Storing Bicycle in Apartment - Landlord meltdown

DaeryssaOne

So very shortly after moving into my current apartment my E600 bike was stolen from the underground carpark, no forced entry (which would be needed for insurance), instead, they put tape over the sensors of both gates and used a powersaw to cut through a kryptonite lock.

Again about two weekends ago, an entire bike rack was taken out of the ground with three locked bikes on it.

Our complex has 'cameras' which conveniently didn't happen to be in use either of these times and two security gates but nothing will stop a determined thief.

Our landlord saw my husband yesterday bringing his bike upstairs where he carries it into our apartment for safekeeping and went ballistic telling him it was not 'student accommodation' and he could terminate our lease if he caught him doing it again. He absolutely would not listen to reason about how we don't feel it is secure enough to keep a bike downstairs, he basically said that's not his problem.

I understand the reason for this is so the common areas don't get marked or scuffed but like I said, my husband carries the bike straight through and I'm sure buggies etc. cause much more damage but they aren't banned.

My big issue is that I'm picking up a brand new bike this weekend and there is absolutely no way I am willing to leave it locked in the underground carpark. It will be gone in a matter of days if I do but could our landlord really kick us out if he sees me carrying it through instead?

ted1

What does your lease say? Does the landlord also live in the building/ how did he see you ?

mugsymugsy

jobr wrote: »

So very shortly after moving into my current apartment my E600 bike was stolen from the underground carpark, no forced entry (which would be needed for insurance), instead, they put tape over the sensors of both gates and used a powersaw to cut through a kryptonite lock.

Again about two weekends ago, an entire bike rack was taken out of the ground with three locked bikes on it.

Our complex has 'cameras' which conveniently didn't happen to be in use either of these times and two security gates but nothing will stop a determined thief.

Our landlord saw my husband yesterday bringing his bike upstairs where he carries it into our apartment for safekeeping and went ballistic telling him it was not 'student accommodation' and he could terminate our lease if he caught him doing it again. He absolutely would not listen to reason about how we don't feel it is secure enough to keep a bike downstairs, he basically said that's not his problem.

I understand the reason for this is so the common areas don't get marked or scuffed but like I said, my husband carries the bike straight through and I'm sure buggies etc. cause much more damage but they aren't banned.

My big issue is that I'm picking up a brand new bike this weekend and there is absolutely no way I am willing to leave it locked in the underground carpark. It will be gone in a matter of days if I do but could our landlord really kick us out if he sees me carrying it through instead?

Is it in the lease? If not and he does illegal eviction. Don't expect him to renew your lease in future though

Gatling

Unless it's in the lease saying no bicycles allowed in the apartment ,he's just been a crank ,if he illegally evicts you out of the apartment it will cost him

DaeryssaOne

It would be in our lease about not storing them in the apartment so he completely has the upper hand in this, it's just very frustrating that he doesn't care about the multiple residents who have followed the rules and had their bikes robbed.

He owns the entire complex so is frequently around for any showings etc. so he is also responsible for the security but as I said in my original post, this is very low down in his list of priorities.

It's a great apartment apart from this issue and really wouldn't want to move out but I guess he'll be upping our rent when our lease is up early next year just to get rid of us for this reason.

awec

Would such a provision in the lease actually be enforceable?

You are renting the property from him, so long as you don't damage it and do not do anything illegal then it is hard to see how a landlord can come up with other arbitrary rules about what you can bring indoors and expect them to be enforced. But I could be wrong.

What next? All tenants must removed their shoes indoors? Beds must be made in the morning.

Mrs OBumble

Any chance you can rent a garage or similar in the neighbourhood, and store your bikes there?

Since it's in the lease which you chose to sign, there's really nothing you can do except that he follows the correct process for evicting you due to you breaching the conditions of the lease.

From a fire safety perspective, I find it hard to see how an apartment would have space to take two bicycles without cluttering up the exit way - unless you have a complete empty bedroom for them.

And I totally sympathise with the LL re the damage bikes to do shared space: they are far worse than buggies, which are designed to be in such places.

DaeryssaOne

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

From a fire safety perspective, I find it hard to see how an apartment would have space to take two bicycles without cluttering up the exit way - unless you have a complete empty bedroom for them.

And I totally sympathise with the LL re the damage bikes to do shared space: they are far worse than buggies, which are designed to be in such places.

The bike is carried straight out onto our partially covered balcony and blocks nothing out there, incidentally nobody can actually see onto our balcony so it's not being an eyesore or anything.
With regard to shared space, we would never keep anything in a common area, it is simply carried through it but this seems to be his issue.

pinkypinky

If the landlord has such low priority for security as to ignore several bike thefts, I'd want to move elsewhere.

Redhighking

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

And I totally sympathise with the LL re the damage bikes to do shared space: they are far worse than buggies, which are designed to be in such places.

What type of damage does a bike being carried through a common area do?

Xterminator

mud & water drips, handlebar and pedals can scrape paint. seriously does anyone with a kid not know this?

Ops hubby may be the most careful person in the world, but if even one tenant is not careful ... you can understand the reason why.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

From a fire safety perspective, I find it hard to see how an apartment would have space to take two bicycles without cluttering up the exit way - unless you have a complete empty bedroom for them.

I live in a two bedroom apartment, and could definitely store two bikes in the storage cupboard which wouldn't be in the way of getting out of the apartment in case of an emergency

Wabbit Ears

Damage to doors, doorframes, handlebar scrapes on walls.

Literally noone on the planet is capable of carrying an adult bike all the way up to an apartment balcony without scraping off at least a few things on the way.

Get better bike insurance.

