Parking Wars: My house edition

People in my neighborhood are obsessed with parking in front of their houses, public street sure but they act like they own it and get offended if you park there. Some neighbors put cones or chairs, etc in "their" spot.

Thank god I have a two car detached garage.

My old roommate's dad was like that. He worked late shift and when he got home at midnight, he expected an extra long space to be waiting for his giant work truck in front of his house. There never was. One night he got so raged about it that he hooked up a chain to the neighbors car and drug it out of the space. He got fired and went to jail for awhile.
 
Public street is a public street. Best course is the "too many people" living in the house. By law any tenants over 18 have to be on the lease and accounted for.

.....or go buy some drugs and hide them on that VW.... anonymous call.... :closed_2:
 
article-0-0CBD65E400000578-785_634x410.jpg


Time to trade in your 4Runner.
 
I had this issue for a while and talking to the home occupants did not help. For about 10 days I took my 2 cars out of the garage, my car from my driveway and a neighbor's car and parked in front of their house. They got the message.
 
I had a guy do this for the longest time. Asked politely to move his car never would. So got old Betsy fired up (1989 f350 diesel) and with in minutes car was moved and the owner got the message..... another alternative if you are able to and if the HOA is ok with this. Get a couple of tow away signs. Kinda like the ones you see in parking lots and stick those in you front yard. You know you cant tow them but they don't and most of the time people like that wont chance it.
 
You should be able to look up who the actual owner is on your city's real estate tax website. Send registered letters to the actual owners. Complaining about people parking in front of your house is futile. As has been said it's a public street. Inform the owners about overcrowding, loud parties, neglect of the property, suspected drug dealing. if any. It's a good idea to get a notebook and log the activity that annoys you. You can conceivably sue the owners for loss of quiet enjoyment.

Right to quiet enjoyment legal definition of Right to quiet enjoyment
 
Can I suggest that you are perhaps overreacting to what is essentially a very minor issue? Is this really worth all the stress and aggravation? Is your day to day life effected so much by this that you start devoting hours and hours trying to resolve something that essentially has no chance of working out in a mutually agreeable fashion?
Would you be better off just saying 'Eff it, I can still drive in and out of my own driveway and it's not really a big deal if my buddies have to walk an extra 30 ft to visit me sometimes.'?

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not telling you to stfu or that your issue is silly, I'm merely throwing it out there that it might be easier to just move on and let go of the stress.
 
Can I suggest that you are perhaps overreacting to what is essentially a very minor issue? Is this really worth all the stress and aggravation? Is your day to day life effected so much by this that you start devoting hours and hours trying to resolve something that essentially has no chance of working out in a mutually agreeable fashion?
Would you be better off just saying 'Eff it, I can still drive in and out of my own driveway and it's not really a big deal if my buddies have to walk an extra 30 ft to visit me sometimes.'?

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not telling you to stfu or that your issue is silly, I'm merely throwing it out there that it might be easier to just move on and let go of the stress.

Very accurately summed up what I was thinking.
 
I wouldn't call it just my issue though. Excessive parking near the bus stops keeps families from being able to sit and wait for the bus. The snow plow had a hard time clear in the street when they have do dodge their cars on both sides of the street. A boat parked in the yard brings out property values down. They already had some complaints by other homeowners...but the parking in front of my house was kind of the last straw.
 
I've got to side with the OP in re: Is this that big of a deal? Walking a bit longer might not seem like much, except for when there is snow on the ground and that little bit of extra walking means a hell of a lot of discomfort just to appease a disrespectful neighbor. What if a parent or friend has mobility issues? Add to that the added risk of a "pull-out bump" type accident when visibility is low and there is a car parked both at the curb directly across from one's driveway as well as on either side of it, and suddenly you've got vehicle damage to be concerned about. Does the parked car block the mailbox? Our postal carriers won't delivery if they cannot reach the mailbox from their vehicle. Same with trash pickup. The OP even mentioned property values dropping, I specifically look for overcrowded homes when I am reviewing neighborhoods and streets as it is a sign of poorly managed rental properties with poor-quality renters instead of homeowners living there.

I believe this is an issue worth dealing with.
 
I would definitely say don't try to get into any sort of war with the neighbors. Sounds like a group of younger kids. I know that in my younger (and far more immature) days, I would have just gotten riled up more and then done what I could to then "get payback."

Without seeing the note, I can't say whether or not that was the way to go in that situation either. I think there's a big difference between being told by someone to not park on that side for an evening and asking for them to not park there.

Often times it's how you approach the situation that can make all the difference in the world. Maybe go over there and ask a couple of them to go with you to a local watering hole. Buy them beers and just talk about it. Try to find a compromise. Let them know what your issues are with it. Find a middle ground. Maybe there's one or two spots around the front of your place that you could get them to avoid.
 
