Jimmy Thomson August 18, 2012
Hanging washing on your balcony is a contentious issue.
The ongoing saga of laundry being visible on apartment balconies.
When it comes to drying laundry on balconies, the issues are black and whitest white; you either like it or loathe it. But nothing is that simple and two readers have offered new and different perspectives … literally.
“I live in a complex which has a number of buildings around a central courtyard. My unit is on the fourth floor with a balcony facing into the courtyard.
“I recently got a breach of by-law notice for having a laundry rack on the balcony that was visible from “outside the building.”
“The only way the rack would be seen is from a few lots above my floor, none of which are within 20m of direct line of sight. No way can it be seen from ground level.” - TX123, via Flat Chat Forum.
And then there was this from another reader whose by-laws also say no laundry can be visible from outside the building.
“I received a Notice To Comply from my EC because I was hanging my washing on a clothes horse… inside my unit. This seems a little heavy handed doesn’t it? - Lucia, via Forum
TX123 would be within his rights to tell his EC that his laundry can only be seen from part of the building, therefore it isn’t being seen from outside, therefore no breach.
Suddenly, I can see a CTTT mediation that turns into the JFK movie’s ‘magic bullet’ scene, complete with Powerpoint presentations and animations.
For Lucia, I’d suggest she asks for the name of the person who spotted her laundry in her home as she wants to report a Peeping Tom to police. Expect a stunned silence to both responses.
By the way, I’m one of those crazies who think we should cut out the middle man when it comes to natural energy and just dry our clothes in the sun and wind. However, we should remember laundry does offend some people – don’t leave it out any longer than you have to.
You can comment below. You can also read both sagas in full – and more – in the new “Dirty Linen” topic on the Flat Chat Forum here.