Neighbor Leo parks on man’s lawn for shade during southwest US summer heat, offers and gets upset when refused: ‘Next day there's a 5 dollar bill taped to my front door with a note that says this week’s shade rent’

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Jan 30, 2026 8:00 PM EST

A neighbor starts parking his car on the edge of a shared sidewalk under a big shade tree, leaving tire tracks on the lawn and sparking a feud over who gets to use nature's cooling.

The tree isn't just a decoration. It's a lifeline in a place where summer means 110 degrees and shade is as rare as rain. The neighbor, whose own driveway bakes all day, sees the patch of cool grass as a public resource, like sunlight or rainfall. He parks there, leaves tire marks, sometimes blocks bins or the mailbox, and when asked to stop, argues that shade is a community good. When offered "tree rent," it's meant as a joke, but it doesn't change the fact that the car is still on the lawn.

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  • sedan parked near green palm tree during daytime
    via Mike Von

  • AITJ for not letting my neighbor park on my lawn to use my trees shade

    I live in the southwest US where summers are brutal. Like 110 degrees every day brutal.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606

  • The tension isn’t the money or a five-dollar bill taped to the door. It’s the boundaries. The tree grows on private property, and the shade it casts isn’t a public amenity. The neighbor’s argument is that nature’s gifts should be shared, but sharing doesn’t mean trespassing. The lawn isn’t a parking lot, and the mailbox isn’t a toll booth. The line between generosity and entitlement is thin, but it’s real.

  • I have a big tree in my front yard that casts a huge patch of shade on the sidewalk and a bit of the street from late morning through the afternoon.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • My neighbor Leo doesnt have any trees. His driveway gets full sun all day. Last month during a really bad heatwave he started parking his car partially on the edge of my lawn under the tree.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • Not fully in my yard but enough to leave tire tracks in my grass and sometimes block my trash bins or mailbox.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • I asked him nicely to stop. He got kind of weird about it. Said I dont own the shade and if the tree naturally covers public. space he should be able to use it like its sunlight or rain.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • White car parked outside a modern residential home with a landscaped garden
    via Vladimir Razguliaev

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Then he said half joking that if I really had a problem hed pay me tree rent for the shade
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • I laughed it off. Next day theres a 5 dollar bill taped to my front door with a note that says this weeks shade rent thanks.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • And he kept parking there. I told him again I dont want his car on my lawn at all and the money doesnt change that.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • Now hes mad. Says Im being uptight and most people would share something nature gives them during extreme weather.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • His wife even posted on nextdoor saying some neighbors are selfish about community cooling. Im like 99 percent sure thats about me.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606

  • The wife’s post on the neighborhood board adds another layer, turning a personal disagreement into a public debate about selfishness and community spirit. The truth is, some people will always see their needs as more urgent than someone else’s rules. The real issue isn’t the heat or the shade. It’s the expectation that everyone else should bend to make life easier for them.

  • AITJ for not letting my neighbor rent my trees shade?
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606

  • Natural resources ceased to be up for grabs when civilization started allowing private property, and I’m pretty sure the neighbor’s parking habits aren’t part of bringing humanity back to its hunter-gatherer roots. Even when the sun is blazing, someone’s property is someone’s property. Some people will always try to claim what isn’t theirs, and some will always say no. The real test isn’t the weather. It’s who gets to decide what’s fair.

  • Odd_Tea4945 NTJ The issue is not the shade, but the damage to YOUR lawn. Yes, you don't owe the shade, but you do owe the lawn What Leo can do is get a tent to put in his driveway so his car is covered
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • AmazingSetting3838 NTJ at all. Dude's literally damaging your property and thinks throwing a fiver at you makes it okay? The audacity Imao His wife posting on Nextdoor is peak passive aggressive neighbor behavior too. Maybe Leo should invest in an umbrella or plant his own damn tree instead of trying to colonize your lawn
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • Weary_Challenge_8598 Is this Al ?? "Summers are brutal" its January.. "Last month during a really bad heatwave". A heat wave in December? Ive lived in the south, a few states (born in NC).. we've never had a heatwave in December or a brutal summer in January Edit before replying to my comment READ THE FIRST SENTENCE that clearly states OPs location! Thank you
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • Hey-Just-Saying Isn't this a repost with a few added details thrown in?
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • petie 1223 NTJ. He could buy himself one of those portable cart ports. Lowe's and HD sell them for about $150. Problem solved. You should post tow signs and the next time he does it, have his car towed.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • BellClear6349 NTJ the audacity of taping 5 dollars to your door like that makes it okay to park on your law
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • Miss_Bobbiedoll He can buy one of those shades doe his front windshield. Have him towed.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • Piscivore_67 This is old. Like maybe a year or more.
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606
  • Scared-Sprinkles-529 This has got to be either a fake or stolen post. It's January. Last month was not summer in any southern US state. Found the post! https://www.reddit.com/r/AITH/s/9JaPXVAK9t
    via Otherwise-Jump-7606

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hoa neighbors neighborhood-drama petty revenge pay back parking entitled people
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