Numerous damages

Municipal building renovation: Grandma (86) breaks her leg

Elfriede N. had to have an operation after the fall. She wants to press charges against those responsible.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martin Jöchl)

Left in the lurch and not taken seriously - this is how the tenants of a council building in Vienna-Liesing feel due to numerous damages after and during the construction work. In December, an elderly resident even injured herself.

The residential complex in Liesing's Gregorygasse has been undergoing refurbishment and densification for around two years. An innovative project with lots of wood, thermal refurbishment, new elevators and 44 top-floor apartments.

For the tenants, however, the situation feels more like "botched construction". "When they put up the thermal insulation wall, they simply drilled through the room wall," says Brigitta N.

Elfriede N. had to have an operation after the fall. She wants to press charges against those responsible.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martin Jöchl)

There is also water damage because the roof was completely removed rather than gradually. "Nobody cared about the building for 55 years. And now they're ruining everything," says an annoyed tenant, whose water damage from May was only painted over in December. A woman has been waiting since October for someone to come and assess the damage.

The main problem, however, is that there is no contact person or independent expert for the damage that has occurred. The info point that has been set up is of little help.

FPÖ housing ombudsman Michael Niegl (left) supports the tenants together with the tenant protection ring, which has submitted 26 applications for a reduction in interest that have not been answered.(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

Fall before Christmas Eve
Shortly before Christmas, another accident occurred when 86-year-old Elfriede N. fell over a dowel on the sidewalk that had simply been forgotten after the scaffolding was removed. Surgery included.

The 86-year-old stumbled over this dowel. The construction company forgot to remove it after dismantling the scaffolding.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/M. Niegl)

Wiener Wohnen confirms the incident and emphasizes: "We have demanded a complete explanation from the construction company. They are also responsible for cleaning the sidewalks during the work." The spokesperson also assures us that work is being carried out at full speed to repair the damage.

Consequences for building supervision
Vienna's FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp is calling for such massive renovations not to be carried out during ongoing residential operations and is demanding consequences for misconduct by the building inspectorate.