Crucial laundry rule you might be breaking without even realising it
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Warm weather is ever so rare in the UK, meaning Britons tend to make the most of sunshine and high temperatures - including hanging laundry on the line to dry.
But not everyone is able to take advantage of this luxury - with a little-known rule standing in the way for many people.
A Reddit user who lives in a block of flats revealed on the forum that they had been berated by a neighbour for leaving their clothes out to dry on their balcony.
Last week the resident, who goes by cutebulbasour10 on Reddit, revealed: 'I just got yelled at... today by some lady across my balcony that it's illegal to do that in Kensington,' they said.
'I was born in London and lived here my whole life and I've never heard this before? I've never had any complaints from anyone until now.'
The Redditor added that their neighbour took photographs of them and threatened to make a complaint about the incident to their landlord.
While it's not against the law to dry laundry on a balcony in the UK, doing so can land you in hot water if it goes against your lease terms or rental agreement.
People chimed in with their own experiences in the comments, with many advising the original poster to check their relevant agreement.
'It may be in your leasehold covenant. Mine does ban it unfortunately!' one person wrote.
Another added: 'Not allowed in my development either. Their reasoning is 'it brings down the aesthetics of the building'.'
'I had a section in my lease that said I couldn't hang laundry outside of the building. It's not illegal but could be prohibited as per your lease.'
Yes, it's true - drying your clothes outdoors can sometimes be against your leasehold covenant or rental agreement.
According to CheckAppliance, many tenants are affected by landlords and housing developers who have clauses preventing them from placing any laundry outdoors on the property, including in gardens, balconies or from windows.
It's such a problem that in 2023, a campaign was launched to help an estimated 1.4 million tenants who are subject to contractual clauses that prevent them from hanging their clothes outside their rented property to dry.
If you are a leasehold property owner, you will have an agreement between you and the freeholder.
A ban on drying laundry outside can be part of the leasehold covenant and you may be in breach of the agreed covenant if you do hang clothes outdoors.
In the event a breach does occur, the freeholder or landlord can seek an injunction to stop you from continuing the practice, and even seek forfeiture of the lease in extreme situations.
However, the opposite can also be true.
Some agreements state that laundry cannot be dried indoors, as this can encourage condensation indoors which can lead to damp and mould.
But drying clothes indoors can be a nightmare, especially in the colder, wetter months when laundry won't dry outdoors either.
In addition, tumble dryers are not always provided and can also send electricity bills soaring - not ideal in a continuing cost of living crisis.
So how should we dry our clothes if they can't be dried outside or inside?
The key, according to fabric experts Dylon, is ventilation.
If you have little choice but to dry your clothes indoors, your best bet is to place your clothes horse in a warm room that has a window.
Opening the window several times will allow moisture to move outside, preventing it from settling on the walls and windows and creating the right conditions for damp and mould.
If you are able to encourage air circulation by opening two or more windows at the same time, that will help ventilate the room even more and help your clothes dry as quickly as possible.
