"Asbestos - at a glance" is what degewo calls the two-page "article" in the recently published tenant magazine. In it, tenants are confronted with faceless creatures who take samples of asbestos-containing Floorflex panels without protection (in white coats with the degewo logo).
Respiratory protection is of course not necessary, as these faceless creatures have no noses or mouths, so there is no risk of inhaling dangerous asbestos fibres. Degewo is sending a clear message:
Asbestos is non-hazardous and harmless to tenants.
Good to know.
The article then begins by extolling the marvellous properties of asbestos, thus underpinning its raison d'être.
degewo wants to protect itself legally, not the tenants
Degewo wants to create the illusion of harmless asbestos for tenants in order to protect itself from legal consequences. Degewo tenants should not find out that they have been exposed to a great danger for years and therefore have claims for rent reductions and possibly also claims for damages.
degewo has been trivialising the asbestos hazard for several decades, the latest media stunts do nothing to change this
Last December (2018), we criticised the fact that tenants could not find a single piece of information on the asbestos hazard on the degewo website. Degewo responded and published a "guide" on asbestos at the end of February 2019. But this also trivialises the risk of asbestos. And even now, you can only find the asbestos guide if you search for it. At least degewo has reacted, but unfortunately only half-heartedly.
This was followed by the publication of "Asbestos - at a glance" in the tenants' magazine. Here too, the danger of asbestos is trivialised. Here, too, the well-being of tenants is not at the forefront.
Then degewo sends a letter to all tenants with a flyer on the subject of "flat maintenance". This flyer also deals with the subject of asbestos. But here, too, the issue is trivialised. Instead of the tenants being directly addressed about the asbestos hazard in this letter, the issue is only discussed neutrally. If degewo really cared about the well-being of its tenants, the letter should start something like this:
"Dear Sir or Madam, your home is suspected of being contaminated with asbestos. Floorflex panels containing asbestos were installed in your home in the 60/70/80s. Enclosed you will find a photo of what these panels look like. If such panels are still present in your home, please contact our customer centre immediately. Slabs that are intact pose no direct danger to you. However, broken tiles are considered dangerous and must be replaced immediately. We apologise for only contacting you 26 years after asbestos was banned in Germany. Tenants who were exposed to a hazard through our fault are entitled to a rent reduction...."
Tenants will probably have to wait a long time for such a letter. Whether and how many people have been harmed by the concealed asbestos hazard is of no interest to degewo. The main thing is that the rent is paid on time.
degewo violates the Basic Law, but nobody cares
Any petty criminal can be charged with shoplifting. in prison land. The fact that degewo has been acting in a grossly negligent manner for decades and is therefore in breach of the Basic Law does not seem to bother anyone.
"Everyone has the right to life and physical integrity. The liberty of the person is inviolable" - Art 2 (2) Basic Law
"The worst kind of injustice is feigned justice" - Plato (427 - 348 or 347 BC)
"Strength of character? Admitting to having made mistakes and promising never to make them again... And did you notice that you can replace "mistakes" with "ways" here?" - Wolfgang J. Reus (1959 - 2006)
Source images: degewo Mietermagazin