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Imagine living in a townhome community where there are multiple parking lots. One small parking lot is really close to your townhouse, but there aren’t enough parking spots for everyone who lives in that part of the community, meaning that someone is going to end up having to park far away and walk.

What would you do if a neighbor who lived further away and closer to a different parking lot started parking in your small parking lot? Would you accept that this neighbor has the right to park there since the parking spots aren’t assigned, or would you ask the neighbor to park closer to his own townhome so it leaves these spots free for the neighbors who live in that area?

In this story, one woman in dealing with this exact situation. She eventually confronted the neighbor who is parking there and asked why he parks there instead of closer to his own home.

He never answered the question, but he made it clear that he didn’t like the question. Now, she’s wondering if she was wrong to even talk to him.

Keep reading for the whole story.

AITA for asking a neighbor to park closer to his own house?

We live in a townhouse. It’s on the first of nine rows of townhouses. There are entrances to both sides.

One road down has parking on both sides, and a larger parking lot attached about halfway down around rows 5-6.

The road on my side only has parking on side.

This would be annoying.

For my row there is a grand total of 5 parking spots for 7 houses.

There are three families with small children (us included), a woman on disability because of back issues, and three elderly people.

In total we all have 6 cars for the 5 spots.

Someone always had to park about 500 meters away at a gravel overflow parking lot.

This is odd.

About a year ago, our postman moved into our complex on row 7. He started parking his car by our row (1). He starts work and gets off early so he’s always home in time to nab one of the spots.

All the neighbors on our row constantly speculate as to why he parks so far from his own house, especially as he is by the large lot where there is always plenty of spots.

Some think it’s so he can smoke a cigarette p the way home, some think it’s to get his steps in, others think he just wants to be as close to the exit as possible.

It’s too bad this rule can’t be enforced.

The resident board has asked everyone to park as close to their own house as possible, and sent out a map of where each row should be parking. However they can’t enforce anything as there is technically no assigned parking.

One neighbor has already pointed the rule out to him but was ignored.

So the other day i was pulling in right behind him and he pulls into the last spot on our row. I had the kids, bags from daycare, a stroller, and a box to carry in and I had to go park at the gravel lot and make multiple trips carrying everything. Again.

I saw him walking to his car while I was taking out the trash and finally asked him why he parks so far from his own house. I told him we all actively wonder and discuss it on our row as it inconveniences the rest of us (especially our disabled neighbor).

He didn’t like that question at all.

He blew up saying he has the right to park anywhere he wants.

I said he has the technical right but that the board has asked us to avoid this and it’s really inconsiderate to us since we have fewer spaces than all the other rows.

He called me a lazy jerk for not wanting to park half a kilometer from my house.

She explained why this seems unfair.

I told him I don’t understand why we all should have to park further from our houses because he wants to park further from his own.

He made an angry post on the Facebook group.

One of my neighbors said I shouldn’t have confronted him (because he’s our postman), while the others are grateful. I dunno if I should have just kept my mouth shut.

AITA?

Why does he want to park so far from his own home? Could he at least answer the question?

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

Here’s some good advice.

Another person reassures her that she didn’t do anything wrong.

This person blames the neighborhood.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about neighbors who were sick of their hedge getting demolished, so they put a surprise inside.

Maybe assigned parking would be the way to go.

Saying nothing doesn’t solve the problem. Speaking up doesn’t always solve the problem either, but it’s a step in the right direction.

It’s so odd that the neighbor wants to park far away from his home especially when he knows that he’s inconveniencing his neighbors who live closer to the small parking lot.

It’s too bad they don’t have a bigger parking lot or assigned parking spots.