[Closed] Tenement Communal Areas - Leaving Shoes Outside Flat Door

Have you tried talking to them, I know its a novel idea.

If that doesn't work its definitely 999 and fire and police.

Wee in them

Well I didn't want to go into the details but the bloke from next door had a real go at the woman that I share with and left her almost in tears. An aggressive type one might say, so I do not wish to 'talk' as I feel things may quickly escalate.

Or (unless they stink) worry about more important things in life

Steal one of each. Deny everything.

If so should I report it to the police or fire brigade?

[img] [/img]

Or replace each left shoe with an identical one, two sizes too small. Change the labels.

Yup call your local Fire station* shoes in communal area are well known for being worst things for burning.

Do you have fire detection in the communal area?
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* the laughter you hear will have nothing to do with your call, they are just happy at work.

Am I correct in thinking that this is in fact against the law since the communal area is a fire escape route and should not have anything placed in it that may burn/ cause a trip hazard

Are the shoes actually causing a problem or is this just a petty annoyance that's eating away at you? Are you sitting in your flat stewing with anger at the thought of those shoes sitting in the close, mocking you relentlessly?

Houns if they hadn't been such arses about it I would not be pursuing this line of action. No one wants to walk out of their front door to 4 pairs of shoes directly in their line of step. If it had been only one pair I wouldn't have minded. Plus the neighbour's very aggressive response has me intent on showing him the difference between right and wrong.

Set them on fire, then call the fire brigade 8)

Or every time you exit your flat, hoof them all down the stairs.

[quote=andykirk ] Plus the neighbour's very aggressive response has me intent on showing him the difference between right and wrong.

So you are sure you are right and they are wrong.

[i]Accidentally[/i] spill something on top of them. Imagine you skimped on the posh brand of bin bags one week when you had a week old, rotten greasy remains of a roast chicken dripping out. That would be awful.

Dig a Punji trap on their step

I can't believe nobody has suggested weeing in them yet

Just move them out of the way of your door so they aren't a trip hazard. then when you see your neighbour let him know you'll keep moving them out of the way of your door so you don't trip.
then move on.
though if there is a fair at least you won't have to worry about finding a pair of shoes in the dark as you'll know where they'll be 😆

Throw them down the stair well.

I'm going to need to see a photo of the area/shoes.

Friends we've visited in flats seem to do the same.

Bruneep - no I am not 100% sure that's why I am asking on here.....

[quote=scaled ]I can't believe nobody has suggested weeing in them yet

third post.

Mikewsmith - not sure I understand, I am not sharing?

Oh here we go, another "You're so highly strung and we'd all be relaxed about neighbours doing ANYTHING they want" thread! 😆 Brilliant. Drugs, cars, kids, shit, now shoes the STW massive are the most tolerant neighbours in the world!
Hilarious.
mikeysmith's post particularly uncalled for.

Pictures please. ASAP. Tasselled loafers, rigger boots, kitten heels?

Drugs, cars, kids, shit, now shoes

Good night out in Burnley, that.

I am actually finding this all quite amusing as I am the most laid back person to walk the planet. Our neighbour's super aggressive response to a polite note has me far more irked than the shoes.

In all my 25yrs in FS I've never had to enforce shoes outside a property as fire hazard.

The chap who was storing 50ltrs of petrol on his landing was a different matter

Fire detection/emergency lighting in the communal area will give you sufficient time to exit the building should you need to without the shoes causing you any difficulties.

Or every time you exit your flat, hoof them all down the stairs.

If they're genuinely a trip hazard (which seems unlikely if you know they're there) then it seems plausible that you might accidentally "trip" over them. Repeatedly.

LOL at martinhutch first post.....quality! 😀

cause a trip hazard?

Do your neighbours look like this?

[img] [/img]

aggressive response to a polite note

I guess that might be part of the problem. A good way to wind anyone up is with a "polite note" through a door.

I'd just kick them every time I walked out the door.

