My neighbor has been using my parking spot (yes the number is assigned to me and I’m paying it) for a few weeks now, since I didn’t have a car I didn’t care but now I have bought one and it will be delivered this Sunday, I made similar question [before](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/s/oSKP6WRNMr) and asked the management company yesterday morning to ask my neighbor to move his car, and that same evening they delivered some notice to all the residents basically saying “All spots are occupied, use only the one assigned to you”, this morning when taking out the trash I can see that the neighbor’s notice wasn’t hanging out of his mailbox (so I hope that means he read it) but his car was still there.
I know it may be too soon, but I want to know what are my options, I was planning to wait until Sunday and if the car is still there try to talk with him directly with my limited Japanese skills, but if that doesn’t work, should I keep pestering the management company ? If I call the police can they really do something ? If things get really bad can I get a tow truck to move it?
Edit: I was gonna talk to him after getting back from work, but in a surprising turn of events, the management company sent someone to confirm if the car was still there or not this evening, and after confirming the car hasn’t been moved they called the person directly, turns out the guy was paying for 1 spot, using his, and using mine to park his second car, hopefully this will be the end of this, thank you all for the answers even if I didn’t reply to all of them, I surely read them all
48 comments
Nothing else work, just call the police and report to them that unknown car park in your space. Or you just put something to block the parking space.
edit:
at least there’ll be a police records if anything untoward happens.
If the positions were reversed, the neighbour in question would have had the cops so far up your arse by now, that they would be feeling your collar from the inside out.
Like the other guy said, report a strange car parked in the spot that you’re paying rent for.
Yes, keep pestering the management company.
Ask them about towing services (even though having no intention to use it), ask about a police report (even though no intention to file one), ask for a refund of the fees you have paid for the spot (valid request), ask for a meeting, ask to speak to more senior people at the management company, etc…
Unfortunately unless you are a pain about it, little will change.
One last idea – put a copy of the notice under the windscreen wipers.
I’d talk to him directly before escalating things to tow truck levels. I’d probably first also ask the management company to talk to him directly after the failure of the blanket and subsequently ignored notice. That said, if management won’t move on it before your car is delivered, go to him directly and say “I bought a car. It’s here Sunday and I need the space from Sunday onwards. yoroshiku my darling neighbor”
If you can, block your spot so he cannot move his car.
I think I read an old post on here where the management company screwed up and double rented the same spot. Just saying going into this will good intent might be better.
Did you tell the management company your car is coming this sunday? Call them again, ask for confirmation when will the parking space is freed. Escalate to a higher manager. Threaten calling the police, I don’t think they want this to be a police matter as well. Let them deal with the neighbour directly.
Today is the last workday of the week so you have to move fast.
Go knock on his door and tell him to move his car out of YOUR parking space. Guys like that are counting on you being non-confrontational and believe that silence equals consent.
Write a letter using google translate explaining what is going to happen, and put it in his door. Be polite.
Just communicate instead of asking weird redditors, to be honest.
Why is “Go politely explain the situation to him” not an option? And why would you wait on that until you have a car and it’s a problem? Japanese people aren’t some kind of mystic animals that can only be dealt with by management companies and cops. Just go politely tell him you have a car, and will need the spot.
Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t, but seems a reasonable step before.. towing his car, calling the police, parking somewhere else and billing him, etc.
Aren’t the spot register at your name with a map? When I bought my car I had to show my dealer my spot that include my name, a small map and some other info I got from if I’m not wrong the ward office.
So maybe u can go to the police with that paper or if u register ur car with JAF, call them ask to move the “unknown” car, lol.
Go talk to him and tell him he can’t use the space after Sunday?
Probably should have asked the management company earlier.
Just ring his door bell and tell him your car is turning up on Sunday so can he please move his car before then. 99% he’ll just move his car.
Put a letter saying “this car space will be occupied from x date” on the car or in the letterbox if you know where they are? If they are reasonable they’ll act appropriately. If not, tow truck
you don’t have to do anything – aside from keep demanding your management company to take care of the issue
You or the dealer on your behalf is supposed to register the parking space for your car before you get it, so since that one is yours by the lease on your apartment it should be registered to you. Contact the parking warden in your city or ward office and tell them that someone else is illegally parking in your registered space.
