In 3 years, it was first time

44 comments

1. No, in general you are not allowed to store stuff in basically any communal spaces that double as emergency exits.

   Your shoes were “geduldet”, not “erlaubt”.

2. it depends on the Hausordnung and fire protection plans. Your hallway seems to be very narrow and in narrow spaces you can not leave anything out. Even if your hallway had more space, if if it’s an evacuation route for many people in an emergency you can also not leave things out.

   No shoes, no plants, no strollers, no bikes, no furniture etc. because in case of an emergency people can trip or be in the way of paramedics, fire fighters…

   In most houses you are only allowed to keep your things in your apartment.

3. Still “well” handled. We never put shoes outside, once our guest did without us realizing, and it was gone by the time she wanted to leave.

4. My Hausverwaltung also mentioned it is not allowed even when they are not in the way of the fire exit, because in case of a fire it will create extra smoke. Really helped as a reminder to let the Hausverwaltung do the administration and keep them out of the house (we have quite a list of items that are officially not allowed)

5. Usually you are not allowed to store anything on the floor outside you flat as in the event of a fire it would be a fire hazard on its own as well as a tripping hazard. But it depends on fire ordinance in your state as well as your rental agreement

6. Technically you should never put a shoe rack in the hallway because it’s a tripping hazard, especially in case of a fire. In reality, people do it anyway, just as leaving their shoes, umbrellas etc. It kind of depends if somebody says something, but it is generally not allowed. I think writing a note just for a pair of shoes is a bit of an overreaction but they are technically right. Just for comparison, my old neighbors put their kid’s bicycle in the hallway several times, blocking the stairs to the upper floors. Now, _that_ was a tripping hazard.

7. It’s not laminated thus invalid.

   r/aberbittelaminiert

8. For me it’s about the signaling – same as people who put smelly garbage bags in the hallway:

   *I know my stuff too stinky for my own apartment – so I‘ll leave it outside to stink up the communal space for others.*

   I‘m not saying your shoes were smelly, it’s more the message, than the smell.

9. I think it’s more the case that in some other buildings they are tolerated… I know buildings whose Hausordnung doesn’t allow it, but nobody enforces it.

10. Schuhe gehören nicht ins Treppenhaus. Ich nehme immer den rechten Weg und schmeisse ihn dann in den Müll. Seit langem stehen keine Schuhe mehr im Treppenhaus bei uns.

    Edit: shoes do not belong in the Treppenhaus. I always take the right one and throw it in the trash. There are no shoes in the Treppenhaus anymore where i live.

11. Maybe enter the lottery. Your luck is definitely going one way or another.

12. I hate people who clutter up the hallway / staircase with their piles of shoes. I understand that appartments are small, but so are most staircases, so please keep them usable. My personal preferences aside, this is usually a fire escape issue.

13. Funny question when 1 view at that narrow hallways should explain everything man.

    Wir sind halt net die Ammis. 😀

14. I have never seen legal shoe racks, I have seen a lot of shoe racks. Technically this is an emergency exit, hence nothing must be there.

    You are missing nothing: This Paper is not valid, as it has to be laminated. Also a real German would have add some passive aggressive statement 🙂

15. It’s actually called Brandschutz. Usually nothing that might catch fire is allowed in the hallways. Also nothing that might block the way for people in case of an emergency. Like a bicycle or a stroller.

16. Ok I see your point. Someone was lightning fast, first time, one pair. But to answer your question from my point of view, why wouldn’t you have a shoe rack next to your door on the inside and put them there? I always think it’s disgusting walking past all those smelly shoes in a larger house. But that’s just me, probably.

17. DAS IST VERBOTEN!

    That’s why we like to go on vacation that much. It’s nice elsewhere.

18. I can’t imagine putting anything outside my flat at any time

19. I think it’s never really allowed to put anything, including shoes, outside of ones apartment into the communal area. But most of the time neighbors and owners don’t care as long as you don’t obstruct the walking space (or stink up the whole hallway)

20. Throw it in the trash and move on with your life because worrying about all the things you do wrong here is not a healthy existence.

21. The German vibe in this sup is prime 😀 love it

22. In a narrow hallway like that, anything left outside the door can become a trip hazard, especially if there is an emergency (such as a fire). Think of elderly neighbours, or the sight-impaired.

    The note references the “Hausordnung”, which is a set of rules regulating such matters. If such a document exists, you should have a copy, and in signing the lease you’ll have agreed to abide by them. There is likely a rule in there saying you mustn’t leave anything in the hallways.

23. We didn’t say anything to our new (former) neighbors at first, because we didn’t want to make a fuss and we “wollen nicht mehr allman sein als notwendig”.

    Now there are sometimes more than 10 pairs of shoes in the hallway and you can’t walk through it without performing acrobatics. And because we didn’t say anything at the beginning, the new neighbors don’t want to hear about it anymore.

    I moved out… 

    Edit: 
    We didn’t move out because of the shoes, but because of what happened afterwards. But the shoes were actually a big part of the neighborhood unrest that I personally don’t want to deal with.

24. I guess, the first time someone stumbled over them in 3 years…

25. Not laminated, hence invalid.

26. In Germany there is NO WAY you can legally put something outside your apartment. Fire protection plans always overrule. People still do it.

27. Probably due to MBO §36 (4):

    > Flure müssen als Rettungswege ständig nutzbar und frei von Brandlasten gehalten werden.

28. I don’t like see shoes outside. They are your belonging, so they should be inside.

29. If it isn’t laminated it doesn’t count.

30. I kinda get it. I had lots of those discussions around this in my student / WG days. Legally not the same but the thinking behind it is fairly similar.

    You rent an apartment of size X – or a WG room – and then you basically move parts of your items / furniture into a public space. I think that’s fairly selfish.

    My former room mate rented the smallest room in our WG, thus paid the least, but he placed anything he could outside of his room. His jackets, shoes, laundry stand, vacuum cleaner, everything was scattered around the place. It just shows a certain lack of respect for other people’s space, in my eyes anyway.

31. Well you see, fire in Germany works a bit differently than in the rest of the world. If it discovers even the tiniest object just “laying about” in a corridor, it will completely devastate the entire building. Thank goodness your neighbor saved your life! You should thank them by giving them a good long stare.

32. >i see why everyone love homeoffice on Fridays

    I’m in the office today, but I also love homeoffice on Friday – the office is so empty, it’s so relaxed and quiet.

    Dir ebenfalls ein schönes Wochende!

33. It’s such a bitch move not to ring the bell or leave a signature.

34. Looking at your hallway, seems legit, dude. For your own safety.

35. FLUCHTWEG!!!1!

36. Finally

37. I cant understand people who rent a room and think the common place before the room should be used for shoes. The common place is not rented as storeroom.

38. There is always the risk that someone trips on a shoe when trying to evacuate a building. It is low probability doesn’t mean that it is zero. That is why it is often forbidden to put things outside the apartment. 

39. Doing something wrong for 3 years straight doesn’t make it right.

40. Keep your shoes and whatever INSIDE your apartment, outside should be empty in case of evacuation.

41. Ist aber nicht Hausordnung. You would have gotten a letter.

42. Hausordnung muss sein.

43. Ja da gehören Sie auch hin. Schuhe gehören in die Wohnung und nicht in den Hausflur.

44. my shoes are outside because I don’t like them in the hallway. my neighbours do the same we all live happy 💁🏼‍♀️

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