I hate apartments.


 
T

TGodsil

TVWBB Member
When I moved here I bought a grill.

I asked and was told I could have one, as long as I use it 10 feet away from the building, as per fire code.

Well now they said it can no longer be stored on my CEMENT PATIO.

They said it would need to be stored in my garage (500 feet away) or in my closet on the patio.

I told them that storing a gas cylinder inside makes less sense than storing it outside, and they wanted to argue over it.

I swear some people wake up with the thought of "how can I make that person's life less enjoyable".
 
Unfortunately..... in a lot of cases, there are significant reasons those rules are put in place.

When I was living outside of Chicago, I had an extraordinarily good relationship with complex management, and got a tiny little view of what they were faced with. The mentality of a lot of tenants is nearly unfathomable, far too much of "I don't own it, not my responsibility or problem." A few problem folks caused trouble for everybody in quite a few different aspects.
 
Back in the day I used to fire up my Old Smokey BBQ on my apartment patio. Flames shooting out of a chimney on my 6'x8' patio. Smoke billowing up to my upstairs neighbors patio. Bad things never happened but surely could have. I have been an insurance agent for 15 years and I understand why apartment complex's have this rule in place. Too much liability exposure.
 
Lots of apartments won't even allow gas or coal burners. That is where the Q140/2400 come in. However, they take forever to heat up and are just not as good for grilling as a gas Q.
 
yah, that's a bummer...is that why you didn't pick up that silver c and Genny 3000 that you mentioned in another thread?
 
I used to fire up my Smokey Joe on my apartment balcony too, with lighter fluid. Nothing bad happened but something could have happened. With hundreds of families living in one building, someone is bound to f-ck it up at some point. I imagine insurance premium must be quite a bit higher for an apartment complex with no limit on outdoor cooking.

Apartment living is far from ideal for grilling enthusiasts, but if apartment is all you can afford or you choose to live in one, you just have to deal with it. I love grilling and smoking, but the safety of other tenants should come first. I live in a townhouse complex that bans charcoal and I'm glad it's banned. Connecticut state fire code prohibits even electric grills on deck or under any overhang in apartments. The law was enacted because a grill fire a few years back killed a bunch of people.
 
Last edited:
Sam Bee said:
yah, that's a bummer...is that why you didn't pick up that silver c and Genny 3000 that you mentioned in another thread?
Click to expand...

No, they wouldn't fit in the back of my SUV.

Again, the apartment has no issue with me USING it on the patio, which is solid concrete floor, and metal roof. Even the patio above mine (two story complex) has a cement roof.
They just don't want me STORING it on there.

Which is completely stupid. It won't fit into the outdoor closet. I'm not going to wheel it or a cooler of meat 500 feet away to my garage.

BTW..I talked to the FD...they said I'm not supposed to store grills in a garage, so they obviously don't know the code and wanted me to break it.

I hate people who run apartments and HOA's, they get a little power and they get drunk on it, their ego inflates and they power trip.
 
Probably so, but then he has no where to store the grill if they won't let him keep it on the porch and the FD won't let him keep it in the garage.
 
Bruce said:
Probably so, but then he has no where to store the grill if they won't let him keep it on the porch and the FD won't let him keep it in the garage.
Click to expand...

I looked around at the 200 unit apartment complex today and noticed not a single person has moved their grill, despite the management telling me "they texted other grill owners too".

Now I feel like I'm being targeted. They give me crap if I leave my garage door open longer than 10 minutes, but see people leave them open for days at a time.

I swear..some people wake up thinking "how can I take enjoyment out of their life today".

I can't wait to get my own house. When I do.. I'm going to mail them a photo of a perfectly cooked steak on my grill every day for a month just to tick them off, lol.
 
Last edited:
I tell my Wife all the time there is no way I could live in a Townhouse or a Condo...just too many rules to comply with..not to mention the neighbors waaay too close for comfort.

Heck, I won't even consider on a Cul-de-sac as one bad neighbor can ruin the neighborhood.
There are times I like to crank up my Klipschorn speakers so I cannot have neighbors anywhere near me.

Jeff
 
Yah, just think how ****ed off a neighbor might be with you grinding out grills and painting them in the driveway/parking lot of your condo.
 
Bruce said:
Yah, just think how ****ed off a neighbor might be with you grinding out grills and painting them in the driveway/parking lot of your condo.
Click to expand...

Positively apoplectic.

I had a bit of a go-round with the condo association president (quarter mile down the street,) when he was taping notices on everybody's house (potential rail engine maintenance that he did not like.) Told him to get his trash off my house and never come back.
 
I always laughed at apartment complexes who'd allow you to have an open fire in the fireplace but not in a grill outside.
 
Update:

So I read the lease and it only states grills cannot be USED on my cement patio, nothing about the storage of one.
The other day, the leasing office emailed me and stated the grill must be stored in my garage or closet.
I called the local fire department, and they told me:
"Where the grill is at on the patio is FINE, do NOT store it in an enclosed area like a garage".
I emailed the leasing office back with this and their reply?
"You have until Monday to move it or we will take it".
Seriously...what the hell? They just can't take something that doesn't belong to them.
I talked to other residents who told me "we have had grills on our patio YEARS, they just NOW have an issue with it.
I also drove around and noticed almost EVERY apartment complex is dotted with grills on the patio.
So obviously the fire department is OK with the use of them.
IDK why they suddenly got a wild hair up their butt.

I am seriously stressed out about this, I paid a lot of hard-earned money upgrading my Weber, and cooking outside leaves the mess off my kitchen.
 
If I were in your shoes I'd stop stressing and comply by storing it in the garage and wheeling it to the patio during use. By trying to win the battle you could lose the war and be banned from using a grill. Arguing over a single unintended word in a contract may lead to your being forced to adhere to the letter of the contract.
 
BFletcher said:
If I were in your shoes I'd stop stressing and comply by storing it in the garage and wheeling it to the patio during use. By trying to win the battle you could lose the war and be banned from using a grill. Arguing over a single unintended word in a contract may lead to your being forced to adhere to the letter of the contract.
Click to expand...

Too much work. The garages here are side by side and in rows far away from the apartments, about 600 feet.
My Weber has small office chair style casters and moving it along the sidewalk makes a ton of noise, and a lot of the sidewalk is uneven.
 
BFletcher said:
If I were in your shoes I'd stop stressing and comply by storing it in the garage and wheeling it to the patio during use. By trying to win the battle you could lose the war and be banned from using a grill. Arguing over a single unintended word in a contract may lead to your being forced to adhere to the letter of the contract.
Click to expand...

There is a problem with that, unfortunately. If there is a garage fire, there may be problems with insurance coverages and denials. FD regs will take precedence over contract modifications. :( T, if you do go this route, please make sure that the tank valve is closed in storage. It's not sufficient to just close the grill valves.

You do have a point, though. If T seriously makes waves with management, there's a non-zero risk that his lease will simply not be renewed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top