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[ValuSkr]

Yes, of course it's rude. I don't wear shoes in my house, and when visiting other people I take a cue from what they're wearing. Hopefully, others when visiting me will do the same. But to ask them out of the blue to remove their shoes is incredibly rude, not to mention selfish. Put a good mat by the door if you're worried about them tracking in debris.

[Winifred]

I strongly feel that if the weather has been such your feet will reflect mud, water, etc, then you have a right to request removal of shoes. On the other hand, I have to wonder why anyone would have floors that should not have shoes on them, well, that is weird. Had a friend who use to have everyone remove their shoes for no reason at all other than she did not like to vacuum. Long story short, they wound up with few people coming to their home - they backed off the no shoe rule all the time and everyone had a ball and their floors were never damaged. Guess the bottom line is the owners of the home have a right to set their own rules.

[violann]

I would not object to being asked to take off my shoes IF I were warned to bring appropriate foot covering. We visited a house during the holidays and even with my heavy socks, I was freezing after I'd been shoeless for an hour or so, amd we left.

[D Oro]

I do not think it is rude to ask guests to remove their shoes upon entering your home. The considerate thing to do would be to advise your guest in advance so they can be prepared. Whether they choose to bring their own slippers socks or other foot apparel, or go foot commando, at least they are forewarned. We were invited to the relatives home this past Thanksgiving. It was the first time any of us had ever been there. So that was quite a bit of surprise when everyone was asked to live their shoes with no advance warning, no place to sit to remove the shoes, and nothing to put on your feet. It was extremely awkward because most of us had huge packages and food that we had brought for the dinner. The host family did not provide any food at all, just the location. That was another surprise as well, lol. I don't mind taking my shoes off, I just have to immediately wash my hands. The second time we went to their home, my husband and I brought our own LL Bean house shoes. Very warm and cozy. The host wasn't very happy about that though. She asked how was she supposed to know for sure that we had never worn them outdoors. Now that is when I considered it rude. We've been invited back for a birthday party. I think we may decline. Lol

[HHC1]

Very interesting topic....I think guests should be told in advance if they will be asked to remove their shoes...However, that being said, it's your house so you have the right to make requests of visitors entering your home. All service contractors that visit my home automatically wear booties.

[Campion]

On 12/26/2014 SaggingGal said:

Thought I would mention that yes, I have repeatedly, over the years, sent photos of the neglected condition of the lobby, garage, stairwells, etc. to the Board of Directors and the property management company. I have even called the municipal Sanitation Department engineer to come inspect some of my claims. This person contacts the Board and tells them they need to clean up. They don't always initially follow his directive. They get angry with me for involving local government and then they order the cleaning crew to clean the area of concern. Usually only one item on a list of 5-6 items that I present on a yearly basis receives actual maintenance response from the Board. And yes, this is an upscale complex. Scary, isn't it?

Last year I pointed out that the carpeted stairs in the condo building had not been shampooed in 12 years, only the carpeted hallways were done every couple of years, and to my surprise the property manager agreed and had the carpets shampooed. However, I was told this was a one-time deal. Now I am working on the walls of the stairways that have never been washed or painted in 13 years. But, I digress. TMI.

The exterior of the property is where the Board prefers to spend our monthly maintenance fees including the upkeep of the pond and its inherent family of swans, and careful landscape design features like a wildflower preserve, and a lengthy walking trail surrounding the complex. They do not, however, direct the cleaning crew to remove litter from the grounds that is evident everywhere.

I still stand by my opinion that I do not want litter, glass bits, and debris from the bottoms of shoes worn through my condo. I have cleaned up glass shards several times on the grounds and in the building and injured myself, would prefer not to have this tracked into my own home.

And our sanitary storm sewers do back up after a heavy rain and the garage and lobby flood a foot or so with sewage from the units. This does not get entirely cleaned up unless someone (me) complains that it needs to be done. So people track this dreck through the lobby, the elevator, the stairs and the hallway. As I stated, if the situation warrants it, I do ask our condo visitors to remove their shoes. It is not a question of "pretty" it is a question of health and safety for us. I appreciate everyone's input very much. It certainly opens my eyes to how this request is perceived by our condo guests. Interestingly the only people I have needed to ask to remove their shoes are repairmen and a very few friends. All the others just take them off at the door with no prompting from me. And yes, we are moving next year.

If sewers back up into the lobby, that's a health issue and you can call the city. The bacteria from sewage are public health hazards, and building owners are generally required to do something about sewage flooding. And having the remnants of sewage sludge left on garage and lobby floors is unconscionable. You might call the city building inspector's office to see what the requirements are. It's a dangerous situation--because you can contract hepatitis, typhoid and other diseases.

[raining_1]

My DH has diabetic neuropathy and he could not take his shoes off, he would be in a lot of pain having to walk around barefoot.

I would be more concerned about the things that are on some people's feet , like funguses and infections etc than what they may track in on shoes. Provide a heavy duty mat at the door for wiping feet and you should be good to go.

[Stray]

I have no problem with taking my shoes off and many of my friends are the same way...most have clean slipper socks at the door. Many have very light or white carpeting...you take boots off at the door? My brother in law was in the process of selling his home and insisted prospective buyers remove their shoes as well due to white carpeting...house sold quickly because it looked well maintained no dirty rugs. I also live in an ""upscale"" condo in the NYC area and we would never accept living conditions you describe. I would certainly change your management company; your homeowners should meet and discuss all your issues and demand action....my maintenance fees are very high and I would expect better living conditions.

[granny me]

If you know me well enough to come to home, taking off your shoes is a given and nothing has to be said. My home and floors are spotless and I do not want the outside filth brought in. It has nothing to do with disrespecting my guests, but everything to do with not having a panic attack at the thought of someone just walking through spit in a parking lot and now tracking it through my home.

[Tigriss]

Get a nice, natural welcome mat for them to brush their feet off to rid of any potential residue from there. If you consider how much carpet they walk on from the parking lot to your door, their shoes have probably lost any glass/dirt that they picked up in the parking lot.

As for your building issues, residents need to sign a petition and break out your HOA policy to see if there are any rules regarding the upkeep of the general areas by management since you are in an upscale building. If they are in violation, then your HOA fees either need to be reduced or get what you are paying for. I would get what I was paying for if I were you. They can be taken to small claims court for violations.