I don’t know what villages you guys live in, but in cities the cops will sure as hell contact the owner of the car if they’re not parked in a spot they registered with the local police office. The last time this happened to one of the neighbors the police first tried to contact the owner and after about three hours towed the car. You don’t just park in someone’s spot when their fee is 30-50k a month.
Im pretty sure If you’re paying for a parking space in Tokyo and some dickhead is using it without paying, thats a police issue. Probably consitiutes illegal parking.
Imagine if the same happened with someone who just arbitrarily started parking in your driveway, downtown meguro.
Put on more pressure on the management company and tell them that you need the slot until your car arrives and if they don’t act that you will call the police to handle the situation (be always friendly and just state your matter).
I had a similar situation and in my case the management company messed up the numbers when digitalizing the records. It took a while and a lot of pressure because the person in charge was sure that the data is correct until I made them double check. She was “just doing her job” by checking the records how she was told to.
Your neighbor probably either thinks it’s his own and he actually pays for a slot, or he is 100% sure that this slot is unoccupied and no one finds out that he doesn’t pay for it. In both cases the management company needs to talk to him directly. I just want to give you the advice to not assume any bad intend from any of the involved people. In those situations the best way to handle them is to make a lot of unemotional pressure to the people in charge until they move.
Sounds like you haven’t actually let the neighbor know you’re getting a car on Sunday. Basic communication goes a long way … I’m sure he’d rather be informed ahead of time than have the police called afterwards when realistically it sounds as if he’s accustomed to parking there and no-one has really asked him to move. It might also be possible that he’s made a mistake about which is his spot. Either go round and tell him yourself or ask the management company to specifically tell him that you have a car coming on Sunday so you will need to have your spot vacated by then.
Pay a towing company to have it towed lol
Put a cone on it and hold it till your car arrives. If he still has that balls to use that space after you start using it call the cops.
I would have called the day he started using a space I was paying for.
I have been in a similar situation but where the owner of the car in my spot was unknown. In this case the management company called the police to find the owner, the owner of the car moved it and got a lecture from the police. In your case, after day and the car is still there, I would tell the managment company the car still has not moved and not wait until sunday, but if I already had the car I’d be calling the police.
Sounds like your neighbor doesn’t realize that he is occupying your spot and that you are going to use that spot soon. That means he thinks it’s OK to use your spot because the notice appears to be just a general reminder. Contact the management company again and tell them that their notice is not effective at all. Tell them to issue a personal notice; otherwise, your neighbor will not know that he is causing a problem.
The cops know which spot belongs to you because, when you moved in and subsequently bought your car, you or your dealer had to bring a map of your house and your lease to the police to show you are allowed to use said space.
This is an easy fix and could have been handled in a day. Don’t let your lack of language skills turn you into a doormat. This situation is black and white. No room for interpretation.
Take someone’s else’s spot. Let’s see what happens.
Don’t take your car until you get your spot.
Pay attention to when he usually comes/goes and block him with your car.
If he wanna call management/police, just smile and wait.
Yes, I am petty.
You need to talk to him… easy solution…
Poop on it (don’t poop on it)
Tell management again.
Put slice of pizza stapled to a pizza flyer under his windscreen wiper
You can leave a memo on the windshield, saying that the spot is yours and you will need the spot by Sunday.
Following is an example for your easy reference.
私は〇〇〇号室の〇〇です。この駐車番号〇〇は私の契約している場所です。何か勘違いがあるかとは思われますので、お手数ですが貴殿の契約番号を改めてご確認頂き、ご契約されている場所へ速やかに車両を移動頂きますようお願いします。万が一契約番号の誤認・手違い・紛失などある場合はお手数ですが、管理会社〇〇までご連絡ください。
Put up a NO PARKING sign with cones if you have access to any. Then try to catch him in the process. Be polite.
When I have not bought a car in the past they told me I could not receive my car even when it was ready until my parking space was checked. The dealer is a friend so I mentioned why this would take time as he knew my house well. He said it wasn’t done by the dealership but a branch of the police. If so, they may be aware of your situation already. My carpark is pretty small and requires parallel parking and I was buying a white plate so he actually measured the space. I’m not sure if that is standard though.
