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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to store our pram in the communal hallway?

145 replies

elgachbo · 03/01/2012 15:51

This is the situation: We live in a rented 3rd floor flat. Our 2nd child is due in March.
With our 1st child, we used to store our pram in the communal hallway. That was no problem for about a year or so. Then our freeholder (she lives on the ground floor) got a bit "fuzzy" about it. Basically she didn't like to look at our (brand new, plain-coloured) Mamas&Papas-pram. She came up with all sorts of reasons for us to remove it: fire risk, health & safety. All of them nonsense because she herself has put some furniture in the hallway. Those tables and heaters make the pram look rather little. There is no way it'd be an onbstruction for anyone. In the end the management agency for the property warned us on behalf of the freeholder that the pram would be removed and that there'd be a fine. By that time our 1st child was big enough for a foldable push chair. So we removed the pram and everything went back to normal.
But now I really wonder what's going to happen next. Obviously we'll need the pram for our 2nd child. There is no way we can move a 10-kilo-pram and two children savely to a 3rd-floor-flat up and down on a daily basis.
Is there really no way to be able to store a pram in a communal hallway if you live on the 3rd floor? Wouldn't that be common sense?!
Our hallway is huge. One could easily park one of those tiny electric cars in there, let alone a pram.
I fear we'll have our freeholder and the property management at our throats again soon.
Any suggestions?
Many thanks!!
C&E

OP posts:
PopcornMouse · 03/01/2012 15:53

Can you speak to the property management in advance of any complaints, and get their written agreement?

SantasENormaSnob · 03/01/2012 15:54

Yabu

MotherPanda · 03/01/2012 15:56

Perhaps buy a lightweight pram that is easy to move up and downstairs - suitable for purpose and what not.

But it would never hurt to ask.

MrsHuxtable · 03/01/2012 15:57

I'm in the exact same situation as you and even I think ya a bit u.

The way we'll work it is that the pram stays in the flat but on the days that I need it and DH is not at home to carry it down the stairs, he can leave it downstairs before he leaves and brings it back up after he comes home. The other tenants are ok with this. Wouldn't dream of leaving it downstairs permanently.

lynlynnicebutdim · 03/01/2012 15:57

as a former freeholder, the problem is that in the event of a fire when the hallway is dark and smokey, if a occupier is prevented from leaving the building because they trip or are obstructed by your pram, it is the freeholder who is facing a HSE investigation and prosecution, not to mention a rather large civil liability to the family of the deceased.

We had similar problems when one of the tenants in our building (we were joint freeholders i should say, we didn't own the building) started storing their bikes in the hallway. We had to ask them to move them which we didn't like to do but the potential risk to us in the event of catastrophe was too great.

In the end we got bike hooks put in the walls at the widest part of the hallway and they stored the bikes there, up off the floor and so not considered an obstruction risk. With some careful design do you think you could design something similar to store your buggy? and if so, do you think the freeholder would be agreeable.

Feminine · 03/01/2012 15:58

I had this problem.

In the end I had to pick the entire thing up the stairs...with my newborn son inside.

Unfortunately it is a fire hazard though, management will always use that argument.

I feel sorry for you.

Maybe you could use a sling for while?

slavetofilofax · 03/01/2012 15:58

If the freeholder doesn't agree then they don't agree. It seems a trivial thing for someone to get worked up about, a pram is not going to do anyone any harm, but that's the freeholders choice to make. Because they own the property and rent the flat you live in to you, no more.

I would go and politely ask permission to leave the pram there. If they refuse, ask if you can pay an extra £10 a month or something to rent the extra pram space. If they still say no, then lugging the pram up and down the stairs is your problem, or you look for somewhere else to live.

The fact that the owners of the property put stuff in the hallway is irrelevant. It's their property and they can put what they want there.

Indith · 03/01/2012 15:59

All you can do is ask nicely. Logically if the hallway is big and it doesn't cause an obstruction then you'd have thought a reasonable person would grant permission but the hallway isn't yours so the right to decide is not yours. I'm afraid that is just the sort of thing you have to think about when having a baby in a flat. There are pretty lightweight options that are suitable from birth and you can leave dcs in the flat while you carry pram down then take them up first and go back for the pram on your return. It is easy to create a safe space so you can do that. Or you can use a sling with the baby.

When I had mine in a top floor flat it was above commercial property and there was no space at all to leave a pushchair so I simply chose one that folded easily and that I could carry in one hand with a baby in the other.

ChangeyChangerson · 03/01/2012 16:00

Hmmm, this is a tough one, we lived in a flat when ds1 was small (first floor) we stored our pram in the car boot, but occasionally it was in the communal hallway, which wasnt a problem as the gf flat had another entrance which she used rather than the communal entrance. However when she was selling the flat she asked us to move it which is fair enough tbh.

