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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to not move my bike?

74 replies

HeyNannyNanny · 13/10/2016 13:18

We live on the 5th floor of a block of flats. There are two apartments per floor with a wide and spacious hallway between them.
There is a large underground car park with bike racks.

As the nights got darker, I began to bring my bike up the elevator and park it in the hallway outside our flat.
It is not in anyone's way at all, cannot be seen by anyone except those in our flat, does not block any entrances/exits and does not pose a health and safety risk. The hallway is only used for entering and exiting the front door of the flat and not for spending time in.

The reason I leave my bike there rather than in the car park seems fair: the car parkis very difficult to get in and out on a bike, involves a long twisting ramp designed for cars which is completely blind - it takes a huge amount of energy to get up on a bike and a lot of drivers whiz down it at high speed making it dangerous.
The alternative exit involves four flights of concrete stairs.

The bike racks are also packed with bikes, literally stacked one on top of the other in a heap.

As it gets darker, the car park doesn't feel very safe - there are no cameras and a lot of corners and cubby spaces.

Getting down into the car park, unlocking my bike and getting otvout adds an extra 15 mins onto my commute and is physically exhausting.

The conceroerge has now stuck up signs in our hallway banning bikes being kept outside flats, stating there is plenty of space in the car park.

AIBU to want to keep my bike in the hallway? It honestly isn't impacting anyone's life in anyway and is not an eyesore. We do, however, have a very passive aggressive housemate who has control issues and form for making points via a third party (she called the police on a previous housemate for making noise in the corridor and launched an environmental health investigation against her own flat to make a point about noisy housemate)

OP posts:
londonrach · 13/10/2016 15:15

Yabu as someone who has rented flat its always in my contract no bikes in hallway. Its a fire hazard. If someone does it everyone else could. Either put it in your flat or outside.

VeryBitchyRestingFace · 13/10/2016 15:17

I'm wondering just how steep perpindicular your car park ramp must be such that hoisting the bike up 5 flights seems like a better option.

Confused
Sunshineonacloudyday · 13/10/2016 15:20

Your husband should not clear up after crazy house mate. If she wanted me top clear up after her I would go nuts. If you are worried about losing your home look for some where else and then when you find it teach the cow a lesson on how to respect others.

The bike situation you don't have no choice but to follow the rules or risk people in the other flats hating and resenting you.

HermioneJeanGranger · 13/10/2016 15:23

YABU. Either keep it in your flat or in the bike rack like everyone else! If the LL makes an exception for you, what's to stop everyone else in the building doing the same?

It's a hallway, not a dumping ground.

spaghettithrower · 13/10/2016 15:24

Sorry YABU.
There will be health and safety regulations the management company has to adhere too. They cannot make an exception for you. If they ignore your bike then others will think they can leave whatever they like in the hallways and in no time at all the place will be an absolute tip and dangerous in an emergency.
I don't understand why there are 4 flights of stairs to the car park. How deep is it?
If you are living on the fifth floor are you dragging the bike up the stairs or is there a lift? If there is a lift, can you not take the bike down to the carpark from the entrance lobby.

If you are concerned about safety in the carpark, speak to the management company. Ditto if there isn't enough space in the bike racks.

DinosaursRoar · 13/10/2016 15:25

VeryBitchy - the OP uses the lift...

OP - sorry, everyone else is right and you are wrong. This is the problem with commual areas, they aren't yours to do with as you wish.

Happyhippy45 · 13/10/2016 15:30

Seems like you need to work on management improving facilities.
Also re: storing your bike in your room/flat might not be allowed on your lease. We rent a flat to students....it's on their lease......but they keep their bikes in the flat. They'd probably get nicked if they locked them up outside.....so we don't enforce it.....because we're reasonable human beings.

monkeywithacowface · 13/10/2016 15:38

Also you have a concierge and an elevator then these sound like quite nice flats so I imagine residents don't want the hallways looking like a dumping ground

FeliciaJollygoodfellow · 13/10/2016 15:40

I don't think you're unreasonable to want to do it but I think you run the risk of the concierge or mad flat mate putting your bike out for the bins if you continue.

