My building only has 4 apartments, each with it’s own parking spot attached to the front of the building, mine is next to a wall and away from the bicycle entrance so it’s pretty much the best of them all, one day my neighbor started using it pretty much as if it was his, since I didn’t have a car I didn’t say anything and just let him be. Last weekend I bought a car which is scheduled to arrive later this month and of course I want to use my spot, tho I am not sure how to let him now to move his car, I was just thinking on leaving a note in this wipers asking him to leave the spot open starting next next week, tho I’m not sure if that would be a bit too passive-aggressive or should I just knock door by door till I find him and ask him directly.
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Talk directly if you can. But make sure you have a way to prove the spot is really yours.
I assume the contract for parking lot is through the building management / real estate? Give them a call and they should sort it out.
Talk to them in person, if only to gauge what kind of person they are and get a read on if they are going to try and be a pain about it.
ask the building manager/management company to have a quiet word.
They know the correct level of language to use and it keeps you out of it.
Your contract will include the parking spot. Building admin should have been told when the neighbor started using yours. Building admin are ones to request the neighbor to move. You might not have been using it. But it’s still theft.
My previous apartment was that kind of size (and the parking situation was pretty much the same). Whenever anyone had a problem with someone else’s car being in the way or asking to park differently, we’d just talk it out amongst ourselves.
Just ring the doorbell, explain the situation, and ask them to please park in their own spot starting on whatever date, since that’s the one assigned to your apartment.
Going to assume he’s not a crazy person.
Just excuse yourself, explain the situation and you’ll be fine. Just make sure he knows you’re not angry or accusing him of anything.
If you know them, just talk to them and show some excitement about getting a car, to share something positive.
If you have been living there for a while after living there for a while (edit: if you still don’t know them after a while), I’d ask the managing company as it has also been suggested.
This is Japan, much better to go through building management and avoid asking directly, as they have the legal authority for this.
Unhelpful anecdote incoming:
This issue is one that I have experienced as well, but the neighbors were using my spot to park motor bikes. I contacted management, and they said they would warn the residents about following the parking rules. It stopped for a few days, then I came back one day to not one, but two bikes now parked in my spot. They were multiplying.
I contacted management again, but they brushed me off and told me there was nothing they could do about the problem and that I should speak to the police. Frustrated, I spoke to the police and the officer was rather puzzled as well – explaining that there wasn’t much the police could do in this situation. They ran the plates to determine if the vehicles were stolen, but they came back clean. I was told that since it was private property there was nothing else the police could do for me.
I asked if it was possible to move the bikes myself and was told quite forcefully that I absolutely could not touch them as they were private property. They went on to warn me that I could be arrested / fined if I moved or damaged them in anyway. I also asked about having them towed but apparently calling tow trucks isn’t really a thing in Japan and even if they were, I would then be liable for having removed the bikes.
Essentially, someone parking on private party is considered a civil matter and it is against the law to remove the vehicle. This sort of catch 22 blows my mind.
In the end the police phoned my management company which prompted them to take further action. Seems like when I paid a month’s rent to “file paperwork” last renewal they never finished the parking space registration. Which led to them telling some other tenants that my spot was not contracted – so they just started using it as an extra spot without asking or paying to contract the spot themselves. Management denied all responsibility for the fiasco. Fun times.
Piss disk. Wait, I think I’m in the wrong subreddit…
I was charging my neighbour 20k/mo for my parking spot for years 😉
Has to be a shitpost. Surely, any adult would know what to do in this situation.
Tell the police there is someone parked in your spot without permission. They will make them move the car and possibly give them a fine
Had this happened to me, I called the management — my designated parking spot is contracted and paid for — they promptly took action. I placed some barriers on my parking spot, and the management pretty much agreed on what I did.
Does nobody in this subreddit actually use the power of language to communicate with other humans? Baffled
Flip it over?
It is contractually your spot, right? So I guess you could politely inform him. I suppose you could also go through management. I don’t know why that is really necessary but whatever if it makes people comfortable.
Alternatively – not really suggesting this but – you could just park in the spot when he isn’t there. In nasty situations, I’ve heard of people simply parking behind the person that usurped their driveway thus creating a similar issue -i.e. – they are trapped but cannot legally move nor damage your car.
Imagine how you would like to be approached about it, and do it like that.
I think my first step would simply be parking there. Your neighbor doesn’t know about your new car. Wait for them to take their car out, then park your car in your spot. It could be as simple as that. Up til now, it was a “wasted” (primo) spot. Your neighbor, hopefully, wanted to make use of it just because you didn’t have a car. Once they realize that you do, they may just realize “oh. I guess they have a car now. Oh well – it was good while it lasted”
You need proof of parking space ownership before being able to buy a car in Japan. This guy is fucked if he thinks he can use your space Indefinitely.
Ask the person. With words. From your mouth. “I’m getting a car and need my parking spot so don’t park there after XX date.”
I never understand reddit posts like this. “How do I talk to my neighbor?” You just fucking talk to him.
Often, even parking spots that are numbered and appear to be a part of your rent are not a part of your contract unless specifically assigned as so in the contract. Especially in larger cities, parking spots at apartments cost extra, maybe 10,000 to 30,000 yen a month. If your contract does indeed include the spot, then you’ll have to pressure management to chat with the other tenant to vacate the spot.