Stadswonen Rotterdam’s residential building on Statenweg is a very pleasant living environment with its own residents’ committee. This is managed by Khatera Sadat (25), who took us on the same tour of the building she gives to welcome new tenants. Along the way she explained what the residents’ committee does.

The building’s entrance is centred with a six-story stone-stepped spiral staircase. As we walk past the residents’ committee’s office, Khatera begins telling her story: “As manager of the residents’ committee, I am the contact person for the building. I am particularly involved with the social aspect and atmosphere and I also deal with complaints. As a part of this, I make sure the communal spaces are kept clean and tidy. Residents can also come to us for minor repairs, which they can submit to the technical assistant”.

Living in a prime location

Khatera had originally planned to study medicine in her home city of Leiden. But things worked out a little differently when Erasmus University decided to take her on. Being admitted here fulfilled a long-time wish. Despite the fact that she had not deliberately chosen to study in Rotterdam, she still made the switch to city on the Maas. With great pleasure, because she has since discovered that it’s a “very cool” place. “Statenweg is a prime living location because you are close to the bustling centre. At the same time, it is a quiet place, with Blijdorp and Vroesenpark just a stone's throw away. Rotterdam Central Station is right next door and, with two supermarkets just around the corner, you don’t have to go far to do the shopping.”

Getting to know each other

As we walk, she continues: “In my role as manager, I pay more attention to my living environment. Is it clean? Is it safe? Who actually is that neighbour? I do more rounds of the building, something I almost never did at all before. And I often chat to people. As a residents’ committee, we try to be visible and transparent. I hope to eventually get to know everyone in this building.” We walk down the stairs towards the basement. Residents can dispose of rubbish, bicycles and other large items here. Something that really stands out is the fully-equipped party space. There are disco lights, a decent sound system, a bar and a DJ booth. Khatera laughs: “This space is mainly used for fun things, such as parties, that you can’t have in your room. Sometimes we even organise parties ourselves to put residents in touch with each other.”

Taking the lead

We take the lift up to the laundry rooms. Khatera is rightly proud to tell me that the new residents’ committee has taken delivery of some long-awaited new washing machines and dryers. If residents want to have something in the building improved, they can always knock on the committee’s door. “Sometimes we take the initiative to carry out improvements. A recent example being overdue maintenance in the bicycle storage area. Something which had irritated the residents for some time, but nobody took the lead in sorting it out. So that’s what we do.”

Three-way contact

Each manager has a designated contact person at Stadswonen Rotterdam. “This helps us maintain the shortest possible communication lines between the tenants and the landlord”, says Khatera. Which is handy, especially when things need to be sorted out. In addition, Stadswonen Rotterdam keeps the residents’ committee updated on any news and developments during pizza evenings. That’s right, sharing important information while enjoying Italian cuisine.

The residents’ committee then forwards this information in various ways. For example, they regularly distribute a newsletter and announcements are made via the building’s Facebook page, which is a space neighbours can also use to find each other.

Parties and gatherings

The residents’ committee will soon organise a gathering on the roof terrace. “Come, let’s go there now.” We take the lift to the top and find ourselves in a place with a spectacular view of the city. Khatera: “'I love being outdoors, cycling or walking. To me, free time means time spent with family and friends. There is so much to do here, Rotterdam is constantly undergoing change. Time and time again I find myself being amazed. A great bonus of living here is that I can see the Rotterdam skyline from my room and I am treated to a beautiful sunset every evening.”