I'm having issues telling a tenant to remove their bike from the laundry room

[David G.]

Hi all. How do I deal with this tenant? They live on the first floor of a small ten-unit building.  You have to walk up several steps from the ground floor to get there. The laundry room is on ground floor.  The laundry room is small and just has one wash one dryer and the hot water heater. This tenant parks their bicycle in the laundry room near the hot water heater.  It is not to be used for storage.  I am the new manager and the previous manager has allowed her to do this for I believe close to 20 years.

I asked her to remove her bike and that the laundry room is not to be used for storage and gave her some reasons.  When the bike is parked in the laundry room, it sometimes bangs up against the hot water heater and is generally in the way because the laundry room is so small. And told her she must keep her bike either in her unit or somewhere else.

She comes back telling me that she has been doing it for 20 years and she has a herniated disk so she can't carry the bike up the stairs.

I expressed that she still has to move it and it inconveniences the whole complex.  Once again she e-maild me back this... This was her latest response and I haven't responded back.

"Thank you for your email. I am unable to carry a bike due to multiple herniated discs in my back. I have a disability and can't lift. I feel your making a mountain from a molehill"

What should I say at this point? There are a slew of solutions if they are creative as to where to keep their bike and I feel like with them not complying and giving me random reasons, just makes it seem like a bigger deal than it is. I want to be sensitive to their needs but also want to tell them that she was lucky she got 20 years of parking her bike in the laundry room and that now this is being enforced.  It's frustrating because there is entitlement and they are making it seem as if I am targeting their physical problem when simply their solution of parking the bike in that laundry room is unacceptable.

I hope this made sense.  I want to respond something like this:

"I am sympathetic to your needs and this may have been overlooked by past management, but the laundry room is not a place for personal belongings.  Please comply."

But I also want to make sure I hit all the points.  In a previous e-mail I told them they can park their bike in their vehicles parking space or purchase a light weight fold-up bike to carry into their unit.   They can park the bike on the street too. They come back to me ignoring those suggestions.  I don't know if giving them suggestions works because they are hard set on the fact that they have been doing it for 20 years and that I am making a bike deal out of something they have been doing with no problem for so long.

I just want to be firm clear and not take their BS.

Thanks,

David

[James Hamling]

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

Quote from @James Hamling:

And to add on to point, those of us with some grey in the beard know a 20yr tenant is going to fight tooth and nail to stay. That's the tenant who WILL call all the peoples and places, file all the complaints, ring that "disability" bell and in end, what was a little item or argument, turns into every agency up ones arse with a microscope. 

 Curious what you would do, James.....?

 I had posted that above. I'd be VERY careful with the words I use.

I'd say I get that they have been getting by violating the building rules for 20-odd years. This is to empathize BUT also show reinforcement of the line-in-the-sand, holding to the reality and rules of it. 

And I'd say I get there STATED physical issues. Keyword STATED. I would NOT in any way endorse or speak to what tenant is saying of disability or herniated anything unless I have a Dr document explicitly stating this, no-way, those words are radioactive. 

 I would than puck it back to the tenant asking what REASONABLE solution can they help me with, to propose, that BOTH meet's there desire and building rules. You'd be shocked how often this works. You just put it out there of "help me help you. We got these rules, we gotta follow them, help me, what can we do? What ideas do you have that can make this resolved?". 

And once I get done with this issue, yeah, that's when you do annual lease review/renewal and move rents to market or near market and let the nature of it all work itself out. 

Firm but fair and most importantly, playing it smart, not getting wound-up into the drama of it all. 

When a tenant starts the "poor me" show, it's just "uh-huh" ad that's it, water off a ducks back. I've heard it all. Ya grow a thick skin over time, Rhino Skin. 

[Natalie Schanne]

@David G. - I’m not sure if I missed it, but I did not see a confirmation from you that the other tenants have complained. If the other tenants are not complaining, I would wonder if it’s more of an issue in my brain than actuality.

Could anywhere in the laundry room or hall accommodate a wall bike hook for vertical storage? They seem to be about $30. I guess she’d say she can’t lift it onto the hook.

Yes - it’s good policy to not allow any common storage. I was just thinking about if I’m older and it hurts to lift stuff, and I’m using my bike to be mobile, that you’re unreasonably hurting my quality of life for almost no reason. I might use my bike 30x a month and you’re only going to visit 1x a month.

[Bruce Woodruff]

Quote from @Natalie Schanne:

...that you’re unreasonably hurting my quality of life for almost no reason. I might use my bike 30x a month and you’re only going to visit 1x a month.

I think you missed the points made earlier. Cramming one tenants bike in a small laundry room, that interferes with all the other tenants, is neither safe nor legal. And it technically does not matter if the other tenants complain or not.....

[Dave E.]

@David G. provide a bike rack. They are inexpensive and are technically a very small amenity.

I have to ask though, if she has herniated discs that are so bad, how often is she riding the bike? Does it actually get used, or does it just sit there?

[Joehn B.]

Bad discs / "disability" but rides a bike every day?  hum...

Ok, here is am amicable solution.  Is there space behind the building where a lock bar / pole can be setup so she can lock the bike next to a wall or fence?  I'd try setup an alternative for her.  Just saw @Drew Sygit 's recommendation, she can pay for it, or you can do it if it's not much.

https://www.amazon.com/Simple-...

[David G.]

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

Quote from @Natalie Schanne:

...that you’re unreasonably hurting my quality of life for almost no reason. I might use my bike 30x a month and you’re only going to visit 1x a month.

I think you missed the points made earlier. Cramming one tenants bike in a small laundry room, that interferes with all the other tenants, is neither safe nor legal. And it technically does not matter if the other tenants complain or not.....

 yes you are on the money Bruce

[David G.]

Just to update everyone. Her whole disability thing was not an issue here. It was just used to cloud her argument.  She was just overstepping bounds and wanted something conveniently selfish for her. disrespecting others spaces and the property by locking the bike to the hotwater heater in the laundry room.  Honestly, I think she doesn't understand what apartment living is like.  And tries to take advantage. If you give a mouse a cookie...

She moved the bike to her car parking space where it should have been all along. Case closed.  Thanks everyone and I appreciate all the angles but ultimately her throwing out the disability card was utter bs. 

[Ryan Keeslar]

just raise her rent for being difficult