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The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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AITAH for saying no to neighbor’s car in my driveway indefinitely?
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The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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While it's great to have a relaxed and, well, communal relationship with your neighbors and your community, you also don't want to be too much of a pushover. Being a good community member is not the same thing as just being a people pleaser at all costs. It's nice to do things for other people, but you shouldn't be afraid to say no if you feel you have a good enough reason.
Beyond the interpersonal relationships at play. When it comes to your property, there are also legal considerations to be made. It's an unfortunate fact of life that some people are supremely opportunistic, and you never know when things might go wrong, and someone might feel incentivized to hold you accountable for something happening to them, or their possessions, on your property.
It's completely fair to ask to park somewhere on someone's property if they have the space and you have a relationship with them. We used to do this with our neighbors reciprocally when we were growing up, when either of us was having large family gatherings.
When it comes to cars and the parking of them, it is a considerable cause of strife in any community. You'll find that sometimes you end up with neighbors who have more cars than they have common sense, and they'll first feel entitled to all of the public parking space around their house, and then will end up wanting to park on their neighbor's property too. While most of us would probably feel shame at doing something like this, some people don't have it.
This homeowner found themself in a difficult situation when their neighbor asked if their son's girlfriend could park her car in their driveway during major snowstorms. They have always allowed this; however, the last time there was a "major" snowstorm, they wound up with her car abandoned on their property for the entire month afterward. Despite having the space, they still were plenty inconvenienced by the unwelcome vehicle, which made things a bit tight for their family getting in and out of their own cars in their driveway.
This was one thing, though, but afterward the neighbor approached them, asking if they could continue to park the car there. Maybe this request was fair enough at a point. The neighbor probably figured that it was a non-issue since they weren't "using" the space anyway, and the car had already been there for a month, but even asking this is a level of audacity that is hard to imagine. Still, the homeowner needs to set clear expectations and draw a line in the sand here somewhere when things first begin to bother them.
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