I live in an apartment block which has about 90 tenants. From the main road, you can only see one side of the building. Today I received a phone call from strata management telling me not to hang washing on the balcony because someone complained. Please advise what my rights are. – Kheng, NSW

Question: I live in an apartment block which has about 90 tenants. The building block is located in a quiet street but it’s close to Pennant Hills Road. From the main road, you can only see one side of the building. I live in level one and my balcony is facing the railway track and there is no building surrounding me. My neighbours are the only people who can see my balcony but today, I received a phone call from strata management telling me not to hang washing on the balcony because someone complained. Hanging washing is cost effective and better for the environment. Please advise what my rights are.

– Kheng, NSW

Answer: Hi Kheng, by-laws regarding not having washing on balconies is very common in most strata schemes. The first step is to review the by-laws for your scheme. If your building doesn’t have that by-law, another by-law this might fall under is the by-law about the general appearance of the building and that’s regardless of how and where people can see into your lot. It’s important to abide by the by-laws but if you’re wanting to hang laundry on your balcony, you can try to amend it through the strata committee. Generally, most owners don’t want it because it can look untidy having laundry hanging on balconies.