Sling a lighted match in the shoes, then see if they're a fire hazard.

[i]A good way to wind anyone up is with a "polite note" through a door.[/i]

Yeah, I always found
"Dear cock,
Move your ****ing shoes or die
love,
Neighbour"
works best

[img] [/img]

Slug/toe interface is always a pleasureable sensation.

Slug/toe interface is always a pleasureable sensation.

[quote=martinhutch ]
Slug/toe interface is always a pleasureable sensation.

weirdo 😯

With hindsight having a chat rather than putting a note through the door would have been far better. OK so the bloke in the next flat collared the lady I share with on the top floor outside our flat. He then shouted at her and followed her all the way down the stairs (3 floors), with arms raised I may add, followed her out into the street still having a go, and then when a car appeared to collect my flatmate he suddenly disappeared back inside. If it was up to me I would happily deal with it in 'other ways' but it is not worth going down that route.

If he's being an ar5e about it and you're willing to escalate, then crack on

- remove laces
- remove insoles
- remove one shoe
- remove the whole pair
- remove and replace with comedy replacement - pink fluffy slippers

put them on freecycle. Either give your buzzer as contact if you want them gone or his buzzer if you just want to annoy him. Keep listing them until he gets the message.

remove and replace with comedy replacement - pink fluffy slippers

This !
Do this!

[i] If it was up to me I would happily deal with it in 'other ways' [/i]

Tell him to move em or you'll get mikewsmith round.

Its threads like these that make me soooo grateful I live in a detached house!

Honestly, in the list of bad neighbour problems, shoes outside the door shouldn't even feature on the list. Off the top of my head I've had

A rapist downstairs
The guy who played 30 seconds of a Beyonce tune at full blast 10 times a day
The old alcoholic that screamed non stop homophobic abuse and threatened to stab me
The young team that would chap my door early on weekend mornings to beg for booze as the off licence wasn't open yet
The guy who I'm fairly certain removed all insulation and plasterboard from his side of the wall just so he could listen to me shagging
The hot girl who used to open her front door and hoover her hall in her lingerie (that wasn't all bad though she was mental)
The weed factory
The drugs emporium

If shoes are all you have to worry about then you're lucky

I think mikewsmith would only scare the vocabulary police.

Oh no they have deleted his post! Sorry Mike.

With hindsight having a chat rather than putting a note through the door would have been far better. OK so the bloke in the next flat collared the lady I share with on the top floor outside our flat. He then shouted at her and followed her all the way down the stairs (3 floors), with arms raised I may add, followed her out into the street still having a go, and then when a car appeared to collect my flatmate he suddenly disappeared back inside. If it was up to me I would happily deal with it in 'other ways' but it is not worth going down that route.

Mental illness? Tread carefully.

Oh how I enjoyed living between two challenging neighbours in my Edinburgh tenement days.

Erm.... this is all well and good fun and everything... but does anybody actually know the answer to my query?

I really like the slug idea - i mean, how did that slug get all the way up there? It's not impossible, but certainly improbable - especially as he's brought half a mouldy cabbage with him 😕

ASBO

The guy who I'm fairly certain removed all insulation and plasterboard from his side of the wall just so he could listen to me shagging

How did you find out? Did you spot it through the spyhole?

Erm.... this is all well and good fun and everything... but does anybody actually know the answer to my query?

Where's the enjoyment in that?

[i]Drugs, cars, kids, shit, now shoes[/i]

Dammit Bob, can't believe I missed Beyonce and sound voyeurism! 😆

How did you find out? Did you spot [b]me [/b]through the spyhole?

FTFY (you dirty perve).

How did you find out? Did you spot it through the spyhole?

As long as it wasnt a larger hole used to stick something through! 😉

Granny knot shoes to their door handle?
Hoof shoes downstairs as you leave?
Leave a rubbish bag in the communal area?
Uncooked stuffing mix placed inside shoe(s)?
😆

Erm.... this is all well and good fun and everything... but does anybody actually know the answer to my query?

