Tips for Clean and Safe Halls and Balconies

Living in an apartment means that you have to LIVE in the apartment: bring your items in and make the space a home. Often times, this carries over to an attempt to fill other spaces, such as you balcony or patio, and even sometimes your entry door or hallways. We have seen a lot of ways people have made their apartments a home here, and while we absolutely love the personalization and care that everyone puts into it, there are some points in which we have to ask them to hit the brakes. There are rules that allow us to keep the shared spaces clean, safe of clutter, or have other reasons why we enforce them. In an order to re-express these rules, and to enlighten non-residents of possible policies you may have living at other apartments (including Robert Hancock and Co. communities), we decided we would state some many rules for what can and can’t be done on a balcony or shared space.

• No personal items can be stored in the hallways of our buildings (this is a common policy at almost all communities). This is to avoid any fire or tripping hazards when resident leave and enter the building, and avoids making those spaces look cluttered. You can, however, have a door mat or door decor.
• While we do have cleaners that clean the common areas of the buildings once a week, that does not mean that trash and debris should be ignored. If you track in dirt, drop garbage, or something of the like, please deal with it the same way that you would in the apartment.
• Balconies/patios are for patio furniture and plants only. Please make sure that these items are properly tethered down. No trash, bikes or other items are permitted to be stored on balconies.
• Electric grills are permitted to be stored in the community or on a balcony with complete supervision while in use. Gas and charcoal grills are strictly prohibited (that is a common law at least in the state of Nebraska), and can’t be stored or used anywhere in the community, as they are a dangerous fire risk.
• No flags/signs can be put up on the balconies/patios/windows of your apartment. All flags will be asked to be removed, as there is no way to avoid having signage or flags that are inappropriate in nature if we allow them in anyway.

These are simple rules and do not give information on the complete guidelines we have, or any other community has. If you ever have questions about what can or can’t be done with a shared space or a balcony/patio, please make sure to contact your property manager or consult your lease/community policies guidelines.