We live in a small building of 6 apartments, connected to another building which is the same. We keep our ebikes in a bike room on the ground floor of our building, there are a few road bikes in there but no other ebikes. The building next to us has the same setup, however I have not wandered into their bike room to see if they have any ebikes.
Yesterday, a neighbor from the building next door, who is retired and has assumed a slightly (unelected) managerial role in the buildings (organizing the rubbish bins, obsessivly watering the garden, seemingly having keys to everything) asked us not to lock our ebikes. He said the room is locked so the bikes don't need to be. We replied that a conditon of the insurance is that they are locked to something. Thinking he might have a valid concern, we asked what the problem was with them being locked (the locking to the rack does not take up any more space or stop any other bikes being next to them, but maybe we had overlooked something and could perhaps lock them up somewhere else in the room). He said the cleaning company might want to clean under the bikes. We said the bikes combined cost more than some of the cars parked outside and so we would keep them locked. He said they can be locked to themselves but not to the bike rack and that it is not the case that the insurance requires them to be locked. His chummy neighbor (well also our neighbor) said she has had a bike in there for 20 years and not had one problem. When we got back from our evening trip we locked the bikes back to the rack.
My first thought was to show him the insurance document. But now I just think WTF. It's none of his business, it's not even his building. If either of them had a proper concern we would address it, but there is no way we are leaving the bikes unlocked so a cleaning company can come in. Also, I think that is nonsense, until recently there was a bike in there which belonged to someone who died 10 years ago, it did not look like the bike had been moved since then, so I suspect the cleaner cleans around the bikes rather than moves them all (I have never actually seen the cleaner go in there, but it could be while I am out of the building during the day). If they really want to clean the whole floor, then on that day I will put the bikes, locked, somewhere else. The guy drives an Alpha Romeo, I don't go over to it, inspect it, check how it is locked and then go over to him and then instruct him not to lock it so much.
I have a feeling he will bring this up again, so should I show him the documents, politely tell him to mind his own business, or just simply say that they will stay locked. Or am I being unreasonable and should just unlock them - would you leave an ebike unlocked in a room like that?
Yesterday, a neighbor from the building next door, who is retired and has assumed a slightly (unelected) managerial role in the buildings (organizing the rubbish bins, obsessivly watering the garden, seemingly having keys to everything) asked us not to lock our ebikes. He said the room is locked so the bikes don't need to be. We replied that a conditon of the insurance is that they are locked to something. Thinking he might have a valid concern, we asked what the problem was with them being locked (the locking to the rack does not take up any more space or stop any other bikes being next to them, but maybe we had overlooked something and could perhaps lock them up somewhere else in the room). He said the cleaning company might want to clean under the bikes. We said the bikes combined cost more than some of the cars parked outside and so we would keep them locked. He said they can be locked to themselves but not to the bike rack and that it is not the case that the insurance requires them to be locked. His chummy neighbor (well also our neighbor) said she has had a bike in there for 20 years and not had one problem. When we got back from our evening trip we locked the bikes back to the rack.
My first thought was to show him the insurance document. But now I just think WTF. It's none of his business, it's not even his building. If either of them had a proper concern we would address it, but there is no way we are leaving the bikes unlocked so a cleaning company can come in. Also, I think that is nonsense, until recently there was a bike in there which belonged to someone who died 10 years ago, it did not look like the bike had been moved since then, so I suspect the cleaner cleans around the bikes rather than moves them all (I have never actually seen the cleaner go in there, but it could be while I am out of the building during the day). If they really want to clean the whole floor, then on that day I will put the bikes, locked, somewhere else. The guy drives an Alpha Romeo, I don't go over to it, inspect it, check how it is locked and then go over to him and then instruct him not to lock it so much.
I have a feeling he will bring this up again, so should I show him the documents, politely tell him to mind his own business, or just simply say that they will stay locked. Or am I being unreasonable and should just unlock them - would you leave an ebike unlocked in a room like that?
