This article was written with the specific intention of assisting any Senior Citizen/s who may move into a Nottingham City Homes Independent Living Flat accommodation at the Woodthorpe Court flat complex.

When you move into the apartment, one of the things you find most encouraging is the excellent door lock on the outer door.

It will have a smooth action, solid sound when it locks every time with one full turn of the key, and you do not have any problems connected with the mechanism whatsoever. After you have been in situ for a few weeks, the Managment will find out that they do not have a door key to the flat door, to use in the event of you activating

After you have been in situ for a few weeks, the Managment will find out that they do not have a spare door key to the flat door, to use in the event of your activating your alarm (The alarm you  pay extra on your rent to hire, and even increases your Council tax payment) in an emergency. The Nottingham Homes Response team (That’s them who when you activate your alarm, you get an engaged tone), will, you are later advised, need to arrange with the Nottingham City Homes Repairs Team to fit a replacement lock on your outer door.

The complex Coordinator, on returning from her holiday three weeks later visits you and tells you she will arrange for the lock to be replaced with a new one, and you will hear from the NCH repair team with an appointment and date for this to be attended to within a few days.

Three weeks later, you will get your appointment for two weeks later for a Thursday between 0730hrs and 1800hrs. Luckily this will give you time to cancel your appointment at the GUM clinic and Dentists.

Come the Thursday in question, a fresh-faced middle-aged chap appears at your flat with his bag of tools and sets to changing the lock on your door.

This takes him all of five minutes if that. He hands you the keys and is off like a shot. Leaving no mess behind him, I must say! 

His early arrival and tackling of the job meant that you could still make the GUM clinics appointment you cancelled and you ring them to see if this is still possible. After 15 minutes and a costly phone call explaining the situation to each of the three people the other people you spoke to before put you through to; A lady said okay, but you must get there within an hour.

Tickled pink at this, you rush around getting your paperwork and records ready and start to depart to catch the bus luckily timed just right for you to get to the clinic in time.

But the new lock will not lock! The key just keeps on turning around and around.

After a long while trying to get it to work, you realise you will not catch the long gone bus, so ring the GUM Clinic, another expensive phone call and embarrassing explanations to each person you spoke to, and are given another appointment for three weeks time.

You go down to the Winwood complex hut, to see a coordinator so you can ask for advice.

There will be no one in.

So you return home and try again a few hours later.

You try again on the next morning and catch them having their breakfast porridge and honey. She informs you she will get in touch with the Nottingham City Homes Repair Team after taking a look at the lock herself later, asks if you will be in your apartment. You tell her, yes, being as you can’t lock the door it would be imprudent to go out!

A few hours later she arrives and tries the key in the lock. Gets onto her phone straight away to the repair team and informs you they will attend in the morning between 0730 > 1400hrs.

You move some stuff from the unsorted bedroom to block entry to the door opening for the night and settle down, pleased that you had no Whoopsiedangleplops or injuries in moving and stacking the stuff up against the door so as to hear anyone coming in during the night.

Of course, the Fire Alarm activates later on. Moving the stuff out of the way so you can escape if needed, you cut your wrist and bang your head as you bend down to pick up your self-built barricade stuff.

Unsure of what actions to take, thanks to the tiny wording and bad colour scheme of the Fire Action poster.

You will swear at this point.

In the morning, another chap from the Repair Tea arrives and is not a happy fellow. He does a lot of tutting while inspecting the inside workings of the lock mechanism. The conversation might go:

Him: “You’ve been pulling at the key as you turn it!”

You: “I’ve only tried to use it once since your mate fitted it the other day, and Dean the coordinator can’t get it to work either!”

Him (Slightly red-faced): “Oh, well someone’s been pulling it while turning the key!”

You: “Tommyrot!”

Him: “What?”

You: “I’m sorry, but your know-all attitude when you do not know something but guess is very annoying – [That ‘^(#:@ “!ing key has not been pulled at!]”

At this, he became calmer and more sociable in his nature. He got the thing working by dismantling it and refitting it.

He chuntered away to himself as he left.

In the coming weeks, you will find that the lock when turning, will slowly start needing more and more turns before it locks, it will become clunky and occasionally stick too – but you will be too scared to report the matter again!

Coming soon:

Nottingham City Homes: Part Six: Repairs Guide for New Senior Citizens in Indepedendant Living flats – The Night Storage Heaters