Communal bike storage - Compromise

diggingdude

You sound rather self entitled, imagine if we all just did what we wanted.....we would end up as a country in lockdown.......  You NEED to move as this property is not suitable for how YOU want to live

baza52

diggingdude said:

You sound rather self entitled, imagine if we all just did what we wanted...

They ride a bike, what did you expect lol

jimbog

In your title you mention 'compromise'. You want to keep the bike under the stairs, they don't. Where's the compromise?

greatcrested

agentcain said:

greatcrested said:

agentcain said:

Why would I go into the hassle of moving, especially now, because of the harassment I receive from one management company?
I continuously asked for the regulations they refer to, to no response. They are aware of the problem, yet they won't do anything other than charge the tenants for "storage"

Besides, when I rented the place, I came by bike, asked the letting agent where to park it while I look at the place, he told me to put it under the stairs, saw the other bikes there and I've been doing so ever since. 

You'd "go into the hassle of moving" because you want to live somewhere with facilities for bikes.

It's not harasment, it's (albeit rather pedantic) enforcement of rules.

You can easily look up H&S guidance for yourself. The leases, unfortunately, belong to the freeholder and leaseholders - as I advised earlier, speak to your landlord who owns the lease (probably).

They appear to be giving you plenty of warning, and plenty of time to take action.

The letting agent almost certainly had never seen the lease, and is not an expert in H&S. He would have seen the other bikes and jumped, perhaps rashly, to a conclusion.

Rules I agree yes, but rules I never saw when I signed the agreement and I find it a bit unfair to have to adhere to rules I didn't agree upon.

I repeat. You signed a contract to rent a flat. You did not sign a contract to rent a flat plus a space under the stairs.

There are many 'rules' we all have to abide by which are not explicitly stated or agreed. I expect you have to put your rubbish in some designated area or bin and not just chuck it wherever you want like.... eg under the stairs. But I doubt if that is in your contract, and I doubt if you 'saw it when you signed the agreement'.

So is it unfair not to allow you to chuck your kitchen waste under the stairs.....?

eddddy

Flat leases almost always say that nothing can be stored in communal areas. (And the lease probably also allows the freeholder / agent to remove items stored there.)

By storing your bike there, you're probably putting your landlord in breach of his/her lease. Your landlord could face enforcement fees of hundreds of pounds as a result. (In theory, your landlord could eventually be taken to court and lose the flat.)

The space you are storing your bike doesn't 'belong' to you, and it doesn't 'belong' to your landlord - it 'belongs' to the freeholder. And it seems that the freeholder (and/or their agent) has decided not to let you store your bike there.

It's a bit like if I want to store my bike in your lounge. You're free to tell me that I can't store my bike in your lounge - you don't have to give me a good reason (or any reason). Similarly, the freeholder is free to tell you that you can't store your bike in his/her hallway, and he/she doesn't have to give you a good reason why.

agentcain

baza52 said:

diggingdude said:

You sound rather self entitled, imagine if we all just did what we wanted...

They ride a bike, what did you expect lol

To both of, you sound like at least annoying, not to say anything worse and far from helpful. If you believe that I am entitled and you're offended by it, don't respond and just ignore the topic altogether, unless it is your only way to keep yourselves entertained during lockdown and strike your own ego.

jimbog said:

In your title you mention 'compromise'. You want to keep the bike under the stairs, they don't. Where's the compromise?

As I said, other flats are using the same space for the same reason. This means there is a need and this is the most reasonable approach to fulfilling it at this stage. Now, the compromise would be for the company to recognise this need and address it accordingly. We have lots of space, many empty parking spaces. You wouldn't even need to waste any parking space as you could use parts of the lawn that is not even taken care of. What it boils down to is that, like every other business and especially the renting ones, they like to keep the monetary benefits whilst providing the absolute minimum to their residents. It would cost them peanuts to take provisions on this issue yet they prefer to penalise their residents, as it's extra income. Basically what councils do with parking.

greatcrested said:

I repeat. You signed a contract to rent a flat. You did not sign a contract to rent a flat plus a space under the stairs.

