'I had proof I was within my rights': Tenant turns parking spot she can't use into rentable space after manager insists she has to pay up

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 25, 2023 11:00 AM EDT

A $25 per month bill inspired this woman to get creative with her parking spot. 

It's great to have an apartment building where you can park your car in a garage or a parking lot. It saves you the hassle of having to fight for a spot, and if you can park indoors, you'll never have to wipe snow and ice off your vehicle again. And don't even get me started about having to move your car when the street cleaner comes around, which some cities make you do monthly. Yes, there's a lot of be gained from having your own parking spot… but only if you actually have a car to put there. 

If that seems like common sense, it wasn't to this OP's building manager. As u/eGrant03 shared to r/maliciouscompliance, she had a very old car that suddenly died. Without transportation, the OP began to figure out her life sans car. But the one thing she couldn't figure out was why she was still getting a monthly fee to own a parking spot. Although she kept reminding the manager that she literally had nothing to park in said spot, the manager kept conveniently forgetting to take the cost off the OP's bill. So the OP shrugged her shoulders, and just rolled with the punches. I bet the building manager won't make that same mistake twice. 

Up next, these people got ratio'd on Twitter, and we've got the screen grabs to prove it. 

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  • 01
    Font - Can't remove the charge? Well, I'll just use it then LOC In the early 2000s when I first moved out on my own, I rented from a complex that charged you for assigned parking. It was an upcharge of $25 a month. If you didn't get assigned parking, you would have to fight for a space on the street. My apartment was in the back of the complex and I was getting over a recent knee and ankle injury, so I opted for paid parking that was relatively close to my front door. My car was a junker, 3 year
    via u/eGrant03
  • 02
    Font - About 3 months into my lease, my car went to the great scrapheap in the sky. I had gotten used to the local transit system and discovered a nearby store would drop off groceries for me. This was long before Walmart and other stores started doing it, so it was cheaper than figuring a month's supplies on the bus. So I opted not to replace the car and utilize the bus pass my work reimbursed me for. I went to my leasing office and told them I no longer needed the space, and would you please r
    via u/eGrant03
  • 03
    Font - Same girl. She said she was awaiting word from higher ups and offered me a credit for the charge as a one-time courtesy. I reminded her that I no longer owned a car -- I hadn't just changed my mind. I told her that the space had been empty for close to a month now and that I won't be utilizing it. She said she understood "loud and clear" and would get it sorted by next month.
    via u/eGrant03
  • 04
    Font - 3 days before rent was due, she finally got back to me. Apparently, it was in my lease and couldn't be removed without breaking the lease and signing a new one. Even if I didn't move out, the lease breaking and initiation fees would be charged to me, and my rent would go up to the new current market value. This would be over a thousand dollars, so not an option for someone freshly on their own. I kept the parking space on the lease.
    via u/eGrant03
  • 05
    Font - 3 weeks later, I was reviewing my lease to get the phone number for maintenance, and noticed the clause for the parking space. Essentially, I could park "a motorcycle, scooter such as vespa, car, truck, suv, or trailer" in the space. Gears were TURNING! For me to be in compliance, I had to have wheels on anything parked in my space. So I went to my local version of Craigslist and found a wheeled container similar to a shipping container. It wasn't cheap but it was worth every cent. The co
    via u/eGrant03
  • 06
    Font - He was happy for the arrangement and paid several months in advance. The complex put several tow stickers for "out of compliance" on the trailer, but I called the Tow Company and faxed them a copy of the lease where it says trailers are allowed. The container was registered with the county as a utility trailer, so there's nothing they could do. They tried to fine me for improper parking, but again, I had proof I was within my rights. They even offered to remove the charge for parking on m
    via u/eGrant03
  • 07
