24 November 2023 , 15:30
727
0
A man has threatened to try to have his neighbour's business shut down because their clients keep stealing his parking spaces – but social-media users have warned him that while he is right to want the parking issue solved, bringing her business into it is wrong.
Posting on Reddit, the man said that he and his wife only moved into their new property a couple of months ago and noticed their neighbour was running a daycare service from her home. He said this did not bother them until they found that the parents of the children being picked up at the end of the day were parking in their spots.
He added that due to the parking situation and that he is sure that their neighbour running her business in her own home is a breach of the rules covering what a house in the area can be used for, he wants to report her and get her business closed.
The man said: "My wife and I moved into a townhouse in September that has shared resident parking (no driveways). The neighbour a few doors down runs a daycare out of her townhouse during the week. Initially, we did not mind it, but lately at pick-up parents are taking all of the parking spots. My wife gets home from work around pick-up time and sometimes has to wait five-10 minutes for a spot to open up at our house.
"We've spoken with our neighbour who runs the daycare twice and politely asked her to address this, but it is still happening. On the second occasion a few of the parents nearby overheard and were quite rude with us. It's a violation of our Home Owner's Association's (HOA) rules to run a daycare out of your residence. Would I be wrong if I reported the daycare to the HOA and had it shut down?"
London flat for rent for £1,400 a month with bed tucked away in kitchen cupboard
Other users of the site were almost unequivocal in saying that he had a right to be angry, but involving her business was not the way to go. One comment read: "Totally not a fan of HOA's, but they exist to handle an issue like this. I would not try to get the daycare shut down, but send your concerns to the HOA that parking is an issue and let them sort it out. If the HOA decides to shut it down, that is on them. You just want to park in one of the spots you are paying for."
Another advised: "Not wrong to expect to be able to park at your house when there's a lot for residents. Don't request that her business be shut down, don't mention it at all. File complaints (every single time, in writing, with pictures, and time/date) with the HOA for each time your lot is full and you can't park. Insist that these vehicles are not resident vehicles and appear to be visitors to unit number."
While another added: "That's it. They are creating an issue with parking. Parking in a shared residential lot is an HOA issue. They have whatever rules and regulations and they will investigate if there are consistent complaints. If they find her running an illegal business that needs to be shut down, then they do. Whatever. That's not your issue. Your issue is not the noise, the kids, or the people dropping off/picking up. It's just the parking. Keep it about the parking, and you're not wrong."
However, another said: "If your neighbour has enough kids that there is a five-10-minute wait to park in your driveway due to the amount of parents picking the kids up, I'm going to guess there are more than the allowed amount. That also doesn't get into running an unlicensed business from your house (residential not commercial zoning), any insurance they're supposed to carry, the list goes on.
"And while the law is probably there to let people watch kids, basically babysitting, most states have a definite distinction between someone watching kids during the day and making money, and actively advertising as a business without a licence, etc."