 Hassle from landlord
Just getting some hassle from the landlords (fairly minor, but inconvenient, and may be related to wider issues), and would appreciate some advice:
I live in a block of flats, privately owned by a large company. I have, together with my wife, an annual tenancy agreement. We live on the second (top) floor. Since last September, when we moved in, my wife and I have stored our bicycles on the ground floor communal stairway, tucked out of the way under the stairs. We have done this because a) there is no external facility, secure or otherwise, for the storage of residents bikes, and b) there is not enough room inside our flat for storing two bikes, and c) even if there was, it would be a great inconvenience to have to lug two bikes up and down 3 flights of stairs every time we want to use them.
No-one, neither landlord or other resident, has complained about us storing the bikes under the stairs in the 10 months prior to this.
We have just received a letter from the landlords asking us to remove the bikes. They claim they are an obstruction, and in breach of Health and Safety regulations "which require the stairwells to be free of obstructions in the event of an emergency".
Now, there is no way the bikes are causing an obstruction to the normal use of the stairwell, either to us or any of the other residents. Absolutely no way at all: they do not block, or protrude, or otherwise impede the safe or normal passage of anyone, not even people with pushchairs. They are completely tucked away.
They are, however, in the way of two fire extinguishers also stored under the stairs, and although the landlords letter is badly worded, I believe this may possibly be what they are referring to, although they haven't actually mentioned the fire extinguishers at all. I can accept that the bikes may conceivably block access to the fire extinguishers (for all of the 2 seconds it would take in an emergency to simply move the bikes!), but, given the great inconvenience to ourselves to remove the bikes (and thus forcing us to get rid of them), surely it makes greater sense to simply move the fire extinguishers to another wall? Indeed, it is only on this floor that the fire extinguishers are stored under the stairs: on every other floor, they are stored in a corner opposite the stairs. There is ample space for them to be stored in the same place on the ground floor too.
So, where do I stand on this? Can I reasonably argue with my landlords over keeping our bikes where they are? Can I demand a secure facility to be provided as an alternative? Can I demand the fire extinguishers are moved?
I don't see why I should be forced to dispose of my own possessions, particularly as no restrictions as to what I can and can't own are mentioned in the tenancy agreement!
I mentioned at the beginning of this post, that it may be related to wider issues: we have had an issue with a private parking company employed by (and possibly in cahoots with) the landlords targeting the residents. Thanks to the info on this site, the residents have started fighting back, and refusing to pay PCN's for several months now. As we are not the only residents with bikes who have received this letter, we feel that, petty as it is, it may well be the landlords "revenge" over our rebellion against the PCNs.
Any and all advice gratefully received; many thanks. | 
they couldn't complain, as I'd actually be making them more accessible than there were bore.