As in:

Am I correct in thinking that this is in fact against the law

Almost certainly not....

But if you think it is, you should call the Police asap.

Get a cat.
Train it to poo in shoes (often they don't need any training).
Hide your own shoes.
Sorted.

Erm.... this is all well and good fun and everything... but does anybody actually know the answer to my query?

Are you new here?

Start leaving ever-more-ridiculous shoes of your own blocking the entire hallway. Finish off with one of those fibreglass ones with a slide you used to see at theme pubs.

🙂 🙂 🙂

Chip in together for a shoe rack?

tie the laces together and lob them over the nearest telephone wire?

I'd probably end up just kicking them about the top floor, tah or leave the close door open with a note and arrow upstairs saying 'free shoes'

[quote=martinhutch ]The guy who I'm fairly certain removed all insulation and plasterboard from his side of the wall just so he could listen to me shagging

How did you find out? Did you spot it through the spyhole?

His living room was next to my bedroom. Old tenement flat so the walls were very thick, yet for some reason you could hear what each side was doing with frightening clarity. As though they were actually in the room with you. I hadn't done anything on my side so I can only guess that he had stripped layers away. He was very odd. Truck driver. Fitted every stereotype.

He was very odd. Truck driver. Fitted every stereotype.

Did you pull out without indicating? That will have riled him.

Sikaflex them to the ceiling..

or nail them to the floor!

andykirk's next door neighbour...

[img] [/img]

In answer to the OP's original question, no it's not illegal to leave shoes in the hallway. Communal escape routes should be clear of obstructions. The main issues are usually bikes locked in hallways or buggies/pushchairs.
The landlord/freeholder should have regular fire risk assessments depending on the deemed risk of the building. The risk assessment will record any issues and it will be passed back to the landlord to act accordingly.
Usually, the assessment picks up missing signs, defective fire doors etc and it's a simple case of a maintenance/repair job to bring the block up to standard.
In your case, I'd contact your managing agent or landlord and put the question to them. The best you can hope for is a letter from the landlord to your neighbours but it depends on whether a fire risk assessment deems the shoes an "obstruction".

Are they Japanese?

andykirk's next door neighbour...

Proper LOL 😀

LOL@

Finish off with one of those fibreglass ones with a slide
you used to see at theme pubs.

good work all, proper good laugh. We're still awaiting picture of shoes!

Thank you dknwhy. Yes well done all, 64 posts to get an answer is pretty good going.

I'd opt for one of the following. High strength adhesive to bond the shoes too the floor or maybe his door. Cat or dog poo (your preference) in the shoes. Start using them to keep old, unwashed socks in. Plant watercress in them. If they're decent shoes simply borrow them for doing anything that will involve them being ruined. Communal area, so must be communal shoes!

I bet all his pairs of shoes look like this.. [IMG] [/IMG]

Has no one seen "The One's Below" leaving shoes in front of the door can all very quickly escalate!

Slug/toe interface is always a pleasureable sensation.

Invest some time fraying the laces to the point they will snap.

Place a little stone under the insole.

It's funny how minor that seems when you're not there, and in the grand scheme of things it really is, but its things like these that drive you crazy!

Get a cat.
Train it to poo in shoes

Close encounters of the Turd kind?

The hot girl who used to open her front door and hoover her hall in her lingerie

Best euphemism ever.

[quote=andykirk ]Thank you dknwhy. Yes well done all, 64 posts to get an answer is pretty good going.

<reports dknwhy>

Itching powder.

Or just keep pulling the laces through so one side is longer, or adding knots so it's difficult to tie the shoes 🙂

is he waiting for you to clean and polish them? do a good job might get a tip

Take them (presume you see them before he gets up?) and put them into a charity box. Deny all knowledge if he confronts you about it. Continue to do this until either 1. he stops 2. runs out of shoes.

Either way it will stop. Problem solved.

Alternatively, ring on door, and tell him that's what you'll do...