Then its clear its the ease of access that is the problem .

A remote controlled barrier or garage door is out .

Some simple wire mesh gates with a mortice lock if none of the residents
are disabled could work .

Each flat could be given a mortice key to the gates and if they wanted
any more keys for friends or family - they could get as many keys cut as
they wanted .

The question is - are lazy car drivers willing to get out their car
every time they wanted in or our the car park just so they could get
parked easily ? .



I live in a block in S London, in pretty much exactly the same situation as
the OP. I am also a director of the management company, and we have
discussed a barrier or remote gates etc. The cost of something that looks
even remotely in keeping with the block and doesn't make it look like the
entrance to a factory, is prohibitive (i.e. £12K plus).

The alternatives of a padlocked chain, manual locking posts or even a
locking gate is indeed laziness... but rather where it only takes one lazy
resident to decide not to bother locking behind him as he leaves or enters,
for the whole system to fall down. Or the "well I was only going to be 5
minutes" problem.

Or for someone to lose his key etc.

When we looked at automatic gates, we had to also consider access for
legitimate visitors such as the milkman, postman, delivery drivers etc, as
well as doctors and emergency vehicles, and legitimate residents' visitors.
The only answer to that was an entryphone system wired to every property (in
our case 9 flats plus 6 houses). Very, very expensive. Then there was the
fairness issue - should residents without cars have to pay? What about the
annual maintenance? What about the people who rented garages in the block
which are no longer 'attached' to the numbered property they originally went
with? It was insoluble.

We have the same 'illegal' parking issues as the OP, and so far polite
notices tucked under the windscreen (with veiled threats of prosecution for
trespass) seem to do the trick. And incidentally, I only go out and put one
on when I see an unknown car drive in, and the driver get out and NOT go
into a property but walk out the gate - that is if I can't dash out and get
to him first.

The problem is that there is virtually no free on street parking in the
borough where I live, and the problem is going to get worse.

Hamish