Neighbor's girlfriend repeatedly parks car on homeowner's driveway, neighbor protests when they ask her to stop: 'The space is empty most of the time'

Is a neighbor entitled to somebody's private space just because they don't use it?

People who can't help but make their mark on the private property of their neighbors are a surprisingly common occurrence. It is like they think that they are entitled to use the space purely because of its proximity to them, never mind what the law says about who lives there and/or owns it. They have a need for another piece of yard or a parking space, and so they trample all over their neighbor's boundaries.

While part of living close to other people is accepting that we cannot have full control over how they live their lives, it is not unreasonable to expect them to respect what isn't theirs. It's normal to do something nice for a neighbor, like invite them to a backyard BBQ or let their family park in your space one time. However, when these kinds of favors turn into unspoken expectations, it sets the stage for conflict that can turn a pleasant place to live into a sincerely aggravating one. Bad neighbors are a different kind of frustrating, because it is that much harder to get away from their nonsense.