AndrewJRenko

Don't suppose there is any way to install a winch to lift the bike up to your balcony (if any)?

CroFag

It's shocking that land owners are totally insensitive, seams we're back to feudal age. Q: What's Garda doing in this case, are they involved?

awec

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

Damage to doors, doorframes, handlebar scrapes on walls.

Literally noone on the planet is capable of carrying an adult bike all the way up to an apartment balcony without scraping off at least a few things on the way.

Get better bike insurance.

Complete rubbish.

emeldc

Does using a power saw to cut through a kryptonite lock not constitute a forced entry for insurance purposes.

august12

I was thinking exactly the same thing

Only problem, someone would need to be home to lower the rope/winch, you couldn't leave the bike below while running up to lower the rope in the hope the bike would still be there when you got back down. On second thoughts, that doesn't seem like such a good plan after all.

DaeryssaOne

CroFag wrote: »

It's shocking that land owners are totally insensitive, seams we're back to feudal age. Q: What's Garda doing in this case, are they involved?

We had the guards involved when my own bike was robbed but without any security footage there was very little they could do.
They have apparently become involved in the most recent theft also but I don't know the ins and outs of it (except that I know the security cameras are never actually working)

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Don't suppose there is any way to install a winch to lift the bike up to your balcony (if any)?

Afraid not

DaeryssaOne

Just to point out, I completely understand the landlord's reasonings as to why we can't keep bikes in the apartment, he has, to his mind, provided us secure bike racks in the underground carpark and doesn't want any damage done to the walls etc. I get all of this.

I just feel it is completely one-sided that he expects us to put very valuable assets in a space that we know for a proven fact is not secure and basically just hope we don't get robbed so that his paintwork remains clean.

Browney7

Can he actually prove you have it in your apartment? Do you have part IV?

Do you really think he's going to go to the RTB looking for eviction with proof that you are storing your bike in your apartment? Hardly crime of the century considering the trouble landlords claim to have in getting delinquent tenants out.

DaeryssaOne

It's more that if we were to continue storing it in the apartment he would certainly see us doing it again. He was very aggressive when he saw my husband doing it yesterday and told him he could terminate our lease for it.

My guess though is that he won't actually evict us but he will greatly increase the rent in February when our two year increase freeze is up as we moved in 3.5 years ago and he has already told us we're paying less rent than his newer tenants (it was a new-ish complex with each apartment being done up and being let out) so this is his perfect excuse to force us out and get new people in

groovyg

Thats a bummer with the landlord, I stored my expensive road bike in my apartment and it was residents gave us hassle more than the landlord. Our bike shed had been robbed twice so I ignored them.
Are you going to be using it for commuting or weekend cycles? I have a commuting bike thats 15 years old and I left it in the shed because its not worth anything.
You could just make your new bike look **** by repainting and covering it in lots of duct tape or something or maybe start looking for a new place to live if the lease is up in Feb and rent is going upwards.
No matter how well you have it secured in the bike shed, if its worth money thieves will always find away to rob something

DaeryssaOne

Haha that's definitely our apartment block, I must have got it wrong I thought it was three bikes were robbed a few weeks ago but it was three locks on the one very very expensive bike!:eek:

My husband uses his for commuting and mine will just be for weekend trips, I really don't want to have to mess with the paintwork or make it look old when it's brand new! Sorry I know you're just trying to offer a solution but I wouldn't be spending the money to just make it look like rubbish straight away!

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DaeryssaOne

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Nope, we were told we couldn't do that. I'm still in shock after reading the bike stolen a few weeks ago was worth 5k and I know he certainly won't be helping the tenant with her insurance either.

dont bother

OP, by the sounds of things the landlord is a horrible little man, so he's probably planning to up the rent and boot you's out anyway in February.

Until then, BRING THE BIKE INTO YOUR APARTMENT< stop worrying, and when he catches you doing it, simply tell him "fvck off sir".

he will NOT go to the RTB - and if he does, they will laugh him out of the place - also, the process would likely take longer than waiting for February to roll around, and he wont bother.

seriously, just dont worry about it, and store it in the apartment!!!!!

it's the ONLY solution. he will just have to deal with it.

he has absolutely way less rights than you as the tenant, and that's coming from me, a landlord!! you have more rights than he does, and he CAN NOT KICK YOU OUT for this reason _EVEN if it's in the lease!!!!

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DaeryssaOne

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Thanks that's really useful to know. While my own bike was robbed years back now and it's too late to do anything about it, it's good to know that if either of our bikes were taken now we could try to claim off his insurance.

Learning that the most recent theft was such a valuable bike has actually made me feel quite uneasy because our apartments were definitely being watched.

When my own was stolen it was only about two weeks after we had moved in and it was the only one taken out of 10-15 bikes in the basement which made me uncomfortable at the time in case somebody had been watching us, now I know they are definitely targeting the valuable ones.

Guy Sajer

I think nowadays you just have buy cheap bikes until you get a house of your own. I used to carry a €1000 euro bike up to my apartment for years until one day the management company were having a meeting in the landing and told me it's forbidden.
So a good citizen I locked it outside and within a week the crossbar was cut because they couldn't cut the lock off.

It's a pity that if you are renting you have to alter your life because of image worries. Those apartments are now looking aweful with paint hanging off, but at least there are no bicycles blotting the landscape.

groovyg

unfortunately shiny new bikes attract thieves thats one of the main reasons I haven't upgraded my commuting bike.
Also our management company didn't cover robberies or break ins, they had signs up everywhere saying cars parked at the owners risk same with bikes locked in the shed, if they were damaged or stolen the management company (which were primarily made up of the residents and landlords) weren't responsible for any losses.