Neighbours junk in the hallway

[zingally]

I’m pretty certain I’m being unreasonable – please confirm it for me!
I live on the first floor of a block of 9 flats (3 flats on each floor). I’ve lived here 10 years now, only once had some short-lived bother with a neighbour. The residents generally all keep themselves to themselves.

Downstairs, in the flat nearest the front door to the block, lives a young couple and their baby. They are not below me, so I never hear anything of them, they don’t disturb me or anything. We’ll always say hello on the extremely rare occasion that we happen to pass each other, but I don’t know their names or anything.

Anyway, about 2 months-ish ago. Early July I’d say, maybe even a bit before, they had their bathroom and kitchen re-done. Fair enough.

But ever since then, there have been two large countertops, and 2 planks of wood (each about 7 foot long), leaning up against the wall in the hallway. This is a common area, and it’s part of the rules of the building that communal areas are kept clear. Prior to this stuff appearing, they always kept their baby buggy in the hallway for people to squeeze round. They’ve also left old bulky furniture outside, recycling, full bin bags, multiple pairs of work boots, etc etc. And the stuff always stays for WEEKS. And now MONTHS.

The countertops and planks aren’t technically in anyone’s way… but it irritates me! Literally no one else, in the 10 years I’ve been here, has EVER used the communal hallway as their own personal long-term storage.

I’m being unreasonable being irritated by this stuff, aren’t I?

I feel for them, I'm in a similar building and I just do not have enough space when things that that are hanging around for a bit.

But unfortunately, it's a fire risk and so needs to be moved.

They've had enough time to dispose of it all. Report it. They know that communal areas are not for those purposes. You don't have to speak to them about it. It's not their personal space, it's for all residents to pass through safely.

I'm in a similar building and I just do not have enough space when things that that are hanging around for a bit.
So? The solution is not to commandeer someone else's space / a communal space. Get a skip.

I'd have reported it months ago. We had a similar thing in our serviced offices when a guy in a neighbouring unit took to leaving his bike outside his door in the communal hallway, blocking one of the fire escape/stairwell doors. This was just after a major fire in the city centre which destroyed a landmark building, which we could see unfold from our office windows! One email to building management and next time I went to the loo it was gone.

It is a fire hazard as it potentially blocks escape or causes a tripping hazard in a fire emergency, especially if it were dark with smoke etc.

Let's put it this way.

If it were council or housing association or private rental (in my area anyway)
First warning - shift it NOW
Second warning - shift it or WE WILL
Third warning - collect your shit, pay the fine for storage, shift it or you will be evicted.

Taken very seriously in rentals.
I fail to see how it would be less of a fire hazard just because we're talking owner occupiers.

Contact management company.

Well you have three options:

1. Ignore it
2. Talk to them about it directly
3. Report it

Depends how much it's bothering you. I would always try to have a conversation with a neighbour before reporting them though, that is quite aggressive and as a young couple they might not even realise that it's a fire risk and the reasons why people aren't allowed to store their stuff in communal hallways.

If your excuse is that you "don't like confrontation" then it's unfair to report them just because you want to avoid a little discomfort for yourself.

I would always go for option 1 or 2 before 3.

Plus because it's not personally impacting on me, I'd feel silly raising it

Well it is impacting on you because you've started a thread about it.

Just take a breath and talk to them.

I live in a flat as well and the company who clean the communal areas leave notices on anything left in the hallways saying items will be disposed of at their next visit if they aren’t moved. Individual households then get invoiced for storage/disposal of their items. Definitely get your management company involved, that’s what they are paid a hefty fee for.

Yes, it's a fire hazard, but it's also unsightly. Some people just don't notice mess and 'stuff' and some people are more easily irritated by it, but, frankly, the communal hallway isn't their own personal area to store things they don't want to have to look at in their own flat.

It used to piss me off when people left prams, buggies, kid's toys and bikes in the communal hallways and under the stairs on a block I lived in a few years ago. Where would they leave all that stuff if there wasn't a communal hallway? It ruined the flooring and left mud everywhere that no-one ever bothered to clean up.

Developers should include storage for stuff like that when they build apartment blocks, but of course they hardly ever do because of the added cost.

Report to your property management. Do you not have someone who cleans your communal area ? Ours reports every thing . I had block management knocking on my door because I left my dds scooter under the stairs. They also stuck a fire hazard please remove sticker on Dhs work boots on the mat outside our front door .

I have heard that in many European flats they have cellars for storage with individual secure one for each flat
Actaully ds lives in a fairly modern block & they have an external cycle storage room with locked door - ditto rubbish bins = I think its should be obligatory in planning for blocks,

Knock on the door and politely ask if they need some help to get it moved as it's been there some time and point out that its a fire risk.
Maybe they'd be happy for assistance and its better to enable them to be proactive than just tell management and get them in trouble.
It does'nt seem that whoever is responsible for the building is very diligent if they have not seen to getting it moved previously.

Nothing should be left in the hallway, not even the buggy. Have you seen how much poisonous gas they give off in a fire? That's your escape route they're filling with combustible material.

They have had more than 2 months to get rid of it. They have a van and an estate car.

The only reason the stuff is still there - putting the lives of fellow residents at risk - is because they can't be arsed to get rid of it.

Takes pics and send to landlord/Council (which ever applies).

They have had more than enough time to get rid of the stuff, so I would report it to the management company.

I have lived in my flat for just over 18 months and when I moved in there were a few things that got left in the communal hall for a day or two as we had to get a van to move the stuff we had taken out, but I left a note in the other flats postboxes to say it would all be moved within 48hrs at the latest and if it was inconveniencing anyone then they were free to knock on my door and I would try and move it out of the way (it would fit in my hallway but we were trying to paint/ move in and it was a massive hindrance as we kept having to move it in and out to get furniture in etc so was easier to leave it outside)