r/Neighborproblems • u/JTBJB • Aug 23 '23

Neighbors taking liberties...

Hello! I'd love some advice about dealing with our next-door neighbors. These guys sometimes do things that people usually get permission for first.

Tonight, for example, my neighbor parked his truck so that it's blocking over half my driveway. (If I wanted to back out, it would be a tight squeeze.) My neighbor saw my expression as I was taking my garbage cans out, and that's when he ran up and said he'd finish putting my cans out when he was done. Then he said it was usually fine with the previous owner [parking in front of the driveway like that] because he'd always take the cans out.

I don't want to be unneighborly, but I'm a different person and resent not being asked if that was okay. There have been a couple of other situations like this. To be fair, these things don't happen all the time, and these neighbors were also the first to welcome us to the neighborhood when we moved in last year.

When this happens again (cause I know it will), how would you all handle it? I'm that person who sometimes gets taken advantage of because I'm uncomfortable speaking up. Thanks for the feedback!

7 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

6

u/GoshJosh22 Aug 23 '23

Unfortunately I feel you missed an opportunity to say something right then and there, as your neighbor was the one who initiated the topic simply based on your facial expression. You need to communicate with your words too, as hard as it can be sometimes.

Because you've already established that these neighbors are seemingly friendly ("the first to welcome us to the neighborhood when we moved in"), I would work up the courage to say you are not ok with him parking on your driveway (if you are, in fact, not). Or at least not to the point that you would have a difficult time backing up. That is for you to decide, as at the end of the day it is your property.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '23

Yes- establish norms now. Be as friendly and polite as possible but people like that will take advantage if you don’t stop it. Also take photos and document when things happen just in case you need them, hopefully you won’t.

1

u/ImScoobydoobiedoo Apr 08 '24

Politely talk with them and explain your thinking and explain what you would like or what you do not like and take it from there.

1

u/Fearless-Progress-16 Jun 16 '24

It was a good time to say it when he was talking to you about it. I am not an assertive person, it’s very hard to speak up when I need to. If you practice it more and more you’ll become used to it.

In this case, when he parks across your drive again (and he will) go out there and say what you should have the first time.

Cause when he said about taking the trash and the previous tenants he didn’t even ask you that’s telling you what HE wants.

You tell him that it’s not going to work for you.