Laundry drying outside flat??

[CherriesAndBerries5]

Hi,

i rent and live on the ground floor of a maisonette type flat complex. I live on the end flat (number 6), and you can access the back of the properties by walking to number 1 and around the back.

Our flats are tiny and so I have been leaving my clothes horse to dry outside the front of my garden (as have some other residents).

I’ve now received an email stating that other residents have complained about laundry drying outside the front of the complex (even though I live on the end flat and nobody has to walk past it to get anywhere).

They are stating I should place my clothes horse around the back of the complex out of sight, meaning I would have to wheel it to the end of the complex past flat 1; then around the side of the complex past the car park, then back across so it is in front of my back window.

Does this not seem really unreasonable? Again our flats are tiny and there is really no other space for me to dry my clothes. Plus I have seen other residents use them?

How do people care about nonsense like this?!

Bored. Jealous. Resentful. Cunty.

The other one of course is to go full on wind up - large drying rack full of the most exciting knickers, bras and more you can find for 99p on Temu and put it out. Then next day as many sheets as possible blocking the view. And so on... 😆

I really want OP to do a rough diagram of her back space so we can see if there is a solution. I like solutions, otherwise not much point.

Yanbu.
This sort of nonsense should be stamped out. We need to save energy and cut carbon as much ad possible. Drying laundry outside is free and good for the environment.

I judge my grotty neighbours who hardly ever dry outside. I doubt they all have hay-fever.

This.

and also to see how big the flats are that to walk up, across and down equates to 200m…

I was going to ask this too. Or can you put a rotary drier near enough it can be loaded from inside the flat??

Was thinking similar .......what about those airers that you hook onto radiators, would a couple of those be accessible through the rear window.

I would bet it's some elderly lady who has nothing else to do. We had such a neighbour who complained about a new single mom with 3 kids who hanged the school uniforms outside in the garden. She never talked to her about it, just kept complaining to the residents' association. Then it was about a tyre her ex left. Then it was about her kids playing outside 'without supervision'. The poor mum was an absolutely normal and nice person but for some reason the elderly lady didn't like her. Eventually mum had enough and moved out. She was originally from Lithuania. Funnily enough, the previous tenants were an Indian family and they did exactly the same things (hanged the laundry outside, etc.) but they never got any complaints!

People are so petty aren't they? Must lead very sad lives.

I feel for you OP. I would suspect that if you're not the leaseholder, your landlord has something written into the lease about not having washing drying outside.

It's pathetic, how do they expect people that live in flats to get their clothes dry. When I lived in a flat and it had damp, we were told to not dry clothes indoors or on radiators, but also don't dry them outside 🙃 utterly ridiculous

Because it’s a petty and unreasonable complaint and they know it.

It's mad, but lots of buildings have these clauses because it's deemed to look messy and unsightly. I think it's a bit snobby really, I'm not sure why they think laundry is so shameful... However, I think you'll have to comply as likely your landlord/the contract states you need to comply with any building regulations or clauses that apply to all owners of the flats. Unless you want to risk it and keep doing what you're doing, but i suspect there'll be a written down contractual reason that you shouldn't, and if you keep ignoring it you put yourself at risk

Most of who live in houses probably don’t dry our laundry in our front gardens or driveways - even if they get better sun at times of day than around the back. We probably couldn’t say why, exactly; simply that we don’t do it out of convention, but, if pressed, might say because it looks unsightly. We do it in the back garden. Which is the same here: OP has said there is a garden area around the back of the building where laundry can be dried, it’s just not as convenient as right by her front door. I think that’s fine tbh. When you live in close proximity to many other people, there are just little rules you live by. As a previous poster said - one person wants to dry their laundry out front, somebody else wants to keep their paddling pool there, somebody else wants to store their bicycles there. It’s just easier for building management to have a rule for leaseholders about keeping the front shared space clear.

Check your lease. If its is not in the agreement then ignore the complaint.

I used to rent a property where the landlord refused to put in a tumble dryer, didn't let me get one and didn't let me dry my laundry inside the flat (no garden). He literally expected me to get on a bus to use the laundrette to dry every load 😒

Drying washing looks 'gypsy'?
Ridiculous. Drying washing looks normal, healthy domesticity. And quite pleasant really.

Nah it’s fair. I am also in a ground floor flat and have neighbours that dry their clothes outside but round the back. Having them in front of the property would be unsightly.

I would just dry my laundry indoors and ignore him!

I can understand the walk, my gas meter is below my window but down 2 flights of stairs and probably a 150m ish walk.
Other solutions are put an airer at your front door and door open or what a neighbour does here is use the radiator airers hanging out the window.
It's a pain drying stuff in a flat we are lucky to be given a washer dryer in our flats as no drying space but they are beyond useless and cost a bomb!
Also had a letter stating washing should not be left in the corridor on airers, I don't but do occasionally pop sheets on the bannisters ( only in the dead end area where noone walks) they'd have a fit if they caught me drying my tent out after a camping trip 😂

I live in Portugal where everyone hangs their washing out, balcony, garden, terrace or nothing. I'm lucky enough to have a balcony and a terrace and to be able to have a normal clothes line, however I notice that people without balconies use a series of lines hung on a frame that hooks over or attaches to a wall just below a window frame. Maybe something like that would be useful.
I think it's nuts that perceived "tidiness" takes precedence over usefulness. I'd definitely look at your lease to see if this new edict is mentioned in it.

We have a clause of no washing on display despite the fact I’m the only one with a garden
so the 10 houses either side have washing out but I can’t

mind you I also can’t bang a rug outside, can’t do anything immoral and have to paint every 7 years in “approved colours”

Where is the hellish place?!

I am in the UK. I think they took the lease from the 1800s
If I lift my airer into the neighbours garden, that’s fine because it’s a house so no clauses

Wow, that’s crazy!