Also, other posters are right - it opens the door for other residents to start leaving stuff in the hallways, and I bet most of them don't have a handy no through area like you do.

MardyGrave · 13/10/2016 15:43

Yabu. You are not entitled to use the communal space as storage, that's what your bedroom is for.

Except that would be inconvenient for you.Hmm

VeryBitchyRestingFace · 13/10/2016 15:47

VeryBitchy - the OP uses the lift...

Pheww! Grin. But even there I could envisage ishoos.

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 13/10/2016 15:51

One bike in a hallway....
Personally I wouldn't care... But I could see lots of people being very bothered....

Also I would mind how other people perceived it : 'oh x is leaving their bike there... So I'll leave my old pram, camping equipment and a spare kitchen bin there which I will fill with used nappies (this actually happened in a beautiful Georgian block I lived in... In the end the landlord got so fed up after warnings he dumped everything!)

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 13/10/2016 15:52

Can't you have one of those bike hook things in your room?

NothingIsOK · 13/10/2016 17:35

Thing is, you don't have a leg to pedal on.

Rules say nothing in hallways. Doesn't matter if you agree or not, them's the rules, set by the building managers for reasons that make sense to them and seem reasonable.

You could keep it in the garage but prefer not to, for all sorts of reasons that make sense to you and seem reasonable.

You could keep it in your flat but prefer not to, ditto.

As one tenant amongst many there is no reason at all why you should be given a free pass on this, so you just need to suck it up and try to quit moaning about it.

user1471594659 · 14/10/2016 12:46

It's a flat. Leasehold? I would be surprised if the lease doesn't contain a rule about keeping stuff in the communal areas.

YABVU

babybat · 14/10/2016 14:34

Personally it wouldn't bother me, but it's not really worth the hassle from the building management, is it?

Keep your bike in your room (maybe get something like this?), that way you'll know it can't be stolen and you can keep an eye on it. If grumpy flatmate complains, tell her that some grumpy resident had made a complaint to the building management, so you're forced to keep it in the flat.

MadHattersWineParty · 14/10/2016 14:37

OP is hardly 'forced' to keep it in the flat though when there's adaquate provision for bikes downstairs!

heron98 · 14/10/2016 14:59

I think YANBU.

It's a bike. In a hallway. Not a rabid dog.

I really don't see the problem.

ZoeTurtle · 14/10/2016 15:15

YABU.

Is there somewhere around the property but NOT in the car park that a bike rack could be installed? The side of a communal garden, or near where the bins are stored, or somewhere like that. You could push for the bike rack to be moved somewhere more convenient.

Even now, there must be somewhere you can chain the bike up outside that isn't in the car park...?

littlepippip · 14/10/2016 15:24

Put your bike in your own flat, you don't own the common area. If he lets you then he will have to let everyone else - then before you know it there are dirty bikes everywhere blocking hallways and looking messy. YABU

LikeDylanInTheMovies · 14/10/2016 15:28

You can get freestanding bike racks designed for bedrooms etc, maybe look at those.

ClaudiaWankleman · 14/10/2016 15:31

A friend has a nice, very hipster fixie bike. He has a place to hang it on his bedroom wall when it's not in use. It actually looks quite nice. Is that a possibility?

TheCatsMother99 · 14/10/2016 15:32

I work for a managing agent and can confirm YABU.

It's a risk to safety in the event of an emergency by having your bike in the hallway, a H&S inspector would have a field day if he or she saw it.

I've also known bikes which have been leant against walls marking them or damaging the walls in some ways (as does carrying the bike upstairs but appreciate if you don't have a bike rack it's difficult).

NapQueen · 14/10/2016 15:33

It has to be one rule for all. Can you secure your bike to anything outside the building? Or ask the management to reposition the bike rack to somewhere less "car parky"

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