There are many 'rules' we all have to abide by which are not explicitly stated or agreed. I expect you have to put your rubbish in some designated area or bin and not just chuck it wherever you want like.... eg under the stairs. But I doubt if that is in your contract, and I doubt if you 'saw it when you signed the agreement'.

So is it unfair not to allow you to chuck your kitchen waste under the stairs.....?

Yet these rules have to be stated. I've been to other buildings where they actually have parking places for bikes yet many end up under the staircase and management is fine with it.

 Your logic is flawed however. For rubbish, you have a solution, a dedicated space. What do you think would happen if there was no collection area? That people would walk all the way to the landfill? They would go for the most efficient solution, essentially drop it somewhere, even if it means someone else's bin. And they would require from the company to take measures and would have to listen to them. Actually, even though we have a big shed for rubbish, lots of residents leave objects outside it, even though they fit through the door. In this case, there is no solution, and yet the management company fails to indicate the regulations they consider when deciding its a Fire & Safety violation. If the regulation says that e.g. there should be 1 meter width of access to all fire exits, then this shouldn't be an issue with storing anything under the stairs.

Im more than happy to comply with the requirement, but I see no alternative. I can't just go and install a bike rack outside, start drilling and putting screws on the wall! Its not like we're storing any old stuff there. We are storing a vehicle which cannot be stored safely outside. Its not a car.

eddddy said:

By storing your bike there, you're probably putting your landlord in breach of his/her lease. Your landlord could face enforcement fees of hundreds of pounds as a result. (In theory, your landlord could eventually be taken to court and lose the flat.)

The space you are storing your bike doesn't 'belong' to you, and it doesn't 'belong' to your landlord - it 'belongs' to the freeholder. And it seems that the freeholder (and/or their agent) has decided not to let you store your bike there.

I agree with the liability issue. However, Im paying rent to the landlord and the landlord is paying this management company and there is an issue, which I am trying to solve. If the paint is failing outside, shouldn't the company solve it? If there are rubbish, not clean? If the bushes have dried out, shouldn't they take care of it as its a fire risk? I don't consider it to be unreasonable to request a solution to be given to a not so uncommon or specific to me problem. 


Isn't this a moneysavingexpert community? If I wanted patronising responses I would have picked the patronising forum. 

NeilCr

Whatever you say or think you are going to have face up to the fact that the HA want you to move your bike and they aren't going to provide any alternative.

 As I keep saying their relationship is with the LL - not you - and I believe your best chance of finding a solution (although I don't think it is a high one) is to try through them

davidmcn

agentcain said:

I agree with the liability issue. However, Im paying rent to the landlord and the landlord is paying this management company and there is an issue, which I am trying to solve. If the paint is failing outside, shouldn't the company solve it? If there are rubbish, not clean? If the bushes have dried out, shouldn't they take care of it as its a fire risk? I don't consider it to be unreasonable to request a solution to be given to a not so uncommon or specific to me problem. 

There's nothing stopping you from requesting a solution, but there's a difference between carrying out day to day maintenance, and expecting the freeholders (and in turn, all the leaseholders) to agree to pay for an improvement such as a bike store.

JessJ23425

agentcain said:

Isn't this a moneysavingexpert community? If I wanted patronising responses I would have picked the patronising forum. 

In fairness you've been given plenty of reasonable responses. The situation seems clear - you are not entitled freely to use that area and have no contract that says otherwise. I doubt they even need to provide you with this legislation you so demand, it's not your space and isn't included in your tennancy.

Most sensible solution posted would be to get in touch with landlord and see if they can speak to the management, as the owner they probably have more sway.

agentcain

Then I guess I shouldn't lock it outside either, as its communal, belonging to the freeholder and I haven't been given permission to. Or is that considered acceptable

Anyways, thanks for your suggestions everyone. I shall trouble you no further.