Just got a letter from an 'agent' on behalf of one of the other residents in my block of flats complaining about me keeping my bike inside my flat. Apparently, in bringing the bike into reception, up the staircase and into my flat (during which time I shoulder the bike, so the tyres don't even touch the carpet), I am causing "damage" to the property.
The agent says that there is cycle storage in the basement of the block, which "must be used", and that if they receive additional complaints then they will charge me for any costs incurred!
Firstly, my bike is expensive and there's no way I'm leaving it in a damp, often flooded basement storage area to which other residents have open access. Secondly, there are other people in the block that keep their bikes in the hallway at all times (not inside their flat, like me), so how on earth would they go about proving that I have caused this supposed damage?
I have strong suspicions about who has made the complaint - a [i]lovely[/i] retiree who recently told one of the block's other bike-riding residents that if he wanted to "make a mess" by keeping his bike in the hall, he should "go live in a council house".
I don't know why I've let this bother me so much, but I'm absolutely fuming...
Wee + letterbox.
They can stuff the additional charges for a start. They have to prove there is damage. Complaints doesn't equal damage, so only other thing is they'd have to show the NIMBY resident has been inconvenienced.
Is there any specific restriction in your tenancy agreement (if rented) or lease (if owned)? If there's a "no bikes!" clause then you may have a problem.
If all they're saying is pay up if there's any damage and there's no damage, then no worries. Just have a friendly chat with them or the retiree and say you'll gladly pay if you accept there's damage but at present there is none and you take care to ensure there is none, and keep the bike in the flat.
Definitely wouldn't want to keep it in their dedicated bike place. Was looking at flats they've recently built over the road from me and they have dedicated bike storage but it's just a rack outdoors visible from the road you chain the bike to. Wouldn't want to live there if that's the rule.
Carry on as you are doing.
If you haven't done any damage then don't sweat it.
The person who has reported you needs to get a life. The estates company are just going through the motions.
Ignore it would be my advice.
tell them its not a bike but an expensive piece of modern art
Make spurious counter-complaints about lonely person - they'll likely be glad to receive some post.
Counter claim regarding strong smell of urine and worthers original? Failing that, bombers...
Bung it in a big bag to carry it up.
Had the same problem, a nasty neighbour complained about my bike being left in the hall a halfords cheapo,nasty neighbour said it was dirtying the carpets, after a few days, her freind told her that my bike was bright red and i kept it in the garage as she watched me ride it every day.
The halfords chepo bike belonged to another neighbour who nasty neighbour thought was a nice chap, strangely when it was explainerd to her, she said thats ok then.
Just ignore them.
Yep, that's what I was thinking. Store bike bag in bike store and use that to carry upstairs
My parents flats have the same rule. Sadly their "secure bike storage" gets broken into regularly as its on the outside of the gate not the inside. My dad takes his road bike into the flat in a bike bag now.
I used to shoulder my bike coming up the stairs in our block but realised i'd left tyre marks on the walls from doing so. I cleaned them off and now i push it up, can be a bit trickier but it means my tyres are no where near the walls. I doubt the tyres do any more damage to the carpet than someone walking up the stairs, probably less tbh.
If I were you I'd ignore the letter its clearly not just aimed at yourself.
Like deadkenny said, the agent needs to prove who caused the damage. If they push the point invite them to pay the additional insurance costs involved in storing your bike in a shared storage area...
bigyinn - Member
[s]Wee[/s] [u]petrol[/u] + letterbox.
*nods*
eurrgh indeed..
We had a similar sort of deal with an horrid old battleaxe on the ground floor in our old block.. Her beef though, was with bikes coming into the building at all..
Reason, toadying, a genuine hand of friendship all fell on very deaf ears..
She was the type that wrote at least one letter a week to the management company, and drove them and everyone in the building to distraction..