Call the police and let them tell you if they can tow it, or if you need to call a tow truck yourself
Or, spend your afternoon reading 500 experts in Japanese law give their contrary opinions. And still not know what to do.
:facepalm
One approach I have seen is a “wall of shame” approach. Take a photo of the car in the spot, print it with writing in big red letters with a red circle around the car saying “this car is illegally parked in an assigned parking spot”. Ideally you would pin it on a notice board if one is available to you. If not, a letterbox drop to everyone in the apartment might be just as good (especially if addressed to all residents and leaving them hanging out of mailbox).
Um, just think about if from the neghbour’s perspective:
* He knows you don’t have a car.
* He knows you don’t mind him parking in your spot – because you don’t have a car.
* He got some stupid note from management but that doesn’t apply to him coz… he knows you don’t have a car and don’t mind him using your spot so that note clearly doesn’t refer to him – so he immeditately threw the note in the bin and didn’t think anything of it.
Just… talk… to… this person.
Even if your japanese is not good – hold up a picture of your new car – print it out from a picture on the internet and get google translate to add a caption ‘I have bought a new car and it will arrive soon – I will need to use my space’. And then point to the car parking space and smile!
It sounds like this person has absolutely no idea that you are in a tizz about this.
COMMUNICATE!!!
And I dunno – but I would have though with Japanese culture being what it is – it would be ENORMOUSLY unlikely that he wouldn’t immediately comply and be hugely embarressed by causing an upset and taking more than was his. But I could be totally wrong about this bit.
Fill four 2l plastic bottles with yellowish liquid, put them around your parking spot.
Call out the illegal parker and shout at him “Nande” then call police.
Can’t you just call a tow truck directly? They’ve been warned.
A lot of people in these comments making lots of assumptions about the other person. Maybe they are mistaken and think your space is theirs? Maybe the management company assigned you/them the same spot or one of you a wrong spot? Talking to them or asking the management company to confirm the spaces may be a better move?
Best to try and make peace with your neighbors before going off on someone based on what people on a subreddit are telling you.
If they are doing it intentionally or actually malicious, sure call the cops. But I’d make sure of the situation if I was you before you take a whole lot of actions that can’t be undone.
Get a couple of these and stick them in front of the car (blocking it in, but not touching it), or in the space when his car isn’t there: [https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00TI4DW90](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Parking-Prohibited-Cone-Sanko-Japan/dp/B00TI4DW90)
It’s what my local MaxValu does when non-customers use their car park.
Park in front of him and put a note on his windshield
Maybe get one of those ‘private, no parking’ road cones and put it there next time they’re out?
Leave a note saying you didn’t mind before but since you are getting a car he will have to park elsewhere. Or do the nosy neighbor stake out.
If he doesn’t agree to park elsewhere tell management and see if they can get it towed.
I would contact the management company again, insisting that your car arrives this Sunday and that you may not have any other choice but to call the police. I wouldn’t call the police without having talked to the management company again.
Never approach directly. This is a matter for the police. Make sure they make a report and have them contact your land lord.
You mentioned that the notification was given last night, and you made the post this morning. If they are a reasonable human being they’d move the car by today’s evening (I still cannot fathom parking your car in a spot you don’t own… but hey).
If the car is still there by the time you get home, next step is 100% calling the cops. Do not listen to snowflakes here telling you not to do it. This is literal theft and the cops **will** help you.
It is also a very much *Japanese™* *way of doing things*.
See if you can buy one of those pole things that block the car space and can only open with a key. I’ve got one on mine after management told me nothing they can do
Call the cops early in the morning. If you know whose car it is, they’ll knock on the door and remind them they’re in the wrong spot. If you don’t they’ll get on the loudspeaker and request the owner of the car to come out and move their vehicle. I’ve had to do this when a dickhead took my rental spot near the office, this was exactly what they did.
As per the cops from that incident, they can’t tow the vehicle without a request from the actual owner (or manager) of the spot, but if the landlord does make the request then the vehicle can be towed.