Drying washing on our balcony

[Emmabryant123]

We private rent in a block of 16 flats
The flats vary from rented to owned .
We put our washing on two airers today on our balcony
No offensive clothing etc on show
We came down to this message on the main front door
Are we being unreasonable!? Or is this person who wrote this note being unreasonable?

The note itself is ridiculous though, I do agree on that.

Sex on the balcony made me laugh, that would really give them something to talk about.

I have never lived in a flat but if I did I’d use the balcony to dry laundry. I don’t understand the reference to council estates, it’s normal to dry your laundry outside, surely?

I’d hang all my knickers out there (including the clean ones from my drawer) pronto!

I would completely ignore it unless it was a proper letter from the LL or management team.

If you take the train to London and look at all the posh flats by the river they all have airers in their balconies- everyone has washing go dry regardless of where you live.

I'd buy something like this to hang on the balcony (and put up screening if the sides are glass). If they can't see it then they can't complain!

'This is not a council estate'. What an absolute dickhead. I wouldn't be able to resist a counter-note to that blatant snobbery.

I fail to see how washing on an airer on a balcony differs in any way from a line-load of laundry in a back garden. Whoever wrote that note needs a schooling in manners.

Of course, if it's written into the owner's lease, that does change things slightly, but, frankly, it's still snobbery on that level, too.

An old friend of mine once bought a house where her husband wasn't permitted to park his van on the driveway ('no commercial vehicles') which is another snobby way of dictating an apparent 'standard'. When she had an extension built, two of her neighbours kicked up a massive fuss over the builders' vehicles parked on her drive..... so she got them to park outside on the road outside the neighbours houses instead.

Check the deeds/covenant with your ll. If there's nothing about drying washing on the balcony, carry right on and write an equally arsey note back. I'd be appalled if I couldn't dry washing outside, I'm on my 4th load after a week away, some can't be dried in the drier.

I cannot stand people who write cowardly anonymous notes.

My DD lives in a lovely block and they are absolutely not allowed to dry clothes on their balcony.

I would double check.

My DM lives in a retirement flat. They are not allowed to dry clothes on their balconies, or in view of the windows!

We live in a house. The covenants say we are not allowed to dry clothes in the front garden, or park commercial vehicles or caravans on our drive. These restrictions are quite common.

That's appalling! I might have added "Council tenants have far more class than you" to the bottom.

Ignore and carry on. I would be tempted to write something back, but probably wouldn't as couldn't be bothered with getting into an argument.

Gosh, I’d hang everything out I had. From the tone of the note, I’d imagine it is allowed, but disliked. Otherwise it would read that it’s against the rules. Haha, I’d hang all my brightest towels out on the balcony.

Horrible note. But unfortunately I agree that there shouldn’t be laundry on a balcony. Sorry. Looks really nasty. Inside with the doors open is the fairest thing.

They are arseholes. maybe if the note was polite I would consider listening to them. The way they've written it is awful and personally I would be putting washing out every day rain or shine just to piss them off (assuming it is not forbidden by tenancy agreement etc.)

A friend of mine had a shitty note saying that they were "lowering the tone of the neighborhood" by not mowing their front garden. They didnt mow it for 2 months after that.

I meant to add that the note is awful

All this.snobnery about drying clothes on balconies and in gardens is really going to have to change. Unsghtly or not it is much better for the environment than tumble driers. I think we should stop banning the hanging of washing on balconies or gardens or any private outdoor space . It is based on snobby prejudices that have no place in a world of global.warming and environmental problems.

Hanging of washing to dry is in no way comparable with dumping of unsightly household items and just leaving them there

If you're really not allowed then fair enough, although the council estate comment is totally snobby and unnecessary. However if there's no actual rule against it, I'd write piss off on the note and hang all my underwear out in full view pronto.

I used to always hang my washing out on my balcony when I lived in a flat, anyone I've ever known did the same! I even had a neighbour who used to hang it out the window. No one gave a shit.

Rules are rules I'm afraid. Most private blocks have such rules in the lease - they're needed, otherwise the hallways would be blocked with buggies, bikes, and the balconies cluttered with junk.

I'd be upset about the manner of displaying the anonymous note - I was very annoyed some years back when someone wrote a very elaborate note, with multi coloured pencils, demanding that cigarette butts not be flung in a certain place. The note indicated that I was responsible, which I wasn't. It was the anonymous nature of the note that riled me!

I actually think it’s reasonable to not allow it, just like new housing estates don’t allow caravans to park etc it’s to keep the appearance pleasant for everyone.

That said there should be safe outside drying space. In Dubai some high rise apartments are built with balcony access in the middle, think square polo mint, and the drying space is there out of view but accessible to all flats on that floor.

I used to live in a rental property where there was a covenant that laundry couldn’t be dried in the garden. Are these flats the same?

If your lease allows washing to be dried on balconies I’d probably write a patronising comment about being environmentally aware.

A note like that would bring out the worst in me
If it's not allowed in your residence I imagine the note-writer would have mentioned that.

I think it's a fairly standard clause in the main leasehold agreement the owner of your flat would have agreed to when they bought the property. they haven't passed that information on to you,

I used to use the ones that hang on the back of a door in my flat and they were very efficient.