Disputes in condominiums – communicate these 5 things and avoid conflict seasons
The most common disputes in condominiums during the summer can be avoided by ensuring that residents are informed about communal rules and practices. Can smoking be allowed on the balcony? What about grilling? Proactive communication ensures neighborly harmony and prevents unnecessary grill-related disputes from overshadowing the summer.
Isännöintiliitto says that approximately 2.7 million Finns live in condominiums, meaning that nearly half of Finns may experience strained neighborly relations as summer approaches. Many condominiums stumble because rules and guidelines are considered self-evident to residents. Hence, residents may not be reminded of many basic issues, even though they should be communicated unequivocally.
Avoid unnecessary tension and disputes in the condominium by giving clear guidance with the five burning topics of summer
1. Balcony smoking
During the summer, many residents keep windows open, allowing smoke from a neighbor’s balcony to drift indoors, causing an unwelcome surprise. If balcony smoking is prohibited in the condominium, residents should be reminded of this regularly to ensure it doesn’t slip from memory. Even if there’s no official ban on balcony smoking, residents should be encouraged to smoke in the designated smoking area – whose location is also worth reminding.
2. Balcony grilling
Grilling on balconies isn’t prohibited by law, so residents fire up their grills on balconies unless expressly prohibited in the condominium’s regulations.
To ensure grilling doesn’t pose a danger to neighbors, it’s important to communicate clear safety guidelines to residents. Only electric or gas grills should be used on balconies, never disposable grills, as they’re akin to open flames. There shouldn’t be any flammable materials around the grill, and the grill should be supervised until it has cooled down.
3. Use of common grills
If the condominium has a communal grill, rules for its use should be established. This ensures that all interested parties have the opportunity to grill, and grilling doesn’t become a source of contention but rather residents understand their responsibilities for using and maintaining the grill.
Managing grill use through a reservation calendar allows residents to book it in advance, for example, for grill parties, without leaving grill usage to chance.
4. Borrowing common items
A maximum borrowing period should be set for shared items, otherwise, they easily slip residents’ minds and may disappear permanently.
It may also be necessary to define borrowing frequency so that everyone has an equal opportunity to use shared items such as outdoor games, tools, or trailers. With a digital booking calendar in place, a resident can check from the comfort of their couch whether the condominium’s Mölkky game is available for a match.
5. Storage of items in the stairwell
During the summer, stairwells easily accumulate items that don’t belong there, which not only irritate neighbors but also increase fire hazards and thus pose an elevated fire safety risk.
Stairwells shouldn’t be cluttered with scooters, bicycles, and other obstacles to passage when residents are instructed to store them in the bicycle storage room or their own apartments.
This article is an ai-generated translation of the original article in Finnish.