Or hallway wasnt that big, it wasnt an obstruction but probably wasnt aesthetically pleasing!! I think your neighbour is being a bit petty, is it worth speaking to her about it and putting your point forward (short term/hard work lugging children and pram upstairs) but im afraid if she puts her foot down you will have to suck it up, thats the problem with flats.

Do you have a car to store it in the boot? Could you use a baby carrier instead?

olgaga · 03/01/2012 16:00

I suppose you could write to the management agency, to clarify things before the baby is born. Point out that this would be for a limited time. What does your original lease say? If it states that tenants must not leave bikes, prams or other items in the hall, I'm not sure you'll have much option but to start looking for another flat. If the hallway is supposed to be clear for the purpose of fire safety, you might inform them the freeholder has furniture in there. However, the solution to that is to remove the furniture, not to allow you to put more stuff there.

On the other hand, if the lease doesn't say anything at all, you can point out that you were never warned about this in advance, and ask them to reconsider.

cocobongo · 03/01/2012 16:00

what i do is to have the pram brought down in the morning by OH and then brought up again by him in the evening. during the day, i'd be out and about most of the time anyway, so the pram was only there for a few sporadic hours. it is then less of a permanent fixture, which is prob what irked the freeholder.

why don't you speak to freeholder and explain situation to her, and let her know pram will be brought up every night?

Feminine · 03/01/2012 16:00

mrshuxtable you reminded me...we also used to do what you did your DH too!

That worked out quite well also ...well, until I found the ground floor flat cat making his home in my pram.

Flea eggs also.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 03/01/2012 16:01

I think popcorn's idea is very sensible.

That said, sometimes the rules are absolutely ridiculous - our place has huge communal hallways and even has cycle racks in the stairwell, but still if you read our tenancy agreement, it sounds nothing (including bikes) may be left in the communal hallway. The lettings agent agrees its absurd that there is are two bike racks fitted but technically, they can't be used!

It's a shame she's making a fuss about it, but some people are massively anal about 'their' space, and that coupled with stupid rules could mean it's more trouble than it's worth.

I wonder if you could ask the freeholder if there's anything you could do to make the arrangement more acceptable to her?

AFuckingKnackeredWoman · 03/01/2012 16:02

I live on the 9th floor of a high rise and have to do the stairs with the buggy every time. Its one of those things that go along with living in a flat

Buy something more practical to your needs, there's alot of light weight prams that will make it easier

pranma · 03/01/2012 16:04

Maybe use a sling/backpack while baby is very small then transfer to foldable pushchair with lie flat option.

HandMini · 03/01/2012 16:06

How about a lightweight folding buggy and arrange some kind of shelf / hook in the communal hallway to store it.

Panda1234 · 03/01/2012 16:06

I'm having my first DC soon and stay in a flat - it wouldn't have occurred to me to leave the pram at the bottom of the stairs. Don't you worry it would get nicked or accidentally damaged? After all, you're not going to know everyone who might be in and out the hallway.

This is just a leetle bit off topic, but can anyone recommend any lightweight prams? Been wondering what would be good to get up and down the stairs at ours...

MildlyNarkyPuffin · 03/01/2012 16:06

Move or don't leave the pram there. No other options.

ATruthFestivelyAcknowledged · 03/01/2012 16:08

Do you have outdoor space? We don't live in a flat but are about to invest in something like this so that we can liberate our dining room from the pram & related clutter.

crazygracieuk · 03/01/2012 16:10

I was in a similar situation and got a car seat plus pushchair combination and walked up with baby in car seat and went back for pushchair-shopping. It means doing 3 or 4 trips if O had shopping or young toddler to sort too.

eurochick · 03/01/2012 16:10

Do you have a car you can keep the pram in?

Indith · 03/01/2012 16:13

Panda go and play with some in a big shop. I found it wasn't so much weight as having a well balanced carry handle. I had a loola in the flat, it was quite heavy yet a doddle to carry up the stairs because of where the carry handle was. I admit once we moved out of the flat into a house it got sold. Mind you I have always been more or a sling user and ds was old enough for a little umbrella fold by then.

NewYearEverything · 03/01/2012 16:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NoMoreWasabi · 03/01/2012 16:13

I can understand it is very irritating not to be allowed but it seems very unlikely you have any RIGHTS to leave it there. As such I'd agree your best course of action is to politely approach management co and potentially freeholder to get agreement. Righteous indignation will get you nowhere.

karmakameleon · 03/01/2012 16:14

YABU. I've been the downstairs neighbour of someone who wants to leave their pram in the hallway and it was a nightmare. We were quite happy to make allowances for the fact that they had a newborn and couldn't be lugging the pram up and down for a few months but a year later we were going insane. It was an obstruction and a pain whenever we were carrying bags, shopping etc through. Also when MIL visited, she struggled with it as she isn't great on her feet so DH was having to move it in and out so that she could get by and by then we really truly had had enough.