Disgusting alarm in a municipal building in Vienna-Ottakring: Fur beetles have nested under the laminate floor. The tenant and her family did not know what to do and were already suffering from skin reactions. But since it was not a matter of vermin, but of so-called pests, no action was reportedly required. Those affected turned to the Ombudsman.
The beetle infestation in her 70 m2 community apartment prompted Aleksandra S. to lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman. Fur beetles would breed under the laminate floor, which was confirmed by an exterminator. The uninvited guests had already caused serious allergic reactions in the 30-year-old via the hairs of the larvae.
Fled to her mother’s apartment with her children
To avoid further health risks, the family moved to the mother’s apartment with two small children, but this did not lead to a long-term solution. The tenant demanded that the problem be rectified and requested immediate action and replacement of the laminate floor at the expense of Wiener Wohnen. “Wiener Wohnen said they couldn’t help. This is not her problem,” said Ms. S.
The brown beetles grow up to 6 cm long and like to nest in flats. They are attracted to light sources and often enter the property in the spring to lay their eggs. They occur in grain products and also leave traces of food on textiles. No wonder the family wanted to get rid of the animals. Aleksandra S. suspects that they were already living in the apartment when they moved in two years ago.
Other Stay Organized
The magistrate’s management told the Ombudsman’s office that they were not vermin, but a nuisance and therefore not a health risk – but admitted that fur beetles can be experienced as very annoying. As a goodwill solution, the tenant was offered another apartment in Ottakring for permanent residence. She accepted the offer with satisfaction.
Other problems that prompted the Viennese to turn to the Ombudsman last year were various problems in Wiener Wohnen’s municipal housing. These included problems such as water intrusion due to the renovation of a residential building, mold growth, failed rent reduction despite noisy chiselling, cleaning up without a written agreement and more. “I would like to say that Wiener Wohnen, after the intervention of the Ombudsman’s board, was in most cases very cooperative and good solutions were found for those involved,” explains Ombudsman Werner Amon.
In 2021, the Ombudsman Walter Rosenkranz, Werner Amon and Bernhard Achitz received a total of 1195 complaints in the field of government and municipal administration.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
