He Received A Fine For Changing The Oil On His Car At His Apartment Building, So He Retaliated By Getting His Neighbor’s Car Towed

Jayne Elliott

3 months ago

Source: Reddit/AITA/Pexels/Sami Aksu

Living next to neighbors who won’t mind their own business can be super annoying.

It can be even worse in an apartment building with a neighbor who goes out of her way to report any minor offenses.

That’s exactly what happens in today’s story, but the twist is that one neighbor reports HER and wonders if he went too far.

Let’s see how the story plays out…

AITAH for getting an old lady’s car towed because she reported me to our property manager?

I [25M] was doing an oil change on my car in the back parking lot of my apartment complex. I wasn’t in anyone’s way and it takes maybe 30 minutes. I clean up after myself.

It’s technically not “allowed” but who cares. I’m paying $3,000 a month.

I’m not the only one who does it either. I’ve seen others spending hours on their cars out there.

An older lady came up to him while he was doing an oil change.

Anyway, this older lady (idk 70s?) moved upstairs above me.

She’s a Karen. Constantly in everyone’s business and complaining about the dumbest stuff.

She walked all the way over to me with her crusty white dog and asked if I know it’s “against the rules” to do mechanics on your car in the lot.

I’m like “oh no I had no idea.”

The older lady reported him to the property manager.

She angrily said she’ll report me and called me disrespectful.

I just ignored her and finished up.

I see her speed walking over to the property manager’s office.

Next day I get a fine for $20 wedged in my door saying they received “an anonymous report” I was working on my car.

The property manager apologized to OP.

I was mad.

The property manager, Dan (40’s ?M) has rode over on his golf cart to chat with me while I was working on it in the past. He’s very chill and doesn’t care about most of the policies unless you are committing a crime or actively disturbing the peace.

He apologized, said he unfortunately has to do it once someone puts in an official complaint, since his bosses will see it. They’ll make a big stink if it’s not dealt with.

He told me he personally doesn’t care. He suggested I to do it late at night when it’s past Karen’s bedtime.

OP decided to file a complaint about Karen.

I was kinda fed up with her at this point.

I asked if I can make an official report that “someone” has a car in the lot that has had expired tags for the last month. (Karen’s husband’s car. He just had surgery so they haven’t been able to get it renewed at the DMV I guess).

Dan started laughing and was like “oh man really? that’s devious brother.”

I said yeah put that in.

Karen’s car was towed.

Our state gives the right for private property owners to tow any car with expired tags without notice.

The car was towed the same day and she flipped out.

It was hilarious.

The cherry on top was Dan informing her he couldn’t do anything because they had received an “official complaint.”

Karen was so upset she was crying.

I and a lot of neighbors are nosy and watched the whole debacle outside.

I piped up and said it’s unfortunate how “some people need to learn to mind their own business and chill with the reporting.”

She started crying. Saying she doesn’t have the money to get it back since it’s $300 total. Too many bills with the surgery. Oops.

OP is wondering if he went too far by reporting her.

I told my buddies. They think it’s hilarious, but I’ve also heard some of my friends call me a major a**h*** and went too far since she’s old and taking care of her husband. They said $300 was overkill when I was only fined $20.

Whatever. I think she had it coming.

She was constantly reporting people for the dumbest things. I mean she screamed at little kids for coloring chalk on the sidewalk since it’s “against the rules.”

She also reported a teenager for keeping his bicycle on his balcony instead of the bike rack (it gets rusty out there with the rain). He’s had is up there for years and never was a problem before she moved in.

She’s been staying inside for the most part since, so no new reports have come in either. I kinda feel bad since she still hasn’t gotten the car out of the impound though.

AITAH?

This almost seems more like a petty revenge story until the part where the older neighbor can’t afford to get her car back. It definitely sounds like she learned her lesson though. She shouldn’t have been reporting people for minor offenses when she was breaking the rules.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story…

Here’s the perspective of another old lady…