    Font - I stayed 18 months, and sold the trailer to my neighbor when I moved out. He had to rent a car to relocate it to his assigned space, but he said it was worth the couple hundred he paid. He ended up saving over $1000 a year renting from me. Other neighbors even started bringing in their own containers too, even if it meant getting a second space. Sheds were being vacated at such a large volume, the complex tried to give them away at 6 months free. Few took them up on it. The complex amende
    via u/eGrant03
  • 08
    Font - I drove by the facility 2 years or so after I moved out, going to a friends for Thanksgiving. The complex had been sold to a new owner and changed their name. But wouldn't you know, there were still about a dozen wheeled shipping containers parked in the lot.
    via u/eGrant03
  • 09
    Font - EDIT as there's some confusion and people are fighting: The trailer was small. Think of 4 dog kennels in a 2x2 configuration. You could fit a table and chairs in there but you'd scape the ceiling. It was in rough shape. This was back when the dollar store (not Dollar Tree) sold spray paint, and I took care of repainting it myself. I negotiated drop off to the complex from the seller, and with the spray paint and delivery, I think I was out like $700. Keep in mind, this is not the massive
    via u/eGrant03
  • 10
    Font - Registering the trailer was super- dooper cheap; like around $30 and possibly even less. When I sold it to my neighbor, I got $300 or so for it. I took a loss, but without a car, I didn't want it and he approached me first when he found out I was moving. There were a number of colleges and universities near where I rented. Most leases banned subleasing, but lease change overs were commonplace. You go to the complex and tell management, "I'm done renting here, but instead of breaking the l
    via u/eGrant03
  • 11
    Font - am uncertain. I wasn't privy to those decisions. All I know is 2 years later, they were no longer "XYZ Complex," but under a different name and a dozen or so trailers still remained. As for the 18 months I stayed, 1 year in a lease, 6 months at month- to-month. In my state, addendums to leases require you to enter into a new leasing term and that was not gonna happen. IDR if they charged a month-to-month fee if I didn't renew my lease as it was close to 20 years ago. I've been month to mo
    via u/eGrant03
  • 12
    Font - Some places charge one, some don't. Rent can still go up, but changes to the lease that are "substantial" cannot take place unless I sign a new lease agreement. I have had to look up laws and advocate for myself a lot because of BS like this. The tow company was mom and pop. They were not predatory and I knew that multiple illegal tows could get their license pulled. The minute that first tow sign went up, I was practically shoving my paperwork down their face. No way that could play the
    via u/eGrant03
  • 13
    Font - Finally, storage sheds or units are required by my state to be month to month. It's a state law that goes back to at least the 1980s, and I have had to memorize a lot of laws regarding storage for my job. So, the apartment couldn't force anyone to keep their sheds, so my neighbor cancelled at the end of his next month. Great guy. Lived in a 3 bed with a set of twins -- 1 boy, 1 girl.
    via u/eGrant03
  • 14
    Font - Avyitis +2 That my friend is a job well done. Not only have you given them the triple middle finger, you've also helped out a ton of people over several rental generations. You may and should be happy for the way you dealt with this and for all the people that have benefited rightfully from your actions.
    via u/Avyitis
  • 15
    Font - isdelightful I love everything about this. Well done!
    via u/isdelightful
  • 16
    Font - FaustsAccountant. Yeah I love how it's "rules are rules" until it's suddenly "wait! Sir. SIr!!"
    via u/FaustsAccountant
  • 17
    Gesture - soundengineerguy. This just may be the second best MC I've ever seen here. Well done!
    via u/soundengineerguy
  • 18
    Font - fa9 +1 its like you tipped over a domino, and a dozen more followed 262 eGrant03 OP Reply Share I like that analogy. It's very accurate.
    via u/fa9
  • 19
    Font - BlueKnight87125 "If you're gonna keep charging me for something I don't need, I might as well find a use for it." 377 eGrant03 OP Reply Share My point exactly. I had recently watched an HGTV show where a guy turns a box into a house, so when I saw trailers, I knew I had to find a way to make the space work for me.
    via u/BlueKnight87125

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parking space parking lot malicious compliance lease malicious-compliance-reddit petty revenge petty parking apartment
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