of local government organisations.
For the record, I am not a fan of my doormat. It’s old, more dirty than the floor surrounding it, and too small to be functional. But it was there when I moved in and removing it never crossed my mind.
Over in the offices of Tower Hamlets Homes my flat has now been entered into their database as the venue of an obstruction to communal areas. On November the 3rd, someone will visit the building I live in to ensure this obstruction has been removed. They will find that it has, meaning they can return to their office, cross us off the list, and maybe get back to doing some real work that will actually benefit the local community.
Western Australia and the Bicycle
