– I was a little scared, she says Dagsnytt 18 on NRK.
Agathe Waage heard a stranger on the other side of the bathroom door.
The man was a caretaker who came to fix a defect she had complained about when she moved in.
The message Studentsamskipnaden SiO had sent Waage in advance must have ticked in a time before the caretaker locked himself in the dwelling, according to University who mentioned the case first.
It was sent through an online messaging service, which the student had to log in to read, writes the newspaper.
Waage had not seen the message.
Not allowed
according to tenancy law Waage has the right to be notified within a reasonable time by the landlord before they can enter her home.
Nevertheless, Agnethe Waage has had a total of three such experiences since she moved into a student residence at SiO in Oslo in February.
The same thing happened again the week after she first complained, and a few weeks after that again, she said.
– Very common
Several students who rent at SiO have experienced such surprising visits, according to University.
After she told about her experiences to the newspaper, Waage talked to students who have experienced the same thing from the landlord.
– They say that it is completely normal. There are many students who experience it. This is what I hope to change, says Waage.
– Do not believe it until I see it
SiO has already complained to Waage and another student who has appeared in the student medium.
Agathe Waage emphasizes that she is happy that the caretakers come to visit to fix deficiencies at her home.
– But that does not mean that one can only go in to someone without further ado.
Now she expects SiO to take action behind its promise to put this in order.
– I do not believe in it until I see it. Because there are so many stories about students who have complained without enough being done, says Waage.
Ask other students to notify
Gunn Kirsti Løkka is housing director at SiO Bolig, which rents out to around 10,000 students.
– We regret what Waage has experienced. Our student housing must be safe homes and experienced as a home, we take this very seriously, she says.
Another student told in February about four surprising visits, and several announced visits that came suddenly, university script
So far this year, the Student Association SiO has only registered complains from 10-15 people about similar events.
– We have done a lot in recent months to improve the routines, says housing director in SiO Bolig Gunn Kirsti Løkka. They have, for example, established a new system on their websites where the students who rent from them can choose between caretakers coming as soon as possible or whether one wants to know exactly when caretakers will come for a certain period of time sometime in the future, she says.
Photo: Mathias Moene Rød / NRK
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They suspect that this may be the tip of the iceberg, and encourage others who experience similar things as Waage to report it.
– We do not want there to be an underreporting of such incidents, says Gunn Kirsti Løkka.
– The fact that everyone follows the routines for locking that we have, knock on and listen first is very important, she says.
Løkka emphasizes that students who have complained about this have the right to have all locks notified.
– It is the Rent Act that is the basis, and all lock-ins must be notified, says the director of housing in SiO Bolig.
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