Barbecues on terraces. Yes or No

No, but the hysteria here indicates they are burning down left, right and centre due to barbies, which I’m pointing out is not the case.

They’re often banned in leases because they are ugly and make the area look bad. Anti social from ye Olden days

Why would a clothes horse be a problem?!

Is fire a joke to you?

And how many apartments in QLD have burned down due to BBQ’s?

I have a balcony in a large apartment block. Our leases specify no open flames or charcoal BBQs - but there are a few with electric BBQs here and in lots of other apartment blocks locally. I don’t see the problem with that.

There are also a handful of apartments who use a clothes horse on their balconies to dry clothes, rather than always indoors or the tumble drier. Is that also a problem?

Flat living comes with certain risks and a fire starting in your neighbours property is inherently more risky in a flat than it would be in a house. This needs to be accepted when you reside in a flat .

people deserve enjoyment of their property and if that includes bbq for them so be it. It’s like telling someone they can’t smoke in their flat.

But who gets to opt into the risk in flats...

The children next door?
The pets?
The wheelchair users?

BBQs aren't a human right.

There’s a test for that clause and it isn’t “anything your neighbours don’t like”

There was a big fire in a tower block in Bristol a few years ago from someone using a bbq on their balcony. The whole place had to be evacuated...and it could potentially have been another Grenfell type disaster.
So no to fires on balconies in my opinion

Leases often have a catch all clause stating not to do anything that may cause nuisance or annoyance to neighbours so perhaps your managing agent could bring this to their attention but obviously check the lease first

houses have burnt down too. No one is suggesting any bbq is risk free

3 months ago a house burned down in Queensland from a BBQ

https://www.facebook.com/9NewsQueensland/videos/the-two-storey-family-home-was-gutted-entirely-after-going-up-in-flames-during-a/1014184974374958/

We don’t here, which is why most non draconian leases don’t state you can’t have bbqs.

I think this falls very clearly into the "common sense" category. It is dangerous and incredibly inconsiderate.

It's fine. What's the point in having a terrace if you can't do normal outdoor activities on it?

Ha ha, I’m in Australia and if you look at most apartments, you would be hard pressed to find one without a gas BBQ on the balcony.

ETA we don’t have fires and buildings burning down all over the place. We do have plentiful BBQ related injuries though, I saw quite a lot over the years, as most BBQ’s here involve alcohol (cultural). To be fair, it all seemed to be adults, men, didn’t have kids cross my path with injuries.

Shall we check with London Fire Brigade? They might know a thing or two about fires.

https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-home/cooking/bbqs/

How to stay BBQ safe
If you do BBQ at home – it is important to check you have taken the right safety precautions.

• Don’t use a BBQ on a balcony. Flames, sparks and hot embers can cause a fire and spread quickly to other parts of the building.
• Position your BBQ on level ground (not decking) and keep it well away from anything that may catch fire such as sheds, fences or trees.
• Never light a barbecue in an enclosed space and don’t use accelerants to get it going.
• Avoid distractions from people around you and never leave the BBQ unattended.
• Avoid drinking alcohol if you are in charge of the BBQ.
• Keep children, pets and garden games a safe distance from the BBQ. Have a bucket of water or sand nearby for emergency use.
• After cooking, let it cool and make sure it is properly out – smouldering ashes can give off dangerous carbon monoxide fumes and can be fatal.

The fire from our neighbour’s barbecue on their terrace could have killed us all. It went from nought to sixty in minutes. All those going: yeah, not a problem, crack on - have a word with yourselves.

If it hadn’t been seen by a different neighbour - was 11 o clock at night - we might be dead. The fire service was here for hours dismantling the roof to make sure no embers were left burning.

Not hyperbole: truth.

People are so fucking selfish.

So is it the smell, smoke or fire hazard that concerns you?

Your lack of insight is frightening. You can’t see how a BBQ that contains hot charcoals, is ignited with lighter fuel, has the ability to topple over, has oil / grease that goes on fire is no more dangerous than smoking on a terrace?? Come on

You were never on the fence, you knew you already hated it before making this thread

I think there are two slightly different issues here. It’s worth checking the lease carefully, including any general clauses about nuisance or annoyance rather than just looking for a specific ban on barbecues.

Even if there isn’t an express ban, that doesn’t necessarily mean someone can use a barbecue in a way that causes a serious problem for neighbours. On the other hand, an occasional BBQ and some cooking smells are part of normal life, so it isn’t automatically a nuisance just because somebody dislikes it.

A lot probably depends on how often it’s happening, how much smoke there is, how close the terraces are and how much it is actually affecting the other flats.

This explains the nuisance side quite well, including barbecues:

https://thesilverbrief.blog/nuisance-smells-from-neighbours/

Personally, with 25 small terraces close together, I’d favour some sensible agreed rules rather than either an outright ban or everyone simply doing as they please.

If its a gas BBQ then ... well ... you are wrong, they are highly dangerous (fas bottles). Having said that I know someone who got killed by a non-gas BBQ and couple of years ago ... moron in attendance.

🤣 you are the opposite of the flat living I experienced - young carefree social people. The antipodens bbq’d x3 a day