“How much longer should we look at this?” A Riga resident is annoyed by the Soviet-era mailboxes

Photo: скриншот видео TV3

Harald has been living in a five-story building in Teika, Riga, for twenty years. Over these years, the building, including the stairwells, has seen little improvement.

The man points out that the mailboxes have likely not changed since the building was constructed. He passes by them several times a day, he tells the show "Bez Tabu" (TV3).

"There is a quiet hope that there will be a renovation. I have been to buildings where such a project has been implemented and which have been renovated. It’s like day and night. I come home and look at this horror… I see it every day. I pass by several times. My wife says she doesn’t see anything wrong there at all. People have already gotten used to it, I called "Bez Tabu" because maybe someone will open their eyes. The aesthetic appearance is terrible, the mailboxes are in poor condition, and there are inscriptions in Russian on them," said Harald.

The building is managed by the private company "Rīgas namu apsaimniekotājs". Its director states in a written response that neither Harald nor other apartment owners have reported the need to replace the mailboxes. However, the company does not disclose how many mailboxes in the managed buildings were replaced last year.

"The mailboxes and the stairwell are common property of the residents, so the decision to update them must be made by the apartment owners themselves. If, based on a survey, the majority of apartment owners vote for the replacement of the mailboxes, the manager, together with the representatives of the building, will agree on the choice of a specific model, carry out their purchase, and installation," explained the chairman of the board of "Rīgas namu apsaimniekotājs" Igor Trubko.

The largest manager in Latvia, "Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks", which has no relation to Harald's building and its mailboxes, notes that the mailboxes are being gradually replaced.

"Older houses, of course, have many needs. We, of course, suggest starting with the most serious ones — replacing the risers, the roof, to ensure that nothing leaks, and to make sure the balconies are safe. It turns out that the mailboxes are waiting. Sometimes it makes sense to start small — replace the mailboxes if there are no funds for a full large renovation. This is a good start for more extensive work," said the representative of "Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks" Inita Kabanova.

This year, mailboxes have already been replaced in eighteen houses managed by "Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks."