r/HousingUK•
Nigel_Quashie

Flat management agency imposing zero tolerance policy on pram, leaving partner housebound. What are our options?

We are share of freehold owners of a flat in a three storey block of six flats in England. My partner and I have a young baby, and I work during the day while she is at home caring for her. It's relevant that my partner has a chronic back injury that prevents her from baby-wearing for extended periods, meaning she is reliant on the pram to take the baby out during the day.

We have, for the eight months so far, been storing our pram folded up underneath the staircase out of the way. There have been no complaints and we always store it folded up and with consideration of others.

Our management agency has this week decided that they're imposing a zero tolerance policy on any items left anywhere in the communal areas. This includes items stored in a provided cupboard (which must now sit empty) and tucked away under the staircase (which is a dead end that leads nowhere and doesn't obstruct access to anything).

This means that they will not allow her to store the pram downstairs, but as she is not able to leave the baby alone in the flat to go back down and get the pram, and is not able to safely carry both the baby and the pram upstairs together (I am able bodied and even I cannot do that safely), she and baby are effectively not able to safely leave the flat while I am at work, and are therefore now housebound.

They are just citing blanket "fire safety" as the reason for this but it just seems completely without common sense or proportion. The official government guidance does say that prams shouldn't be stored in communal areas without the managing agents permission, but in seeking this permission we are being completely stonewalled and being told "its the law".

How can we resolve this without our managing agent throwing a hissy fit and disposing of our pram? I can't have a situation where my partner is practically housebound due to their change in policy, surely?

Posted Mar 6, 2026, 5:30 PM UTC

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