If you live in a city, you know that parking can be an absolute nightmare.

For people who live in buildings without designated spaces, coming home at the end of a long day and not having anywhere to park has to be beyond frustrating.

OP’s family owned a block of apartments. They had enough room in their parking lot for all of the tenants, but no one else.

This happened around 20 years ago. Our family owned two apartment buildings, three units each. We lived in two of them, rented out the other four.

There’s nothing but these “three-flats” lining both sides of the road for about a mile. Not all have parking. On the side streets are houses and very little street parking.

We had more land than most of these units – since it was also our home. So we had parking for around 16 cars. Everything was fine for literally decades.

They tried to get the police involved when the spots started filling up, but they said they couldn’t do anything.

Then cars started appearing in our parking lot that were not our tenants. I blocked one in one day. Went outside to see this jerk drove through our bushes and across the yard to get out.

I called the cops – nothing they could do. So I called a tow company and had them put up signs. We’d have to call them to have a car towed – the signs seemed to work. No more random cars.

Tow trucks worked…until it was a snowy holiday and they were backed up.

Until New Years eve one year. I arrive home and every space is filled. There are even cars on the street blocking in the other cars. I’m beyond mad.

I call the tow company – they can’t do anything for a few hours because they are so busy.

We’re in the Chicago suburbs. It’s below zero out. I have an idea.

So, OP took matters (and a warm hose) into his own hands.

I dig out the lawn sprinklers and hoses. I run one hose inside to the laundry room faucet and turn on the hot water. This way the hose and sprinklers won’t ice up.

But the cars and ground sure did. Three sprinklers, moved every half hour or so. For almost five hours.

Every car, every square inch of the parking lot, the street by the cars, encased in ice. I made it a point to spray ice IN the locks, between the window seals and glass. In the grills.

Put away the sprinklers and hoses, went to bed. 4am, furious pounding on the doors, doorbells ringing non-stop.

We just smiled and called the cops. Waited until they arrived and went outside.

Towing was the only way those cars were moving.

Cops were holding back laughter.

These people were told to park here by their “friend” who owned an apartment several buildings away. The same idiot who drove over our bushes.

I pointed to the tow sign and told the people to move their cars or get towed. In our town cops can ticket on private property with the owner’s permission.

So all cars were ticketed. They were also towed, since nobody could get in their vehicle. Wish we had it on video.

Reddit? Your move!

Evil and hilarious is a great combination.

There’s an extra layer of understanding here.

And this is why.

Yeah, I’m going to pass.

They figure OP probably did them a favor in the long run.

This is just poetic.

I wish there was video or pictures, too.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.