A neighborhood dispute is unfolding for one Redditor, who has found themselves at the center of a feud they may have inadvertently caused. The source of the problem? Reddit user u/Aromatic_Homework536 says that their neighbor “Patricia” has been parking in their driveway during the day while the OP is at work, using it as her own private spot.
When the OP confronted “Patricia,” they say that the woman acted as though they were being out of line for being upset that someone was parking on their property without asking. So, the OP did what they thought was reasonable after asking “Patricia” to keep her car out of their spot, and had the vehicle towed.
Now, the OP says that the whole neighborhood is upset and taking sides over the issue, with most of them thinking that “Patricia” is the wronged party.
The poster turned to Reddit for help, where people had a surprising response to the issue.
My neighbor parked in my driveway every day for a month. When I finally confronted her, she told me I should be ‘grateful’ she chose my house.
by
u/Aromatic_Homework536 in
stories
The OP Asked Their Neighbor to Stay Away
According to the OP, they did try to talk to “Patricia” about parking in their spot prior to calling the tow truck, which is when they said the neighbor gave them a bit of attitude.
“I was honestly stunned. I asked her, as politely as I could manage, to please stop using my driveway. Her response was not an apology,” the OP wrote. “She said, and I am quoting this exactly, ‘You’re never home before six anyway, so you should be grateful I’m not blocking anyone who actually needs it.’ As if she was doing me a favor by trespassing on my own property during business hours.”
So, the OP decided to do “something petty,” and called a local tow company to remove the “unknown vehicle” from their private property.
“Patricia” apparently showed up immediately, demanding that the OP pay the impound fees to get her car back. When they refused, the woman apparently put a note up on the community mailbox cluster, blaming the OP for what happened.
“Now half the street thinks I’m the problem, and I’m the one who’s had a stranger’s car parked on my property for a month,” they concluded the post.
Reddit Was Mostly on the OP’s Side
While it’s usually hard to get the people of the internet to agree on anything, many Redditors were on the OP’s side. “Might not feel good but you are not wrong,” one person wrote. “This is pretty standard these days; doing the right thing is often seen as the wrong thing.”
“Put up your own note on the community mailbox that explains the situation,” another person added as a suggestion on how to respond. “I might have warned her more sternly and mentioned towing, though.”
It sounds like it’s not just Reddit on the OP’s side, either. According to the Super Lawyers blog, one of the ways they suggest resolving common neighborhood parking issues like this does involve similar steps, although the website suggests getting law enforcement involved if talking to your neighbor doesn’t work at first.