A man living in an apartment block with one parking space per lease recently refused to give up his space for a new disabled neighbor who needed two spots, prompting a parking battle. Here’s what he had to say.
Parking Was Scarce
Living in a bustling urban area with no on-street parking, the convenience of a designated parking spot within the building’s garage was a luxury the man cherished.
The male tenant had chosen his apartment specifically for the parking privilege, even paying a 30% premium over similar accommodations. In his opinion, it was well worth the extra money.
The Manager Requested His Spot
The man continued, “Two weeks ago, the apartment manager came to talk to me and asked if I would be willing to give up my spot since a disabled woman was moving in.”
The man happily agreed to switch. However, the manager quickly corrected him; the new tenant had a specially modified van with a power ramp, requiring two parking spaces for accessibility. The manager was asking him to give up his spot entirely to accommodate the new tenant.
He Didn’t Want To Lose It
While sympathetic to the newcomer’s situation, the man highlighted a significant point: the parking spot was included in his lease agreement.
In addition, the garage layout and the one-space-per-apartment rule made it impossible to simply “create” a new space without inconveniencing another resident. The manager offered to reduce his rent as a trade-off for the parking spot, but he promptly declined.
She Repeatedly Woke Him Up
Soon after their conversation, the man found the disabled woman’s van parked in the space next to his. For the next few days, she would call him early in the morning, requesting him to move his car to accommodate her.
“The next morning (a Saturday), she called me at 5:30 a.m. I told her she had to be kidding. I went down and told her that I would appreciate it if she didn’t call before 8:30 a.m.,” he related.
She Deliberately Blocked His Space
The man’s annoyance at being woken up so early led to an argument, with the woman admonishing him for not being more understanding of her disability and parking situation.
That evening, the situation escalated when he arrived home to discover the woman’s van parked partially in his space, preventing him from parking.
He Got Her Towed
When the man called his neighbor to protest, she was unapologetic. She asserted that he would now know the frustration of not having another person’s vehicle moved in a timely fashion when needed.
Furious, he gave her 5 minutes to come down, or he would call a tow truck. She called his bluff and didn’t appear, resulting in her van being towed after 30 minutes.
They Came Knocking
The fallout was severe, with the man receiving enraged phone calls involving a lot of screaming and insults, to which he promptly hung up the phone each time.
Finally, both the woman and the apartment manager knocked on his door to confront him. She accused him of being insensitive and entitled while he firmly stood by his rights as defined in his lease agreement.
It Wasn’t His Fault
The man suspected that the disabled woman had been promised accommodation for her vehicle when that simply wasn’t possible within the building’s current car lot. He told the manager it was his responsibility to fix the problem, not his.
He added, “I feel bad. There aren’t any extra spots. It’s one per apartment. This isn’t her fault, but it isn’t mine either.”
Was He Inflexible?
Although the tenant felt sympathy for the woman, he didn’t appreciate her subsequent actions and couldn’t see why he should be penalized for her needs. Still, he pondered if he was in the wrong for not going out of his way to help her a bit more.
Unsure of his moral position, he shared the tale online and asked the online community for their take on the matter. Was his stance justified or unnecessarily selfish?
The Internet Responded
One person stated, “NTA, this is on your apartment manager for making her a promise he can’t keep. It’s not, and never was your problem.”
Another poster thought, “The only AH here is the person who lied to the woman about a suitable parking spot for her. It sounds like she signed the lease, and then they realized there wasn’t anything suitable. You’ve been more than patient with her, but it isn’t your responsibility.”
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