Tenant activities improve the building you live in
Via a building committee, you can directly influence things in your building. The desire to improve tenant comfort inspired Martti Kari to join the activities.
Voluntary yard work, barbecues and small everyday improvements. These are some of the things that Martti Kari, living on Suuntimontie in Puistola, has been able to influence in his role as the chair of the building committee.
“Serving as the chair takes some time, but overall, this gives more than it takes. It’s great that I’ve been able to directly influence the living comfort of my own building via the building committee. At the same time, I’ve become familiar with the neighbourhood,” Kari says.
Influencing sometimes involves very simple things that made living easier.
“A few years ago, the saunas in the building were renovated, and hand-held showers were not installed in the facilities. Many tenants were unhappy about this, since washing the sauna facilities, for example, is much more efficient with when you can hold the showerhead in your hand. We gave these reasons to Heka, and in a few weeks, we had the hand-held showers in place,” Kari says.
Originally, Kari ended up in the building committee by following his wife’s example.
“I moved to live with my wife here in Puistola in 2004 when she was a member of the building committee. When she stopped participating in the committee, I was selected to continue the work.”
Join the activities in the tenant meetings
The tenant meetings for Heka buildings are about to start in the autumn. Kari says that attending a meeting is worthwhile even if you are not interested in participating in the building committee itself.
“If you’re interested in the living comfort in your building, it’s well worth joining in. If you don’t like the activities, you can always stop attending,” he advises.
Heka’s Tenant Activity Coordinator Kirsi Ikonen also encourages tenants to learn about tenant democracy and the activities of the building committees. Ikonen is tasked with acting as a link between tenants and Heka and helping tenants improve their living comfort.
“You can contact me about anything, however small a matter. For example, I can help with ideas to make better use of the buildings’ club rooms,” Ikonen says.