Most people don’t mind giving up a parking space when someone genuinely needs it.

That’s exactly how this homeowner felt after a neighbor requested a handicap parking space for a child with a disability.

As a result, the town converted one of just 14 street parking spaces into a reserved handicap spot directly in front of the homeowner’s house.

At first, there wasn’t much to complain about.

But then, the neighbor started parking in an off-street space next door instead, leaving the handicap space empty much of the time.

Before long, the homeowner started questioning why everyone else had to compete for fewer parking spaces while the reserved spot often sat unused.

Let’s take a look at the full story.

Handicap Parking Complaint

I live on a small street in a densely populated tourist town.

Out of 14 on-street parking spaces, 3 are now handicap spots.

My neighbor (a renter) sued their landlord in court when they tried to sell the property, citing their child’s disability. They then added a handicap parking space directly in front of my home.

So, here’s the problem.

My neighbor does not use the handicap space. Instead, they consistently park in an off-street parking space next door at a vacant property.

Their child also spends about 50% of the time at the other parent’s home. My neighbor is out of town during the child’s absence at their partner’s home. AKA: The handicap parking spot eliminated street parking, is often empty, and isn’t even being used by the person it was issued for when they are here.

I need either advice or just a place to vent my frustration.

Eek! It’s easy to see why this person is so frustrated.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who reported some missionaries after frustration over lack of parking boils over.

Let’s see what the people over at Reddit would do about it.

Ouch. Here’s a different way to look at it.

Here’s a good place to start.

According to this comment, he needs to make sure it belongs there.

Yet another reader who suggest contacting the city.

This sounds like a frustrating situation, especially when the homeowner has to deal with it every day.

The first step would probably be talking to the city to find out whether anything can be done before taking things any further.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, the homeowner may have to start documenting when the handicap space sits empty while the neighbor parks somewhere else and see whether there’s enough evidence to challenge the designation.

Hopefully it doesn’t come to that because nobody wants to end up in court over a parking space. Still, it’s easy to understand why losing street parking in front of a home would wear on someone over time.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a homeowner who responded to an HOA violation letter by investigating the bylaws and having the whole board removed.