There are some situations in life that are really inconvenient but there’s simply no way to avoid them forever.

For example, imagine living in a condo complex with a parking lot that needs to be repaved.

It would be really annoying to have to move your car for awhile, but it’s important to have a parking lot surface that is safe and not crumbling and full of pot holes.

In this story, one person who lives in a condo complex is so upset that the parking lot is going to be repaved that they try to get the fire department to prevent the work from being done.

That really backfires.

Let’s read the whole story to see what happens.

Be Careful What You Wish For, The Fire Inspector May Cite You Instead

So first, a bit of backstory.

Several years ago I inherited my mother’s condo after my grandmother, her mother passed.

After my mother’s death a few years later, I decided to rent it out.

The condo is part of a complex that is roughly 50 years old.

Think garden courtyard style, with 2-story buildings built around an open courtyard, with parking outside.

It is pretty nice, particularly when the HOA keeps up the maintenance and landscaping.

Here’s a bit of context about the different owners.

The units are owned by a combination of individual residents, absentee owners like myself, and one company that owns the bulk of the units.

The company changes hands from time to time but effectively controls the complex because they own so many units.

Generally, they choose a good management company, and right now the property manager is very proactive and looks out for the residents, owners and tenants alike.

With that out of the way…

Some annoying things are necessary.

Being roughly 50 years old, it is time to pave the parking lots again.

The management company hires a paving company and sets up a plan to pave each lot in turn, and make sure all the residents are notified well in advance so they can move their cars.

An annoying process, but paving always is and the lots are in dire need of being paved.

And again, the management company is over-communicating, trying to make sure everyone moves their car, no one gets towed, and the paving stays on schedule.

There’s always that one person who has to complain.

Well, someone apparently isn’t too happy about all this. So they decide to call the Fire Department and report the paving for blocking access in the event of a fire.

Judging by correspondence from the management company, they never bothered to speak with the on-site manager and address the issue.

Of course, the Fire Department sends out an Inspector.

The Inspector checks out the property and sees it matches with what was already submitted to avoid any issues and everything is good to go.

Except…

But the inspector finds other problems.

City ordinance prohibits grills, fire pits, tiki torches, and other open flames on condo/apartment balconies.

And of course, lots and lots of units have one or all of the above.

So the Fire Inspector kindly tells the Property Manager and gives the residents a chance to remove the violating items and that he will be back to cite anyone who still has one.

So, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

It’s too bad that one person complained, but the inspector is just doing his job.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person knows that inspections can backfire.

Wow. I guess grills on balconies really are a bad idea.

Here are the rules in one city.

The inspector could’ve given more than a warning.

Safety first!

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.