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[david2708]

We live an a U shaped block of 12 units with a central courtyard and carpark facing the units.

Some tenants have taken to hanging their washing over balcony railings and on those mini clothes hoists outside their units.

The Section 2 By-law 10 talks that ‘as to be visible from outside the building’.

What does this mean?

As in from the street?

We all face one another’s lot and don’t really want to see people’s laundry hanging everywhere other than the lines provided.

People won’t see it from the street but the residents in the units do?

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[Lady Penelope]

In my opinion a mini clothes line would be OK for drying clothes if it is the height of the balcony railing or less, but hanging items over a balcony railing would not be OK.

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[Sir Humphrey]

I am rather fond of the relaxed, not-excessively-neat look created by having ad-hoc washing visible. Occasional airing of a doona over a balcony rail would not bother me at all, but routine draping of washing might be rather better dried and neater if on a clothes rack or line within the area of the balcony. Certainly I think a clothes horse drying rack on a balcony is inoffensive. If the outlook on that side of the units is to just to a mostly utilitarian area of carports, then I would be even less bothered by the sight of some washing. 

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[david2708]

Aesthetics aside, I am more interested in the by-law interpretation. It is a case they must not be visible from the street outside only or within the courtyard/carpark of the building as well.

I have found once you give an inch, people take a mile.Total ban is my thinking.

If you have a building that looks like the dregs, then that is the people you attract to it.

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[Lady Penelope]

David2708 – My experience as a Qlder has been that the interpretation by Adjudicators of this type of by-law is not as strict as you are suggesting. Draping of laundry over a balcony railing would not be permitted but small discreet clothes lines are OK. After all, no one wants to hang their ‘intimate apparel’ on a public clothes line …. do they?

Some people don’t own or don’t want a clothes dryer, and some types of clothing materials are wrecked by being placed in a clothes dryer.

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[Jimmy-T]

@david2708 said:
If you have a building that looks like the dregs, then that is the people you attract to it.  

And if you have a building that looks like an institution …?

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[Lady Penelope]

This Model By-law seems to be the new accepted and more lenient ‘wisdom’ of the framers of the SSMA 2015 regarding washing on balconies. There is now no mention of it being not visible from ‘the street’ or from  ‘outside the building’.

I would assume that any legal interpretation of a slightly ambiguous ‘old’ by-law regarding ‘washing that is visible from outside the building’ would probably show an element of leniency too.

By-laws tend to be all about ‘reasonableness’ these days rather than outright banning of activities.

14   Hanging out of washing

(1)  An owner or occupier of a lot may hang any washing on any lines provided by the owners corporation for that purpose. The washing may only be hung for a reasonable period.

(2)  An owner or occupier of a lot may hang washing on any part of the lot other than over the balcony railings. The washing may only be hung for a reasonable period.

(3)  In this by-law:

washing includes any clothing, towel, bedding or other article of a similar type.

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[david2708]

I would argue they are hanging washing on common property. Lower units are aligned along a raised level leading to the stairwell to the upper level. To me it is just unsightly for residents to have bras, knickers, and undies hanging on clothes horses outside people’s front doors.

I live in a block that has gone from 90% owner occupied to now about 30%. Unfortunately a lot of tenants just don’t care. If a place looks shabby, it attracts like.

Too many times I have had to tell people that you can’t just dump/store their personal belongings on common property .i.e a painter had no qualms just storing his painting equipment under the common property stairwell!

I see too much of this happening all the time. Hence, why I am angling to just try and bar hanging out your laundry over railings, outside your front door etc. and use the lines provided around the back.

When you live in a heavily tenanted building, I have found you really need to seem a bit overly harsh. Otherwise, the place can go to rack and ruin.

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[Pamster]

David2708, I agree, I know it sounds harsh and snobbish, but the look of clothes hanging all over balconies is a bad look. So long as the washing cannot be seen and whatever drying rack is being used is below the height of the balcony I don’t see a problem, however there are many smart apartment   blocks being built with glass balconies that are spoilt once most of the occupants being owners or tenants start to hang their washing on the balconies.

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[Kenuppa]

David2708,

 

Our By Law states:

 

The owner and the occupier of a lot must not, without the Body Corporate’s written

approval:-

8.2.1 hang washing, bedding, or another cloth article if the article is visible from another

lot or the Common Property, or from outside the scheme land;

 

Quite simple to understand.

I have removed numerous items of laundry which have been dislodged by the wind from drying racks and landed on the Common Property.  One item was a G-string with which I was able to emulate a slingshot and fire back up onto the offending owners’ balcony.

For those unable to understand this simple By Law, I have a proposed method of explanation to those who persist in hanging washing in conflict with the By Law:

Using a Paintball Gun loaded with bright red, blue or yellow paint balls, walk around your building and from the Common Property land a paintball on the offending laundry.

 

Simple really.

 

Regards,

 Ken

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[Lady Penelope]

Kenuppa – Your by-laws are stricter than David’s by-laws. Your by-laws include items being visible from ‘another lot’ AND and from ‘outside the building’. David’s only include the ‘outside the building’ portion. 

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[david2708]

The Qld law seems more restrictive than the NSW one. That said, my issue is not people hanging washing on their own balconies. Essentially our ground floor units are on a raised platform leading to the  open stairwells to the first floor. There are no private balconies, but just raised common paths and stairwells.

If affect, people leaving clothes horses outside their front door on the walkways of both levels. To me that is storing personal items on common property. No, they are not impeding people,but do people really want to have to walk by people’s knickers, bras and panties every day?

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[Lady Penelope]

Hanging of clothing on common property other than within the designated common property drying area would be a breach of your by-laws – I would think!

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[Author]

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