Hi
I moved into my current flat just before Christmas. It has a secure communal area that needs a fob to get in and generally feels safe. Each flat has their own shed in the communal area, I was shown mine on the day I moved in. We opened it and noted it needed a new bolt and some of the rubbish from the previous tenants needed to be cleared once the pandemic allowed for someone to help before I could really use it, but was really pleased to have access to one.
Today I noticed a lock has been put on the shed I thought was for me and I have absolutely no idea what to do. I do not know any of my neighbours or who put the lock on. I hate confrontation and whilst I have prepared a note to stick on the shed to let the person know that the shed was for my flat I'm too nervous to put it on the door as I don't know how the person might respond and I don't want to cause problems, I'd just really, really like somewhere to store a bike etc. once I can have a clear shed! In my head the note is letting the person know in a nice way that the shed is for someone else, but I know from experience some people just carry on and react differently.
There is one other shed without a lock on. I feel unable to just 'claim' this as my own, or even open it to check if there's anything in it, as I feel like I'd potentially be invading someone else's space and nobody has told me that I can use that one. It just feels 'out of bounds'. In the same way that an unlocked car doesn't mean I can just start using it.
I'm sorry if it seems like a small thing, it's the first time I've lived independently in this way and it's the first social situation regarding neighbours I've encountered that I just do not understand and I do not seem to be able to work out how to navigate. In my head it was for me to use, now it's not, and I'm just confused.
Is it normal for neighbours to leave notes in these situations? Is it more normal to contact the owners of the building or is that too extreme for something like this? Would most people just start using the last shed without a lock? Is it normal for these things to be a free-for-all? I'm sorry for the questions, I'm feeling a bit baffled.
