You should probably use that property for storing your spare caltrops.
Then why do you care?
Sounds like a form of trespass, which varies by state. Usually it requires a Posted sign, or direct notification to the intruder to quit. Even then, you cannot take action if the trespasser is in the process of quitting.
I think if you tow, you ma have to prove that he could have reasonably known he was trespassing.
What I saw in the OP was that you called the cops and they said you could tow it if you want. I didn’t see anything in there about signage. Strikes me as a bit unfair to have a vehicle towed without notice. You gave a note, but a sticky-note is a far cry from an actual sign.
Seems to be a bit unfair to park on private property without asking.
There’s that. Was he parking on the street or was he parking on a lawn?
He was doing neither. See posted image.
The call to the cops was more of a “what are my options if this keeps up” vs a “hey, cops, do something!” call. I was asking for advice.
I’ve had a car towed before, and before I did it I looked up the towing regulations in the city/county I was in. It was helpful. The towing company also had a few questions for me before they sent a truck, and I had to sign a paper where I said that I was the owner of the space.
My guess is he’s a neighbour’s friend - maybe for some intimate shenanigans - and he asked them if he could park there, and they shrugged and said nobody ever uses that spot so it’d be fine.
It seems inordinately … miserly … to get bent out of shape over this. I don’t think you would have to be a “weirdo” to park in a place like this. It looks like an open space and it doesn’t really look like it’s part of your property. It doesn’t look like it’s someone’s driveway either. I’d say it’s pretty mean to have a car towed or do anything that costs someone money or trouble without clear signage along the lines of “private drive - cars will be towed” or something like that. Or if you don’t actually use the space, let people use it for free. Why make the world a meaner place?
It’s paved with a log bumper. That means it is someone’s property. The default would be to treat it as such.
Maybe that’s the way you see it, based on your personal social history and experience. Allow for the fact that different people come from different social experiences. It just looks like an open space to me that not obviously connected to a residence. It’s just a different perspective. I say just be open to the fact that people have differing attitudes about this kind of stuff and approach it in the most generous manner available.
Bullshit. Private property is a pretty universal concept.
In this kind of situation, the attitude you’re illustrating is not universal. For example, in some countries, it’s no big deal to block someone’s driveway on a crowded street. You just go up and down the street and find out whose car it is if you need to get in or out. The guy who calls the cops or the tow truck is the one who is considered out of line. Now, this is a far less egregious situation than blocking a driveway. It’s an ambiguously positioned space that’s seems never to be in use. Why not use it? That’s not a point of view that’s from outer space. It’s just a very slight difference of perspective. Prefer generosity and communication over jumping to extremes. If it really bothers the OP, it’s up to him to put up a clear notice. Failing that, costing someone unnecessary expense or trouble is just mean.
You apparently also have a driveway nearby leading to your house, so it’s not at all obvious that that space belongs to you. It might just as easily belong to the house next door, or to nobody.
Calling the police seems to be an overreaction. If you object to someone parking there (and I don’t really see why, since they’re doing no harm), a polite note, or a sign should be the first thing to try.
Or if you never use that area, then fence it off, enlarge your garden, and plant something there.
Just my two cents (which probably aren’t worth that even adjusted for inflation):
Looking at the pic OP posted, I don’t think it would even occur to me that it was a private parking space associated with the house with the chimney in the background. Thoughts that would probably occur to me if I saw that spot in the wild without prior knowledge, in roughly this order:
It’s an oddity, an unfinished/abandoned improvement from a previous owner or developer, its original purpose now lost, and is effectively a disused common area.
It’s some sort of utility right-of-way improvement, and again currently effectively a disused common area.
It’s some sort of improvement/retention/bracing element associated with the wall to the viewer’s right. If it’s anyone’s private property, my initial assumption would probably be that it’s part of the property to the right.
As I mentioned upthread, I’ve seen plenty of similar short stretches of pavement coming off a street that don’t belong to any particular homeowner, and are effectively common areas. Some of them even have bumpers or stanchions at the end - they’re not parking stanchions, they’re barricades to stop cars from trying to offroad onto dangerous areas or into the areas that are the private property of individual homeowners.
tl;dr: @squeegee, from the pic and your description, I personally think it’s quite likely Pickup Person doesn’t even realize that space is on your property and doesn’t realize there’s any reason why he shouldn’t park there. I also personally think you’re on the right track with a polite note on the windshield for this specific incident, and a posted sign to avoid general confusion.
I’m with you on this, and I do wonder if this is a cultural difference. I come from a crowded country, where parking space can often be at a premium, so having someone park where they shouldn’t is a pretty common affair. I mean, blocking driveways will get anyone’s goat, but parking on what looks like an unused bit of land wouldn’t tend to start a fight. A nice passive-aggressive note on the window normally does the trick.
If I saw a vehicle like the OP describes parked awkwardly near my house, I would assume they were workmen who aren’t going to be around forever anyway. Presumably the neighbours have got their own drives to park on.
Injecting humor into the situation might help.
Princess parking only. All others will be toad,
Nurse parking only. All others will be discharged.
What I would do:
- put up sign saying “private property, no parking”
- place note under wiper of vehicle for 1st occurrence, saying, “This is private property. Please do not park here. If you park here again, you will be towed.” I would NOT give out my personal info.
- tow repeat offenders.
I think the note and the sign will do the trick. It’s least confrontational. Maybe even a lightweight barrier at the front like traffic cones. I saw some at Home Depot recently.
I certainly wouldn’t want anyone parking on my property, whether I was using it or not. I definitely don’t want to be liable for any problems that may arise from it, insurance or law-wise.