****ty Neighbors

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Donasay

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So I live in a duplex condo, and share a driveway and a basement with my neighbors. There are really only 2 spots in the driveway, and they are deeded, one for my place one for theirs. They have more than one car, and can't park on the street as we have permit only parking on the street, and they can't get permits with out of state plates, and paying out of state car insurance rates. To be nice I have been letting them park behind my car, as I don't use it more than 1 day a week.

I came home the other day and needed to use my car, and they were blocking me in, I called they were out getting their hair done and would be an hour, so I had to wait for them to get home to use it as they didn't leave a copy of the key behind with their roommates. Yesterday a car I had never seen before was parked behind me, I went and knocked, no one was home, so I called all of their cell phones, and it turns out they let one of their friends park there, and it would take an hour for them to get back. This really pissed me off, twice in one week, especially since this is the first problem in more than 6 months of sharing the driveway.

Today though I went into the basement we share to get one of my home brews that I had been storing. I looked all over for my last 1.5 liter swing top bottle of my extra special porter, and it was missing. It was then that I realized about a week ago I found one of my large swing top bottles in the recycling bin on the side of the house. I search the recycling every week to look for extra bottles to use in homebrewing. At the time I found the large swing top in the recycling bin, I figured my roommate must have just thrown it out, as I keep random large empty swing tops under the kitchen sink after I finished them, so I just moved it back at the time.

I went and examined the left over bottle today, and the bottle was my Porter! Now that pissed me off so much, that I asked them not to park behind me in the driveway any more. Asking them not to park behind me now has way more to do with the beer than it has to do with the inconvenience of them blocking my car. Right now they are pissed at me, and I'm still mad at them about the beer thing, but I can't decide whether or not to explain why I asked them not to park behind me any more. Does it seem petty to ask them not to block me in because of beer? Should I tell them the real reason or just wallow in the knowledge that I can move my car without having to ask someone to move their car first and let them be mad at me.
 
They aren't owed any explanation whatsoever.

They're crappy neighbours who obviously put no thought behind purchasing a condo and being decent people.
 
They may not change...but you'll feel better about yourself if you come "clean" with them.

Plus, talking the truth with them puts you on the high road. How they deal with it is their issue...but don't sell them short. People are human. People make mistakes.

Some of the strongest relationships you'll have will start out on a rocky road.
 
If I'm reading this right, they are drinking your beer AND blocking your car in with a car they really shouldn't be parking there. Screw them, tell them to get Mass plates and a permit or they can go pound sand. It just sounds to me that they're being extremely inconsiderate, so there's no reason for you to help them out.
 
Let me wrap my brain around this one...shared basement....



Is there access to the basement from the house???


If so, they can walk into you house at any moment?



I'd never store my brew in a 'common area' if that's what it's designated as. Don't be mad, just don't store things you care about in a common area. It was 'their right' to call you on that one.

:mug:
 
+1 on the crappy neighbors. Anyone who would double park and leave for an hour or more is a jerk. Not to mention, a jerk who goes through your stuff and steals your beer.
 
Screw them. You were being nice and they took advantage. I'd definitely ***** them out about the beer. What kind of BS move is that?
 
They know..... If they don't know for sure why you are pissed they will be after you tell them, cause they didn't do it. It was one of their friends and they have nothing to do with it, lol. I would tell them the next time anything happens that isn't above board, I will be going to a normal-everyday-run of the mill-I hate my neighbor and will treat them legally within my rights-type of neighbor type of guy. I do think you should explain why you are so "butt-hurt" (sorry I heard it earlier and it pissed me off so it may you too, and good). I mean, at least you will know they know or have no plan of respecting another human beings property once you talk to them. Just be as nice as you can be and as backboned as you can be at the same time. If they have a problem, ask them if you've been an ass. When they say no, ask why they are treating you like you did something to them. When they say they haven't, then ask them who has put them out in the same capacity they have put you out. If they can't answer without not answering and getting mad, then you know, they are just like all the other worthless MF's in this world that want you to put up with their crap and don't want you to complain about their crap. I am under the theory, explained to me by many people I have just made this rant about, that it is your responsibility to hide your beer and make it unable for them to drink. The same way (according to their logic) that you need to be responsible for the ability to get your car out. Hence, don't store your beer where dumba$$e$ can steal it, and don't let dumba$$e$ that don't give a crap about your being nice to them park where you can't get out. I would tell them what you think happened to you, hear their lame excuse (if any), and then tell them the parking is going to stop and the beer already has.
 