I've got to side with the OP in re: Is this that big of a deal? Walking a bit longer might not seem like much, except for when there is snow on the ground and that little bit of extra walking means a hell of a lot of discomfort just to appease a disrespectful neighbor. What if a parent or friend has mobility issues? Add to that the added risk of a "pull-out bump" type accident when visibility is low and there is a car parked both at the curb directly across from one's driveway as well as on either side of it, and suddenly you've got vehicle damage to be concerned about. Does the parked car block the mailbox? Our postal carriers won't delivery if they cannot reach the mailbox from their vehicle. Same with trash pickup. The OP even mentioned property values dropping, I specifically look for overcrowded homes when I am reviewing neighborhoods and streets as it is a sign of poorly managed rental properties with poor-quality renters instead of homeowners living there.

I believe this is an issue worth dealing with.

It's definitely worth dealing with, to an extent. I wouldn't let it consume my life though.
 
I wouldn't call it just my issue though. Excessive parking near the bus stops keeps families from being able to sit and wait for the bus. The snow plow had a hard time clear in the street when they have do dodge their cars on both sides of the street. A boat parked in the yard brings out property values down. They already had some complaints by other homeowners...but the parking in front of my house was kind of the last straw.

Depending on snow ordiance, couldn't they be ticketed for parking on an unplowed street? Aren't you supposed to have all vehicles off the street for plow vehicles. . . not that I know from experience or anything:police::police::police:
 
I wouldn't call it just my issue though. Excessive parking near the bus stops keeps families from being able to sit and wait for the bus. The snow plow had a hard time clear in the street when they have do dodge their cars on both sides of the street. A boat parked in the yard brings out property values down. They already had some complaints by other homeowners...but the parking in front of my house was kind of the last straw.

my thoughts:

life isn't perfect

serenity


I understand your view on the whole matter and that it is an inconvenience. Others may not agree with me, but I think its messed up to try and mess with these peoples lives so much just to get them to stop parking in front of your house where they are legally allowed to park. If you take the advice of the previous posts, you're basically harassing and setting out to destroy someone's livelihood for lack of a better word. IMO you would be committing the worse of the two evils, taking the lower road.

You don't want to be that guy. By the time you're an old man you're going to be screaming at kids to get off your lawn and posting no trespassing signs on your front yard and violators will be shot signs.

Don't worry, be happy.

:couch2:
 
It's definitely worth dealing with, to an extent. I wouldn't let it consume my life though.

Certainly not, I am not an obsessive person. Nevertheless rules are rules, I abide by them, I expect my neighbors too as well. Luckily we have a fairly reasonable HOA where I live, not too strict but certainly not afraid to call out a tenant for being out of line. I tell you what, the trash cans don't go out to the curb before 5:00pm the day before trash day and I like that. Someone is watching around here...
 
I have a very similar issue in my neighborhood and it sucks. The only tangible solution is to leave a vehicle in the spot you want saved . For me, my motorcycle occupies the spot on the street in front of my house that I usually park in. I play vehicle musical chairs all the time , but I gets my spot ...

...all in all it's just motivation for me to work harder , make more money , and eventually buy a house where this won't be a problem .
 
I can totally understand the OP's point of view. My neighbors cut down their front yard trees to reduce maintenance; then when summer comes they want to park in front of my house and under my tree (instead of their own driveway) to keep their cars cool. During summer months I make sure I have a car parked under my tree by Friday afternoon, otherwise the neighbor takes it all weekend. I like those neighbors and don't care that they park there, but I also don't feel bad about tying up that spot in front of my own house on weekends. First world problems, right?
 
It seems to me the parking situation is part of a larger issue that OP's neighbors are generally inconsiderate, so I'd agree this is something worth dealing with. Using the HOA covenants/restrictions is a good way to attempt to get the owner's attention. Depending on what's in there and the contract signed by the owner upon purchase of the home, there can be penalties, fines, etc involved, however, these are wide ranging depending upon how much control the HOA has in your specific community. As others have stated, HOA's typically are picky about the number of occupants, long term guests, hours a car can be left on the street, etc.

Also, I've personally had success in face to face communication with neighbors about issues. My example was a barking dog that would wake me early in the morning. The owner actually had no idea it was going on since they were at work at that time, but they worked to solve the problem. No how involvement and I actually had a good relationship with that neighbor who I otherwise may not have met. Merely food for thought. Bring them a 6 pack and be friendly, see what happens.

Best of luck!
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
278,316
Messages
3,554,110
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Trending content

Back
Top