Killinkoski bankruptcies leave residents, including 85-year-old, without heat or hot water
Two housing companies in Killinkoski were declared bankrupt this week, leaving the Killinkivi block officially uninhabitable and forcing residents – including 85-year-old Heikki Puska – to move out.
YLE reports that only cold water runs from the taps in the Killinkivi block in Killinkoski, Virrat, and common rooms have been without electricity since early July. Two housing companies in the village were declared bankrupt this week, leaving the buildings officially uninhabitable and forcing residents, including 85-year-old Heikki Puska, to move out.
Earlier reporting found hot water was cut after bankruptcy petitions were filed in July the earlier report, and the situation fits a wider pattern of troubled property deals and unpaid costs in the region an earlier investigation.
The Killinkivi block has 28 apartments, but only about a dozen people remain. Management lost the ability to pay communal bills. Electricity to shared spaces was cut, and the heating system has failed. Residents who have kept up their individual payments can still power their own flats; Puska uses a long extension cord to run his freezer.
Washing and basic hygiene now require improvisation, heating water on a stove or coffee maker, and the estate administrator has told occupants they must leave as soon as possible, though no formal deadline has been set. Puska and his wife have secured a rental in nearby Kihniö and travel to use a sauna.
The collapse stems from roughly €120,000 in unpaid maintenance fees, the largest single debtor being company Kiinteistö Lahtonen with nearly €40,000 outstanding. A neighbouring, smaller housing company, Ollinkivi, faces the same fate with smaller debts.
Board chair Tuula Peltonen says the association tried to recover fees through the courts and even took possession of three apartments, but that did not solve the shortfall.
Longtime resident Pertti Hanhikangas, who paid about €20,000 for his flat and invested in renovations, says he will not become an owner again.
Estate administrator Vilho Ilveskoski doubts the arrears will be collected and expects the bankruptcy process to stall for lack of assets, leaving residents with the immediate task of finding new homes.
Earlier coverage
Catch the full story over at YLE
