Management company removing bikes

[presterjohn]

Hello all,

 

I have looked but could not see the most appropriate forum for this post, I apologise if it is in the wrong place.

 

I live in a block of flats hat is run by a management company to which I pay a yearly service charge. The flats have underground parking with areas for securing your bicycle. I keep three bicycles in there, all on the same bike stand secured with the same lock, no issues with blocking anyone else or kept in the wrong place etc.

 

The management company decided to clear out all old and unused bicycles and posted a letter to each flat saying that they would remove these in a months time if they were not tagged, no notices were put up in any of the communal areas or in the car park.

 

I did not recieve the letter and was unaawre that this was to occur. The management company on the day in question ordered another firm to remove all these bicycles mine included and told them to cut through my lock to get the bikes. These are three newish bikes and well maintained and could never have been mistaken for old or unused property. I have now contacted this removal company who are due to bring my bikes back but they say that they have two of the bikes but cannot find the third anywhere and are denying they ever took it. The cost of the missing bike is about 700 pounds. The management are now not responding to any of my calls or emails about the matter.

 

Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

Presterjohn

[The GodMother]

Maybe you should send a formal letter of complaint by recorded delivery demanding answers and what they are going to do about it.

 

Are you the only one that did not get a letter informing you.

[maroondevo52]

Thread moved.

[Steve__M]

Sounds like wrongful interference to me. It might be preferable if you proved that the bike existed though. You would be entitled to the market value of the bike if they can't find it, not the replacement value.

 

Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 (c.32) - Statute Law Database

 

"Didn't realise, only doing what we were told" is not a defence.

[MrShed]

Agree with Steve 100%.

[NewSAHD]

It has been a few years since I had to remove bikes from blocks, but whenever it was done it was pretty heavily documented.

 

Notices everywhere, to leaseholders and tenants, photographs of any "offending" bikes, both before removal and after - and any bikes were then stored in a pre-arranged place, off-site, which had been communicated to all, with bikes being booked in and signed for... all done so that there was no doubt as to what occurred and when, to avoid issues such as this.

 

If this was the first time that any "bike problem" was raised (which seems a little unlikely, but could, perhaps, be an overly keen, inexperienced property manager pursuing this) then one month's notice to remove the bikes seems a very shoddy way to deal with this too.

 

As has been said it would be "preferable if you proved that the bike existed though."

Has the same happened to any of your neighbours? Did any of your neighbours regularly see the three bike locked up there too?