She seemed fairly friendly with an older gent who lived with his sons on the top floor, so as a way of getting her onside, he tried to set up a weekly community meeting so that she could air her grievances, and we could work out a rota to assist her with any help she needed around the house or with shopping etc..
she refused, stating that we would likely try to poison her sherry..!!
****ing old witch needed a good hard kick in the **** if truth be known..
oh and the same neighbour complained about me feeding the birds, leaving an arm chair in the bin shed, prior to its removal next day in my comapny van,leaving a freezer for collection by the council on the car park drive, a few weeks ago she screamed at me i had cut her phone line off, when it had been pulled out of the socket in her appartment, somewhere i had never ever been into.
some people are just compulsive complainers,just ignore her and the letters.
if you rent, dig out your contract and go thru it line by line. there's not a chance i would keep my bike outside!
Rather than using a bike bag try wrapping the bike in an old carpet and when you drag it downstairs holding a spade mutter under your breath "that's the last time you complain about me you stupid ****ing cow" before laughing maniacally.
You have the right to respond to the agents letter, I suggest you do so in writing making the reasoned argument you have in your post above in a clear, concise and polite manner.
If you believe the facilities provided for bicycle storage are not sufficiently secure, and do not protect your expensive bike from damage by the weather/flooding then you are within your rights to take your bike into your flat to ensure its safety, especially if as you claim you deliberately do not set it down in the common areas out of consideration for other residents and the cleanliness of the property...
One of our neighbours phones our landlord and letting agent today to complain that my car was blocking their garage. They'd asked for my phone number so they could get in touch if it happened again.
I got a call ten minutes after saying they could have it moaning that I'd blocked them in and it was all terribly inconvenient. I said I thought I'd left enough space, and it turned out I had! He'd just had to take a bit of care but was able to get his car straight out and carry one with whatever he was doing.
But there was a still a charmingly passive-aggressive note through the door when I got home from work! Bored retirees with nothing to do but twitch the curtains and complain 🙄
As others have said, ignore and **** em
Best reply: "what letter?". Follow [b]Cookeaa[/b]'s advice if you get a repeat.
Ask if she wants a ride (of the bike). Probably just jealous.
We have no official bike storage but the space under the stairs suffices. Nobody has complained about the tyre marks on the wall... must get those cleaned.
When I moved into halls way back for Uni, I remember the Warden Collaring me, " You cant take a bike up there son, you have to use the Bike lock up".
The Bike lock up was, in fact, the bin store, with some odd bits of steel tube bolted through a wall, and a couple of BSO's and odd frames missing parts lying in a heap nearby.
Get stuffed, was the response.
"You have to, and its very secure" was his argument. Which was disproved by getting a mate to ask him Oi, Mister, open the bike store for us, and he did. Could have been anyone off the street.
Take the wheels off. Carry in each hand. They cannot stop you taking 'goods' or bike parts or 'luggage' into your own flat.
Thanks all. I know you're right, and I fully intend to ignore it and continue as I am (I train four-to-five times a week and there's no way I'm stopping), but the complete cheek of it has really wound me up. My blood is pumping just thinking about it.
I just don't get why someone would make a formal complaint about anything without at least trying to speak to the person first.
I think I'm going to contact the agent tomorrow and ask who made the complaint, on the basis that I'd like to at least attempt to have a reasoned discussion with them and sort it out. There are some very light tyre scuff marks on the wall, some of which I guess could be me, so I may even offer to clean them off as a gesture of reconciliation.
I just really want to avoid having to start either putting my bike in a bag or taking the wheels off to bring it into my own bloody flat.
Sigh...
The agent will hide behind some misinterpretation of data protection and not tell you. I wouldn't consider reasoned discussion-they probably won't be that reasonable, and if a letter has got your blood boiling then I fear that a confrontation with a neighbor will really upset you. Seriously, just ignore and continue-you're carrying a bike indoors, its not like you're having a rave very weekend (you're not are you, because that could be the straw that broke the camels back 🙂 )
I think I'm going to contact the agent tomorrow and ask who made the complaint, on the basis that I'd like to at least attempt to have a reasoned discussion with them and sort it out.