After I told them not to park there, I would be fast about calling a tow truck to prove it the next time they do. Not being an A$$ just stand for your rights as a decent human being.
 
F'em. Its your parking place. So what if they are angry, it not theirs to get upset about. If you don't want the car there its your perogative. You were doing them a favor and they took advantage.

Talking to them is probably worth it from an honesty thing. I'd tell them the double parking will have to stop w/o leaving a key behind. As for the beer I'd ask them not to drink it w/o asking first. I'd move the beer if got to be a problem.

I don't know which one I'd be more pissed about. Probably the beer, mainly because its HB and the fact that it special. Not to mention they know its not theirs to be taking.

I used to share an apartment w/o a guy who used to eat my food and not replace it. Talk about coming home from work and finding your dinner gone. I'd always give'm both barrels. It usually started w/ GD it you MF'r.
 
:drunk: I have a hard time with this one, since my nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away. Yet I still have problems with fences/animals wondering. I live in the country because I don't like neighbors. But I still have to deal with them, and therefore I try to stay on the best terms I can....um...I think, if the double parking doesn't really bother you that much, (although I wonder why they can't double park their own vehicles) I would explain to them why you took that privilege away. Then I would ask them what they thought about the beer, and see if they want to help you brew the next batch.

If it works alright they will get into brewing, and you'll have someone to trade beer with. If it doesn't, then I'm reminded of a quote from some short story from High School...

"Revenge must have 3 criteria:
1) The revenge must be in proportion to the crime.
2) The one you punish with your revenge should know WHAT he is receiving the revenge for.
3) The one you punish with your revenge shouldn't be able to retaliate against your punishment."

Pay particular attention to number 3...if you plan on making noise after the local noise ordnance, or if you plan on shooting fireworks on the fourth of July (assuming they are illegal there) then you probably don't want to screw with the person that lives right next door to you.

On the other hand, if they are 'bums' and you are squeaky clean, call the tax board and tell them they're illegally registering their cars in another state.

Good Luck!
 
I'm think wortmonger is right, I bet one of their house guests drank it up. We are talking women here right? If it wasn't a guest how much do you want a bet most of it went down the drain. I can't see most ladies drinking porter.

BTW - If I got the opportunity I'd park behind them to see how the like it. :D

I lived in an apartment where we had assigned parking. Came home to find somebody in my space. I double parked blocking their car and my wife's car. I only moved it let the wife out. I bet seeing that pissed them off more. Served them right. I also left it there for a 3 day weekend too.
 
Well the basement is shared, with the washers and dryers are down there, and they have "their side" and I have "my side", the sides are not locked off, but have a clear divider. There are also locks to keep me out of their apartment and them out of mine. I don't consider it public space, and store some stuff down there aside from my brewing equipment. They are the only ones who go down there, I don't think their friends went down, and the neighbors know I keep my beer down there.

I am pretty sure it was them, but it could have been any one of them, as quite a few people live up there, and I could be punishing the ones that had nothing to do with stealing my last bottle of porter by not letting them park there any more. In terms of retribution, I think the punishment is lighter than the crime of stealing my home brew, the question is that I don't know if I am punishing the right roommates as some of them don't have cars. But I will let them know that they have committed a string of stuff that has pissed me off.
 
Lets address the real problem here. Your beer needs to go under lock and key. If you have any wood working skills slap together a little locking wood shelf. Throw a pad lock on it and paint a little sign saying "Steal my beer now" or something like that. If its divided like you say they shouldnt be over there to see it anyways. Right? If they seem pissed off well they should be in your stuff anyways. And if you feel like you dont want tension with your neighbors tell them that they can park behind you only if they can move it as soon as you ask. Not as convenient for them but its your damn parking spot.
 
