S.F. from Florida writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I live in a condo in Florida. We have 1 assigned parking space. However, the neighbors from hell have moved in with unruly children and company taking up the visitor spot in front of our building. They have visitor spots closer to their building but prefer ours because of the shade. Also, I have sent pics of their kids jumping from one a/c unit to the next and, again, these are in front of our building not their and right in front of my bedroom window which for some reason they like to play. I have a 6-year-old but I don’t allow her to go past our patio. I don’t understand. It’s like they play in front of other people’s window/building except their own. I only rent and wish I could up and move. But what are my options as far as them hogging the one visitor space in front of our building instead of the visitors in front of theirs and these unruly children. Help! I am a migraine sufferer.
Mister Condo replies:
S.F., I am sorry for your troubles. Unruly and poorly behaved children would be a difficult problem in any condo. Many associations are challenged by rules enforcement issues when it comes to children but your only recourse is to report the rule-breaking activity to the management company and Board so they can take corrective action. Parking is a separate issue but with a similar solution. If anyone is parking in a space assigned to another unit owner, they can be reported to the Board and dealt with by fines and/or towing as allowed by your by-laws. However, simply parking in a visitor space is not a violation. If the visitor space is up for grabs or “first come, first served”, there is nothing you can do to stop your neighbor from parking there, any more than they could prevent you from parking in a visitor space other than the one closest to your unit. As for the migraines caused or exacerbated by living with these in considerate neighbors, I would honestly consider renting somewhere else. Why stay in a unit where the neighbors are such a problem? I wish you all the best!
I live in a town house/ condo in Massachusetts, the condo people assigned my front door to my neighbor as a parking space so I cant even park in front of my property this woman children come anytime to knock when I park in front of my property it’s hard to move things into my house without been ask to move my car what should I do, I find the situation ridiculous and annoying but I don’t want to argue with my neighbor because it’s not their fault.
Love, there isn’t too much you can do about this. The parking assignment is at the Board’s discretion. You could request that you be assigned the space directly in front of your door and explain the issue to them as you have to me. Depending on the amount of available spaces, the Board may be able to grant your request although they are under no obligation to do so. High-density housing like condominiums routinely create parking issues for residents. All you can do is ask politely and hope the Board grants your request! All the best!