Landlords and insurers clamping down on e-bikes in tenancy agreements

[mark sutton]

A real rainy Friday afternoon downer here, I apologise. It's been on my radar for some time that major business groups were steadily halting employee e-bikes being on site (Canary Wharf, More London Group etc.) Now I've seen evidence that some landlords and their insurers have already enacted clauses in tenancy agreements banning e-bikes from rented housing. It's my understanding that major insurers have new policy wording in the works, if not already deployed.

I'm working on this as a developing story, so would really very much appreciate the insight of anyone on here with knowledge/experience. Needless to say, this is the last thing any of us want.

https://www.cyclingelectric.com/in-depth/landlords-move-to-halt-e-bikes-kept-in-rentals-citing-misunderstood-fire-risks

 

[soundwave]

global warming better hurry up or my fkn house is going to fall apart

 

[saneagle]

A real rainy Friday afternoon downer here, I apologise. It's been on my radar for some time that major business groups were steadily halting employee e-bikes being on site (Canary Wharf, More London Group etc.) Now I've seen evidence that some landlords and their insurers have already enacted clauses in tenancy agreements banning e-bikes from rented housing. It's my understanding that major insurers have new policy wording in the works, if not already deployed.

I'm working on this as a developing story, so would really very much appreciate the insight of anyone on here with knowledge/experience. Needless to say, this is the last thing any of us want.

https://www.cyclingelectric.com/in-depth/landlords-move-to-halt-e-bikes-kept-in-rentals-citing-misunderstood-fire-risks

I'm a landlord, and I have mixed feelings on it. Like pets, even when you write it in the contract, you have almost zero control over it after the tenants move in. What I can see is the insurance companies using it as a get out clause when the house burns down, leaving the landlord to sue the tenant for the £200k loss, which they would never pay.

How far do you go? Why not hoverboards, scooters and power tools?

 

[Deleted member 16246]

How far do you go? Why not hoverboards, scooters and power tools?

Low level lamps with incandescent bulbs are dangerous and should be banned by insurers and landlords.

I have personally witnessed two fires caused by stuff falling onto lamps of about 100 watt power levels. One was caught early and dealt with. One of my kids forty years ago chucked a soft toy made of some sort of nylon onto a table lamp. The other was caused at work when a black out curtain was dragged over a bulb on a wall light and set the place on fire. We put it out, but had it not been seen it could have burned the whole place down.

Picking on electric bikes because a tiny minority of them have gone on fire, usually because stupid people acted as they do - stupidly ,should not happen.

What Landlords and Insurers should do is put a ban on stupid people. That would sort things perfectly.

 

[saneagle]

What Landlords and Insurers should do is put a ban on stupid people. That would sort things perfectly.

Actually, that's what we try to do. There is a selection process, and some say there are unofficial lists.

 

[portals]

I've been a landlord and owned a property management company for 20+ yrs and own flats that are rented out, I have not come across this new clause as the lease template I use probably needs updating. I will look in to it but residents often lock bikes up in the close so if it caught fire who is liable....?

 

[Deleted member 16246]

I've been a landlord and owned a property management company for 20+ yrs and own flats that are rented out, I have not come across this new clause as the lease template I use probably needs updating. I will look in to it but residents often lock bikes up in the close so if it caught fire who is liable....?

They are - obviously. You can't be liable for what you did not do, unless you were negligent in some way. You very much can be liable for what you have done, or caused to be done, or knew was being done, when you had control over what others were doing.

People being liable does not mean that you will get any money out of them though. If they are straw men - you've had it.

 

[cyclebuddy]

I've just read through a new Tenancy from last year, and there's nothing mentioned there save for a condition to abide by any restrictions in the insurance. I've a new Tenancy going through at the moment, so I'll take a read through that when it comes through. These things do constantly update I find.

 

[lenny]

The Scale of Economic Inequality in the UK - Equality Trust

The UK has very high inequality of income compared to other developed countries. The UK's wealth inequality is much more severe than income inequality.

equalitytrust.org.uk

 

[lenny]

Help! My landlord says I can't store an e-bike | ETA

With an estimated two million e-bikes in the UK, and sales on the up, battery fires are on the increase. However, they currently occur at a rate...

www.eta.co.uk

Unfair contract terms: CMA37

Guidance to help businesses make sure their contract terms and notices are fair and clear to consumers.

www.gov.uk

 

[Saracen]

Good

More irresponsible lodgers charing crap cheap bikes causing fires

 

[Ajax]

I

A real rainy Friday afternoon downer here, I apologise. It's been on my radar for some time that major business groups were steadily halting employee e-bikes being on site (Canary Wharf, More London Group etc.) Now I've seen evidence that some landlords and their insurers have already enacted clauses in tenancy agreements banning e-bikes from rented housing. It's my understanding that major insurers have new policy wording in the works, if not already deployed.

I'm working on this as a developing story, so would really very much appreciate the insight of anyone on here with knowledge/experience. Needless to say, this is the last thing any of us want.

https://www.cyclingelectric.com/in-depth/landlords-move-to-halt-e-bikes-kept-in-rentals-citing-misunderstood-fire-risks

I have had an electric bike since 2007, and brought it to this flat when i moved in 2008. Since then I've had 2 electric bikes.

A couple of months ago the company managing the building issued an edict banning door mats, furnishing in the communal spaces, and e-bikes from the communal spaces reserved for bicycles, with the words 'zero tolerance'.

They have not gone as far as to ban e-bikes from the building. This means I should take my bike and its battery, up and down 5 flights of stairs to continue using it. IMHO this is daft. The bike, which is never left out with its battery, is inert. This makes it no different from a regular bike. These panicked reactions remind me of the stories about mobile phones and laptops catching fire, back when those stories were trending. These days no one thinks twice about having their mobiles or laptops in the same room.

There needs to be informed stories. These articles should make clear the issue is with those aftermarket products, DIY batteries with ill-matched 3rd party chargers. In time, It should be possible to supply a certificate to say the battery and its charger are matched items from a reputable source.

Like EVs, E-bikes are very much the future, and it's time the wider public recognized this. This includes landlords and building managers.