They won't tell you - DPA.
You could always extend...
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/takisawa2/8120359310/ ]jpeg[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/takisawa2/ ]pten2106[/url], on Flickr
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/takisawa2/8120355667/ ]jpeg[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/takisawa2/ ]pten2106[/url], on Flickr
Ask the agent for details of the insurance cover for the bike store, then ask them to confirm in writing if your bike is insured whilst in the bike store, then tell them what it would cost to replace your bike, then ask them to re-check the insurance, then ask them does the insurance cover flooding damage.
Ask one question at a time, query the detail of each answer and then ask them to confirm that you've understood their answer. repeat until you get bored or the agent gets pissed off enough to tell your neighbor to shut up!
HTH 🙂
I wouldn't consider reasoned discussion-they probably won't be that reasonable, and if a letter has got your blood boiling then I fear that a confrontation with a neighbor will really upset you.
You're probably right, but I'd feel a lot better about riding my bike in future if I can resolve this. I'll try the agent, and if they can't tell me who it is for DPS reasons (which makes sense) then I'll just pop a few notes through letterboxes. There are only five other flats in the block, one of which is the other guy that I ride with, so that only leaves four.
its not like you're having a rave very weekend (you're not are you, because that could be the straw that broke the camels back
Not yet, no.
I do have an electric guitar and a very loud amp that I haven't been using out of respect for my neighbours, however... 😉
Ask the agent for details of the insurance cover for the bike store, then ask them to confirm in writing if your bike is insured whilst in the bike store, then tell them what it would cost to replace your bike, then ask them to re-check the insurance, then ask them does the insurance cover flooding damage.Ask one question at a time, query the detail of each answer and then ask them to confirm that you've understood their answer. repeat until you get bored or the agent gets pissed off enough to tell your neighbor to shut up!
HTH
I like this.
<cheery friendly voice> oh hi there, I got a letter from the agent, I'm really sorry, I'll leave it in the shed from now on
<whisper menacing voice> I'm going to stab you in the heart whilst you sleep
<cheery friendly voice> and I'll tidy up these marks in the wall too. Silly me. Anyway, see you around.
Chilling. Menacing. Win!!
There are some very light tyre scuff marks on the wall, some of which I guess could be me, so I may even offer to clean them off as a gesture of reconciliation.
That's a five minute job with the right stuff, which is [url= http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=sugar+soap&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvnsfd&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bpcl=35466521&biw=1280&bih=708&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=11783211439277557409&sa=X&ei=o2uIUI_XBaqS0QXTqICQBQ&ved=0CFMQ8wIwAQ#ps-sellers ]Sugar Soap[/url]. Not sugar + soap as some one asking on here perviously tried to use when told to they needed Sugar Soap!
I am one of the directors of the management company for a block of flats - and I'm a mountain biker. When I lived in my flat there, I kept 4-5 bikes in it. We didn't use a managing agent (I'm guessing this is the mob you've had the letter from) as it was/is not cost effective with three very active directors willing to change lightbulbs and deal with contractors.
Everyone in the flats generally rubs along very well, and those that keep bikes in their flats are very careful not to drag mud over the carpets or hit the walls with tyres on the way up the stairs. There have been two exceptions: a completely slovenly tenant who dripped bin juice up and down the stairs when taking out their bin bags (eurgh) and another tenant who tracked mud and left copious tyre marks on the walls of his stairwell. Both were dealt with via a quiet, friendly word about upkeep and the cost of repairs, which would be passed on to them / their landlord if it continued in the same vein. Fixed the problem each time.
We also have a storage cupboard on the property we're thinking of converting to store bikes and prams. We keep getting put off by the thought that it may attract skulkers and ne'er do wells.
