I live in a condo. When I bought the place (in 2003), it came with an assigned parking spot with my unit number painted on it. Sometime over the last several years the condo association did away with assigned parking but most of us still respect each other’s spaces. One of my neighbors, Jane, (who parks right next to me) is sometimes in my spot. I don’t like it, but I don’t do anything.
A couple of weeks ago, someone was in my spot and I parked in Jane’s spot and intended to move it later. Well, I forgot and she left a polite note on my car asking me not to park in her space. I was going to apologize to her but I literally never see her—our schedules don’t coincide.
A week or so ago, she was in my space. I didn’t do anything. Saturday, when I got home from the store with a car load of groceries, she was in my space again. I left a note on her car asking her not to park in my space.
So this morning, I notice that the white number painted on my parking spot has been spray-painted over in black. No others were painted over. What would you do?
If management did away with assigned parking, no one has their own spots. She’s being an asshole by not only asking you not to park in “her” spot, but then also parking in your spot. And, if she’s leaving notes on your car, she’s escalating things. Neighbor wars are something to avoid. It won’t end well for either of you.
However, someone has now damaged the property. I’d go to management and complain that someone keeps asking you, in writing to stop parking in their spot and as of today, the number on your spot has been painted over. They’ll remind you that you don’t have assigned parking anymore and you can reiterate that Jane continually asks you not to park in her spot…maybe you [the association] could go and speak to her about this.
It’s passive aggressive, but I can’t see any good coming from talking directly to her. Especially if she’s so petty that she went to the store, gave someone money for spray paint, came back and painted over your number*. That’s a lot of work for nothing.
Also, if there are cameras, I’d try to suggest that they look to see who felt like damaging their property.
*I’m guessing she painted over your number in attempt to get people to think that spot is open to anyone, so you always end up parked far away.
Definitely engage in a passive aggressive war and then update us frequently. I need free entertainment. Suggestions: park diagonally across both spaces; wait for a freezing night then hose her car down until it’s built up an inch or two of ice; wrap her car in police tape; smear dog shit on the inside of her driver’s door handle.
But seriously, are there not enough spaces for everyone?
#1 Frankly taking away assigned spaces was kind of a shitty thing to do; I’m sure a lot of people are territorial about the spaces because they consider the parking space to be part of what they paid for when they bought the condo; I would.
#2 That being said, the fact that there’s no assigned parking means that it’s not “your” space, nor is Jane’s space “her” space. Just park your car and if Jane continues to give you shit about it, tell her exactly that. If she, or you, or anyone else has a problem with that, then you should all go to the next meeting and convince your condo association to reinstate assigned parking.
I want to come back to this statement. It’s not true. Jane has parked in your spot, you’ve parked in her spot, someone else parked in your spot. I’m guessing many people park in the same place out of habit, maybe even ‘most’ respect the old space assignments, but if this condo has a good amount of people in it, there’s likely plenty of other tiffs just like yours going on.
I know I mentioned earlier that you should talk to the association, but honestly, I’d say just park wherever. There are no assigned spots and haven’t been for years.
If you just ignore it and park where ever you want, people will get over it soon enough since the association no longer cares.
If you can see your car from your condo, maybe point a camera at it. After leaving notes on your car and painting over your number, it wouldn’t surprise me if Jane escalated to damaging your car.
Jumping in on DCnDC’s passive aggressive warfare. Go get your own spray paint. Spray your number back where it was and then spray your number in her spot as well. Two for you, none for her. [But, no, don’t do that]
Hire a towing service, to randomly move every car in the lot to a different space in the dead of night. If anyone asks you about it, blame it on terrorists, and insinuate that Jane is the ringleader.
Then, when the Department of Homeland Security shows up, tell them that Jane is blacking out selected numbers as a way to send coded messages to spy satellites in cooperation with the Yemeni secret resistance. Then when they drag Jane away in handcuffs to an undisclosed location, use the large cash reward you will get to buy orange parking cones, and a lawn chair. Sit in the lawn chair and use the traffic cones as speaking trumpets to warn others not to use your parking spot, because that’s where the cosmic conjunction will occur and violators will be towed to the eleventh dimension where demons will use them as combination pastry chefs and sex slaves.
Or, you could ask the association to re-implement the assigned parking policy. With land mines.
I would give the benefit of doubt to Jane for the painted number. I’d also continue to use the current system of parking where ever you can. No more leaving notes and ignore any left.
How many spots are there total?
Do you have options like a guest lot or street parking if there are no spots available?
What reason was given for dropping the assigned spaces?
I lived in an apartment building in Philadelphia for 4 years. My first week there I returned home to find a car parked in my assigned spot. I made a call and had the car towed. Turns out the apartment management person had “inadvertently” assigned the spot to two renters, and they ended up paying the guy’s fees for getting his car returned.
A few weeks later I came home to a car parked in my spot. I made a call and had it towed. Over the course of my four year stay there I had 8 cars towed.
I’m just a bit curious about the Association’s decision to do away with the assigned parking spaces. In some condos, the parking space is part of the private space associated with the condo itself, not part of the common space, and therefor the condo owner owns that space.
Would be interesting to check what your deed and the fundamental condo document says on this point.
Not meant as legal advice, of course. Just curious if the fundamental condo document and the deed address this point.