I have somewhat of the flipside here - I live in a 1920's townhouse that's now a bi-level duplex with a shared basement and I'm cool (for the most part) with my neighbor.

He stores his mopeds down there, I store my brew stuff down there are we watch each other's backs. :)

But I REALLY know how you feel about the parking thing. I work in Alexandria Virginia (55 miles from my house) and my wife works in Sterling VA (45 miles a different way) and while our building only has two parking spaces, it's not been so much of an issue since up until recently my neighbor didn't have a car and by then my wife's was gone.

I do recall at one of my buildings (not sure if it was Michigan or Kentucky) it was actually illegal to advertise a rental property as "X families" if there weren't enough parking spaces to accomodate. It's certainly not the same in Maryland or Virginia (they care about "historic" stuff too much!)

The tow truck is good advice, but be careful there too. If the landlord didn't assign specific spaces then it's possible the tow truck can leave you footing the bill.
 
Spyk'd said:
I'd never store my brew in a 'common area' if that's what it's designated as. Don't be mad, just don't store things you care about in a common area. It was 'their right' to call you on that one.


What are you talking about, "their right" ???
Are you drunk?
Do you actually believe the words that came out of your mouth?

If it is a common area, they both have "the right" to store things their, but
neither of them has "the right" to steal the others property, even if it was
just a single beer. That is theft, plain and simple. You take something that
does not belong to you, and in this case, the knew exactly who it did belong
to, that is THEFT.
 
rabidgerbil said:
What are you talking about, "their right" ???
Are you drunk?
Do you actually believe the words that came out of your mouth?

If it is a common area, they both have "the right" to store things their, but
neither of them has "the right" to steal the others property, even if it was
just a single beer. That is theft, plain and simple. You take something that
does not belong to you, and in this case, the knew exactly who it did belong
to, that is THEFT.

I read it as an admonishion to secure your valuables in a Murphy's Law kind of way. (Which is not an actual statute BTW.);)
 
olllllo said:
I read it as an admonishion to secure your valuables in a Murphy's Law kind of way. (Which is not an actual statute BTW.);)

I completely agree that he was crazy to keep anything of ANY value, beer or otherwise in an area that is not completely secure, I just took issue with the statement that is was "their right" to call him on it.
 
rabidgerbil said:
I completely agree that he was crazy to keep anything of ANY value, beer or otherwise in an area that is not completely secure, I just took issue with the statement that is was "their right" to call him on it.

Spyk'd said:
I'd never store my brew in a 'common area' if that's what it's designated as. Don't be mad, just don't store things you care about in a common area. It was 'their right' to call you on that one.

:mug:

The correct use of quotation marks.
From wikipedia
Quotation marks are also used to indicate that the writer realizes that a word is not being used in its current commonly-accepted sense.
 
Leave a couple bottles of jenkem out-should solve that problem (and let them know you think they are ****ty neighbors).
 
wortmonger said:
After I told them not to park there, I would be fast about calling a tow truck to prove it the next time they do. Not being an A$$ just stand for your rights as a decent human being.

+1

next time don't even be nice about it. they are waling all over you and it's time you put an end to it... first it's the parking, then your beer, what's next? best of luck man, we are having a go at it with our neighbors as well...

love thy neighbor... that really got pushed over limits for us.
 
Jesse17 said:
:drunk: I have a hard time with this one, since my nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away. Yet I still have problems with fences/animals wondering. I live in the country because I don't like neighbors. But I still have to deal with them, and therefore I try to stay on the best terms I can....um...I think, if the double parking doesn't really bother you that much, (although I wonder why they can't double park their own vehicles) I would explain to them why you took that privilege away. Then I would ask them what they thought about the beer, and see if they want to help you brew the next batch.

If it works alright they will get into brewing, and you'll have someone to trade beer with. If it doesn't, then I'm reminded of a quote from some short story from High School...

