An condominium intricate in Lyon Park not long ago issued a warning to tenants stating the only location for child’s participate in is the playground.

A take note delivered to ARLnow, dealt with to the inhabitants of Washington & Lee Residences (2200 2nd Road N.), claimed “children are to be enjoying in the playground and in no other locations,” in bolded, italicized and underlined letters.

They simply cannot play in “common parts which include… on the grass or trees,” only the region designated as the playground, according to the notice.

It’s a single of two notes ARLnow has acquired indicating that some apartment communities are cracking down on enjoy in prevalent places in response to an uptick in grievances from other tenants about sounds and assets injury.

The Washington & Lee notice was a first for Nicole Merlene, a Tenant-Landlord Commission member and ARLnow feeling columnist. She tells ARLnow it describes a potentially discriminatory apply and reveals the require for Arlington to give mediation companies concerning tenants and landlords.

“Since I have been on the fee we have not acquired a criticism of this form wherever there is most likely discrimination dependent on age for functions,” she stated.

The take note responds to an enhance in issues from tenants about weakened automobiles from young ones taking part in in the parking whole lot, a home manager for the sophisticated instructed ARLnow. In a mobile phone interview, the manager stated five complaints have come in the previous handful of months of kids hitting autos with rocks or scratching them up with scooters and bikes. As for the trees and grass, the supervisor mentioned young ones had been breaking limbs and digging holes.

“It’s just gotten to the place where by the harm and issues ended up so poor I’d have to take action,” the supervisor mentioned. “Because of COVID… [parents] didn’t have suitable treatment and the children had been just remaining at household on their own.”

The note also bans sidewalk chalk since young ones drew on the brick partitions, according to the manager. The notice said “stricter action will be taken” if the difficulties keep on. In 2014, the identical flats introduced a campaign against tenants feeding squirrels.

Merlene claimed that these sorts of landlord-tenant disputes could be solved via an out-of-courtroom mediation service — one particular that Arlington has not had since it was defunded a few yrs back, she explained.

“This style of out of courtroom provider demands both of those events to willfully participate, but immediately after conversations with equally Alexandria and Fairfax, it is by and significant exceptionally profitable at getting a option when a tenant is the 1 bringing a grievance,” she explained. “The Tenant-Landlord Fee is in the system of searching into ways in which other jurisdictions have effectively presented this company and will propose a technique that will work for our local community for the Board’s thing to consider.”

Asked to evaluate the letter, she explained fee members are not legal professionals or skilled in discrimination coverage, so commissioners stay clear of determining if one thing is illegal. As a substitute, those with problems are referred to the county’s Business office of Human Legal rights.

But taking apartmentment entrepreneurs to courtroom, while a recourse for Arlington tenants, hardly ever occurs.

“Reasons selection from concern of likely shedding the circumstance towards a big landlord’s attorney and owning to spend their legal professional charges, immigration standing, cultural boundaries, and numerous other hurdles,” she said.

Problems of sound and kids’ behavior have also registered with the administration workplace at Union on Queen (1515 N. Queen Road), in close proximity to Rosslyn.

Tenants received a “friendly reminder” that no people can hang out in or around the courtyard fountain. It informed dad and mom they are accountable if their little ones perform there, in accordance to a screenshot shared with ARLnow.

“Thus considerably we have viewed trash remaining in the courtyard and in the fountain, and we have observed little ones enjoying in the courtyard [spraying] h2o on other resident’s [sic] home windows,” the letter said.

The Union on Queen reminder also pointed out that the business office “has gained many complaints about increased noise degrees thanks to groups staying in the courtyard and all around the courtyard’s fountain.”

“We will unfortunately have to problem lease violations ought to the difficulty persist,” the note mentioned. “Again, we don’t want them to harm on their own or other individuals in the building. We want all of our inhabitants to be safe and comfortable.”

Photo by using Google Maps