The assumption that a parking space included with your apartment building guarantees its exclusive use is often shattered by reality. One irate resident recently shared their infuriating experience on Reddit’s ‘Neighbors from Hell’ forum, detailing a persistent parking problem caused by inconsiderate neighbors. The issue? Neighbors repeatedly parked in the building’s private lot, despite not being tenants. ‘The neighbors are not allowed to park their cars in our parking lot. It’s a private lot, a busy city, so people are always looking to park off-street,’ they explained, highlighting the scarcity of parking in their urban environment.
Initially, the resident believed the offending vehicles belonged to new tenants. However, a shocking incident changed everything. ‘When they first started parking there, we thought they were new tenants until one day, one of them HIT THE HOUSE and our electricity all went out (they hit a power box on the house, or something like that),’ they recounted. This incident, resulting in damage to the building and a power outage, clearly demonstrated that these were not simply careless tenants, but deliberate violators. The resident promptly reported the incident and the ongoing unauthorized parking to their property manager, who confirmed the vehicles’ owners were not residents and therefore had no right to park there. The lack of security cameras on the property further complicated the situation, causing concern that the residents themselves might be blamed for any further incidents.
Repeated attempts to resolve the issue proved ineffective. Calling for the vehicles to be towed proved unsuccessful, with the towing company either too slow or the neighbors remarkably adept at evading them. ‘Either that, or the neighbor hears us walking down the stairs and runs out, moving both of their cars,’ the frustrated resident explained, emphasizing the blatant disregard for rules demonstrated by the offenders. In fact, despite the cars being towed three or four times in the past few months, the neighbors continued their illegal parking, revealing a complete lack of concern for consequences. ‘It’s getting to the point where our lot gets congested from these two random people parking,’ they lamented, describing the escalating frustration of the building’s residents.
The Reddit thread exploded with suggestions, ranging from the practical to the decidedly less savory. One user proposed using parking stickers from Amazon, a tactic described as ‘borderline evil in its pure simplicity’ by another commenter. Others recommended more conventional approaches, such as involving the local police department to issue trespassing warnings or even pursue charges. The idea of installing folding parking bollards was also floated, though this would require approval from the building manager.
More practical and less confrontational solutions included installing security cameras to document the illegal parking and provide evidence for the towing company or police. Regularly reporting the violations to the police, coupled with the threat of accumulating parking tickets and the potential impact on insurance coverage, was suggested as another deterrent. Finally, the most comprehensive solution, albeit expensive, was enclosing the parking lot with a fence, restricting access to authorized residents and effectively solving the problem entirely. This situation highlights the challenges of dealing with inconsiderate neighbors and underscores the need for effective solutions to prevent and address unauthorized parking in private lots.
