Redditor Engages In Tense Showdown With New Neighbor Over Unwritten Parking Rule

"Thou shall not park In front of another person's house"

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• July 31, 2023

In neighborhoods with limited parking options, street parking often becomes a first-come-first-serve arrangement. While this might seem fair on the surface, it can sometimes lead to discomfort among neighbors.

The unwritten rule on many streets is to park in front of one's own house, but there are exceptions for special occasions or when consideration is given to others. However, when someone repeatedly parks in front of another neighbor's home, tensions can rise, sparking conflicts that disrupt the harmony of the community.

One such example can be seen in our narrator's (OP's) neighborhood, where houses only provide parking space for two cars. OP explained that over the years, the residents have maintained an informal understanding: park in front of your own house—but for special occasions or short-term needs, parking elsewhere is tolerated.

However, everything took a different turn when a family of six adults moved into a modest 3-bedroom home within the community. Interestingly, each of the occupants had a car of their own, and it was evident that the only way to accommodate their cars was to find parking spots outside their own property.

One morning OP woke up to see that one of their new neighbors had parked his car in front of their house. At first, they decided to overlook it, but after three whole days of coming back to meet the same car there, something had to be done to prevent a future occurrence.

Immediately after the car moved, OP made sure to occupy the parking spot with their truck—peace at last! Or so they thought.

Later that evening, one of their new neighbors rang their doorbell and asked if OP could move their truck into their driveway to allow him to park in front of their house. Unfortunately, all the man got was a door to his face.

The question is: Was OP justified in preventing their neighbor from using the space, or were they just being insensitive to their neighbor's situation?

The story in detail

A little background

OP woke up one morning to discover that someone was parked in front of their house. They waited for the car to move before blocking off the spot

Later that evening, their neighbor asks OP to make room for his car. But OP is in no mood to entertain such a request

Here's how the Reddit community reacted to the story:

A cheeky request indeed

"Street parking is there if it’s there, and it isn’t if it isn’t. That’s the street parking rule"

Probably an ego issue

"Street parking is first come first serve."

"The road is public and whoever wants to park there can park there."

"ESH. Your neighbors for being extremely entitled, you for being petty and judgmental."

"You’re obviously being petty to complete strangers who’ve actually done nothing wrong."

"ESH. You don't own the street and neither do they."

"Yes, YTA. Its a public street."

"Stop policing other people’s cars. They need the room and they’re not in your way."

The Reddit community is not quite convinced that OP is justified in their decision to block off the parking spot. On the other hand, their neighbor has his own fair share of blame.

The commenters have reiterated that the simple rule about Street Parking is "First Come, First Serve," so OP has no right to police a public street—even if a car is parked in front of their house. It was also quite odd for their neighbor to ask them to move their car from the space—you can say that request had a sprinkle of entitlement.

Who are you backing in this case? OP or their neighbor? Tell us in the comments below.

Jesse