Neighbour is parking his motorcycle inside the common area.

Skag

We are a block of about 15 freeholder flats, with a shared gated patio and garden at the back.

One of the directors in the freehold decided to park his motorcycle in that shared space, which brought some controversy in the directorship. Half of the directors don't mind, and the other half don't want the motorcycle to be parked because it might set a wrong precedent to everyone else, that they can park their motorcycle if they wanted to. Currently, no one else has one though. He supports that he is afraid that his motorcycle might be stolen if parked outside, and he wants to put it in a gated space.

In that shared area, there is a bin store, and a bicycle store with around 15 bicycles, and some seating space, some green space, and concrete. To be fair, there is plenty of space to park the motorcycle, we just don't want it parked there. The lease doesn't state anything that can prevent this. We have told him that we don't want the motorcycle parked there for the aforementioned reasons, but he won't listen.

What else can we do to prevent him from parking it inside?

Andy_L

If the lease doesn't have anything useful (eg cannot do X, can only do Y in the communal area) not that much

1.You could try getting the lease ammended to ban it

2. Make it inconvient for him by putting the bins etc in the way

3. See if he's breaking any traffic laws by how he gets the bike there, eg he has to ride it up a long stretch of pavement and shop him to the police.
4.If he's riding it in under power at all hours is the noise breaching anything in the lease

5. Get over yourself and not worry about it

6. Join the club and get a bike

twopenny

Could you not make a place for it with the bins or the bikes? That's not a pleasant sight so one more won't matter Perhaps even an enclosure for it so taking away the sight of it while giving him the security.

Did he have the bike before he moved in? If it's new he may get fed up with it. If he had it before where did he keep it?

beduth

What harm is he doing ? It’s one motorcycle parked by the bins. The bins must be far more unsightly. 

maisie_cat

Unless the lease specifically excludes motorised bikes and there is plenty of space it's probably a good thing.
If the bike is parked outside and gets stolen, the resulting increase in "crime" in the immediate vicinity will increase insurance premiums.
If several households get motorbikes it may be worth making changes to either the gated area or the "rules"

TELLIT01

beduth said:

What harm is he doing ? It’s one motorcycle parked by the bins. The bins must be far more unsightly. 

As the OP said, it's setting a precedent so anybody/everybody could get motorbikes and park them in the shared area.

Soot2006

Let him put in a little motorcycle shed/garage next to the bins. You say there is plenty of space.  Grow a nice Clematis up the side of the new store. Soon forget it's there.

HampshireH

Would it be worth checking the buildings insurance for anything stating nothing flamable to be stored in any communal area? This would include external unless specified otherwise. 

Historically when working for a HA they had someone parking a motorbike under their flat window in a communal garden and it was deemed a risk and requested to be removed as if set alight or caught alight the building could be damaged.

Jeepers_Creepers

It seems unlikely that anything can be done to oblige him, unless a clear majority of the directors (there are 15?) decide/can be persuaded it's what they'd prefer.

"In that shared area, there is a bin store, and a bicycle store with around 15 bicycles, and some seating space, some green space, and concrete. To be fair, there is plenty of space to park the motorcycle, we just don't want it parked there. The lease doesn't state anything that can prevent this. We have told him that we don't want the motorcycle parked there for the aforementioned reasons, but he won't listen. What else can we do to prevent him from parking it inside?"

It's hard to visualise what this shared area looks like, and just how badly the 'bike encroaches on its overall appearance. All the good ideas have been suggested by others - checking fire regs, insurance, etc., or suggesting the m'bike area is fenced off as suggested before - a trellis panel or similar. Would that help?

Something more persuasive could be as also suggested before - join the frat. But make it a clapped-out single-cylinder 2-stroke with a missing exhaust baffle and a touch too-strong a fuel-oil mix. And, like all the riders of such wee beasties, you arrive and depart with mucho revving - 'cos "it stalls if you don't, dunnit?"

 

Skag

HampshireH said:

Would it be worth checking the buildings insurance for anything stating nothing flamable to be stored in any communal area? This would include external unless specified otherwise. 

Historically when working for a HA they had someone parking a motorbike undead their flat window in a communal garden and it was deemed a risk and requested to be removed as if set alight or caught alight the building could be damaged.

Funnily enough, that was the first thing I did; I phoned up our insurer, but they advised that a motorcycle doesn't count as combustible or flammable material.

Skag

Thanks for all your suggestions. It appears that there is no clear legal way to prevent this person (or anyone really) from putting their motorcycle in the shared area.

What if (in a parallel universe!) all directors agreed that no motorcycles were allowed to be parked it, could that legally prevent anyone from parking their motorcycle inside?