A man is stressed over his neighbours’ antics after they “lost it” when he parked near their property. Parking can be a contentious issue, especially in neighbourhoods that feel particularly congested.
The man lives on a street which only permits parking on one side, with his house based on the side where parking isn’t allowed. As around “95% of the houses on the street have their own driveways and garages”, he wasn’t expecting a problem even though his home has no drive or garage, so on-street parking is the “only option”.
He and his partner used to park their car in one of the four available parking spaces across the street, which sit “between a few houses”.
This was never a problem “until about a year ago”, when the “elderly couple” who live directly opposite them “decided they owned the street space behind their driveway”.
On Reddit, the man explained: “They started putting cones in it to block me and anyone else from using it.
“After a few days of this nonsense, I just started moving the cones and parking there again. It’s a public street. First come, first served. They lost it.”
He claimed his neighbours then called the police but the they “told them that it’s not legal to claim a public spot with cones”.
They didn’t like this response and began “full-on screaming at the officers”.
The man continued: “After the police left, they walked across the street and dumped glitter all over our front walk. Caught on camera, but whatever.
“Since then, it’s been a year of passive-aggressive (and sometimes aggressive-aggressive) harassment”.
The neighbours now park their own car “in the street in a way that takes up two spaces” in a bid to “limit parking for anyone else” which has reduced the available spaces from four to two, despite them having their own driveway and garage.
The man said: “They just choose to park like this to punish us. They monitor the street from their window and immediately move their car into that spot the moment I leave it.
“They harass us when we’re outside, muttering insults or yelling. They’ve thrown trash into our yard”.
This last incident was caught on the man and his partner’s security camera but the police “did basically nothing” when they were informed.
The man added: “They’ve apparently been spreading rumours about us – some of our other neighbours who used to be friendly now act cold.”
When the elderly couple’s “car was recently keyed”, they “instantly accused” the man and his partner to the police and neighbours.
The man was able to provide his “camera footage to show [he and his partner] had nothing to do with it.”
The couple, in their mid-30s, are “just trying to live [their] lives and not get dragged into this weird suburban turf war”.
Though they “avoid” their elderly neighbours “at all costs”, it does prove difficult “when they live directly across the street and won’t let it go”.
The man said they are “documenting everything” on the off chance “things escalate or [they] need legal protection”. He added: “I’m honestly just tired of the drama.”
In the comments section, fellow Reddit users shared their thoughts. One joked: “I bet someone has a car they need towed or needs to get rid of and would be HAPPY to have it parked there for free”.
Another suggested: “Get the barely running, but legal junker. Park it in front of their house taking up the two spots. Then when you need to park, slide the junker up to make room.
“When you leave, pull the junker forward and take up both spots again. That should really p*** them off… lol”.