Twenty years in a neighborhood usually earns you a little grace, but new neighbors don’t always know that yet.

One longtime homeowner found herself in an awkward spot after her husband received a rude windshield note from the new neighbors renting across the street, demanding he stop parking in front of their house.

The catch is that he’d only ever parked there occasionally, and always on a completely public street where legally anyone can park.

Her husband wanted to go over and clarify the situation directly, but she worried that conversation could easily go sideways.

Keep reading to find out what Reddit had to say.

Parking in front of “their” house

This is kind of a mild problem that I don’t want to turn into a major issue and wanted some advice on how to handle.

The homeowner sets the scene.

We own our house and have lived in the neighborhood for almost 20 years and know most people on our street. There is a rental across the street that just got new tenants.

They have their own routine when it comes to parking.

My husband usually parks in our driveway unless he is home before I am, when he will either park on the street on “our” side or on the opposite side in front of the new neighbor’s house, depending on which direction he comes from. (I use the garage, which I cannot get into if he is in the driveway.)

That’s when they received quite the rude awakening.

Last night he received a note on his windshield that said, “People live here now, don’t park in front of our house.”

This didn’t sit right with these homeowners.

I know that the easy solution is to not park there anymore, but my husband feels (and he is right) that it is a public street and anyone can park wherever they want.

He wants to talk with them and explain this, but I am pretty sure it won’t go over well.

Well, this neighbor doesn’t sound like the most reasonable person.

What did Reddit have to say?

If they don’t tread carefully, it could ignite an all-out turf war.

This user shares their two cents.

This user recommends getting petty with it.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this postabout a man who installs a fence after his neighbors cut a property line rope and move a canoe.

Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean you have to like it.

Nobody wants beef with new neighbors over something as small as a parking spot, but backing down over an incorrect assumption isn’t really the answer either.

The husband is completely right that street parking is public, and an aggressive note isn’t exactly acting in good faith to get off on the right foot with your new neighbors.

A calm, friendly conversation could clear this up in minutes, as long as it’s approached like a chat between neighbors instead of a legal debate.

Sometimes you just have to be the bigger person.