My advice? This letter is probably one that's gone out to all tenants or owners. Ask the agent this. Follow leftyboy's advice above about doing everything in detail, in writing and very slowly. I'm guessing it's a general attempt to stop idiots blocking hallways with bikes - which, frankly, is a fire hazard in most cases, and something we'd deal with by asking 'em to keep them in their flats, please.
HTH
It's pretty simple, if they insist on you using the storage tell them you'll charge them if the bike is damaged/stolen, every time, plus for the extra costs of maintenance due to damp, plus they have absolutely no proof you;ve damaged anything.
This is yet another reason why I live out of a city despite it being a pain and costing more in many ways, life's simpler.
Torie puff smoking old barstewards.
Tell 'em to go to local consevative mp if it is such an issue as they are pissing in the wind complaing and stating it is causing damage to property which clearly it is not.
Maybe a fire escape hazard if kept in communal hallway but haven,t read all the details wiin this thread.
Just thought typical majority conservative voter type and saw red. :€
Seems straightforward- if you're being threatened with charges for any damage, but you don't cause any damage, then no charges, problem solved. If you are causing damage, then you've not got much right to complain.
No?
I've had the same problem in my current block of flats.
The management company told me off for tyre marks on the wall (which I had made, as the landing is very tight). Was told to put my bike(s) in the area provided in the hallway underneath the stairs. So I did. All four of them, with a mahoosive bike lock for security. Cue complaints from the other residents about not being able to get in/out the front door or access the electric meters.
Two days later was told to keep the bikes in my flat and clean the tyre marks off the walls. Takes about five minutes every month to go over the walls with one of those JML Magic Erasers. Might try that Sugar spray stuff next time.
My landlord was brilliant when I told her about it too, told the management company off for being rather stupid 😆
I just called the agent and talked things through. He accepted that I wouldn't want to keep an expensive bike in the basement and even said that he wanted to build secure, individual bike lockers for the property, but the residents blocked him.
I've posted notes to each of the other three flats explaining myself, and said that even though I'm confident I haven't caused the marks, I'll clean them this weekend. Hopefully that'll be the end of it.
Our last place was rented and downstairs was inhabited by a similar, er, nice person. I kept my bike in the outside garage but he had such a seething issue with it - he would make loud comments to other neighbours about me when I was cleaning it (outside!) etc. He ended up knocking the front and rear wheel arches of our car with his - it's still dented to this day. I know it was him but could never prove it. The day we moved out he shouted abuse at us as we were loading the van, much to the embarassment of his family who were visiting. Some people are just like that. But it still winds me up.....
Some people have lots of bad days and take it out on everyone else.
Get a massive jetwasher with a diesel generator, and give your bike a damn good going over whenever you've got back from the pub, after your post-night-ride beer.
That way you're doing your neighbours a favour by ensuring your immaculately clean bike will be causing no damage
When I lived in my old flat it was an ex-local authority place with 30 flats and there were all sorts of issues and counter issues raised by the tennants that the authority (who were the leasholder) had to handle. I met the guy who was responsible for tennant complaints one day. He had the patience of a saint, as he was obliged to respond to each one - and make action plans for repeat offenders. I was one of the repeat offenders for issue one below (tip off no physical evidence - no action taken).
Firstly there were compliants about a couple of people with bicycles making it muddy. Everyone got letters. Then it was parents carrying their kids bikes up the stairs making it muddy. Everyone got letters. Then it was people leaving push chairs under the stair well cluttering up the place. Everyone got letters. Then it was people who had dogs - against the terms of their lease. Everyone got letters. Parking. Letters. Recycling bin misuse. Letters. Leaving doors open. Letters.
I would say that nothing actually changed - nobody got turfed out - and we all carried on. Except for the very passively agressive guy in flat 86......who we suspect was the source of all of the complaints...
When we left he complained to a neighbour that we cooked stinky food with the windows open to get at him. We did not get a letter about this.