Homeowner was horrified and said ‘I feel like our boundaries aren’t being respected’
A homeowner has spoken about the ominous sign from a neighbour who is now causing them parking anxiety. Taking to Reddit the woman explained they’d moved into a new house the sight that greeted them on their front lawn foretold of trouble to come.
There the horrified family saw an old carpet which they’d dumped – and even though the empty home now had people living there – they left it there form months. They also discovered they couldn’t even get into their garage because the neighbour’s car was parker there.
She said: “We recently purchased a home that comes with a garage (with its own driveway enough for two cars lined in front of the other) and an additional marked parking space behind our garden fence – this is clearly included on our property deed.
“Before we moved in, the house had been empty for a while, and during that time the next-door neighbour (who rent) began using the rear parking spot. On one visit after we’d bought the property, we couldn’t even access our garage because their other car was parked there too.
“When we first met, the wife was very friendly, but quickly started talking about the neighbour on the other side of my house who parks a broken car behind his fence – which felt like an attempt to recruit us to join a dispute. During the chat, their child blurted out that they “always park there,” clearly referring to the space behind our fence, suggesting they’d talked about it at home.”
And she explained when they they moved in there were a few things which made them ‘feel uneasy.’ She said: ” They left an old carpet on our front lawn just before we moved in, then left it there for months.
“There are dogs at the property, and for the past few days there’s been a strong smell of pet waste every time I go into the back garden, which also serves as our main entrance.
“I haven’t seen the dogs walked, so I suspect the smell is coming from their side of the fence. While I understand every family has challenges, and I genuinely don’t want to start a dispute as we’re new to the area, I also feel like our boundaries aren’t being respected.
“How can we address the parking situation (and possibly the pet issue later) in a firm but non-confrontational way?” Reddit users came back with some advice – but the primary suggestions were that the homeowner would have to bite the bullet and speak to them.
Curious said: “It doesn’t sound like you’ve actually told them to stop doing it. That seems like step 1.” The homeowner replied: “Yeah, you’re right. Every time we bump into them, I somehow end up listening to another story about how they had to call an ambulance for a family member just last week. It’s always something urgent or dramatic.
“In the end, I just swallow whatever I actually wanted to say. I don’t want to come across as insensitive, but it’s been really hard to raise anything without feeling guilty for even bringing it up.”
Another suggested a proper security measure: “Wait for them to move the car then put yours on it . Then just say thanks , we will be using our space going forward. Can you look into some kind of lockable post?”
She replied: “I don’t think my husband will agree to go that far (lockable post). I think I will go with the other suggestions by addressing this directly to them and showing the deed. Just need to find the right time. Thank you for your advice.”