"Revenge must have 3 criteria:
1) The revenge must be in proportion to the crime.
2) The one you punish with your revenge should know WHAT he is receiving the revenge for.
3) The one you punish with your revenge shouldn't be able to retaliate against your punishment."

Pay particular attention to number 3...if you plan on making noise after the local noise ordnance, or if you plan on shooting fireworks on the fourth of July (assuming they are illegal there) then you probably don't want to screw with the person that lives right next door to you.

On the other hand, if they are 'bums' and you are squeaky clean, call the tax board and tell them they're illegally registering their cars in another state.

Good Luck!

Better yet if you know who their insurance company is call them... that will hurt $$
 
Don't take any more crap for them. You'll find that people that take advantage you your kindness will try and make you feel bad when all of a sudden you expect them to follow the rules and do the right thing (which is what they should have been doing all along from the start). These neighbors are not worth trying to reason with. Just make sure they don't park in your drive way any more and also get yourself a secure storage unit for your beer. If they took your beer once, they'll do it again.

My $0.02.

Richie
 
print this out and tape it on their door...

https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/data/1/4914-*****ie.jpg

...and tell them if they ever block you in or steal your beer again, there'll be a stabbin' involved. Inconsiderate f*cks. You go out of your way to be cool and help them out, and they sh*t on you and steal your beer. What is wrong with people?
 
Hell, I'm thinking of a much more fun route...

Sure, the basement storage unit is shared, but they are not allowed to take your stuff. Put something in there that seems like it has value, and pray to the brew gods that they steal is and you can report it to the police. You may end up getting them evicted somehow and the problem goes away.

And since the driveway is also your property, have cars towed that do not belong there (ie- friends cars). 2 or 3 cars gone missing with a towing bill and they'll figure out where to park. :)
 
So talk to them, face-to-face. Tell them that you need to be able to get your car out when you need it, so you're not going to be able to let them park behind you. While talking to them, ask them about the beer; tell them that you'd be willing to share, but not if they and/or their houseguests are going to take without asking.

I mean, I *hate* confrontations (ask my wife), and this strikes me as a situation when you need to buck up and talk to them.
 
Some folks are real good at confusing kindness with weakness.
So your neighbors are pissed off because you were kind to them and they took advantage of you. That is THEIR problem.
Do not, I repeat do not give these disrespectful POS neighbors free rent space in your head. Just tell them how things are gonna be from now on and get on with living. If they want to push the issues just use your condo's cc&r's and supplementary rules as your backup.
Having lived in a condo for the past 10 years I can tell you,
No good can come from dwelling on your ignorant neighbors behavior.
AP
 
MikeFlynn74 said:
Have their car towed. You are legally allowed to and its an expensive lesson for them to learn.
:off: I know here in California having a car towed is a real PIA. The state stepped up a couple of years ago because of predatory tow companys and real estate managers taking kickbacks from them
At my condo I re-established the parking fine schedule and all of a sudden we got 100% cooperation on parking. I have since established a moratorium on towing until I see that it may again be necessary.
You may have a vehicle towed immediately if it is blocking an entrance/exit or firelane , parked in a red zone or blocking a garage or fire hydrant.
To tow a vehicle parked in a designated parking space they need to be cited twice within a 72 hour period(same vehicle). That means they get almost 3 days to screw you out of your parking space.
What usually happens is they will park in your space for a couple of hours, get cited, then 6 weeks later will park in somebody elses space and then BAM!! The security patrol has their azz towed, expensive lesson but it works. We just have to make sure we keep good records to avoid legal hassles.
AP
 
Don't say anything about the beer at all. Just make a chocolate stout and spike it with a box of Ex-Lax and leave it in the basement for them to enjoy.
 
Don't you just hate it when people are asshats?

Try not to be one yourself. Ignore 95% of the asshat suggestions in this thread.

Just talk to them instead. Most people turn out to be pretty reasonable when you look 'em in the eye. ;)
 
Beerthoven said:
Don't you just hate it when people are asshats?

Try not to be one yourself. Ignore 95% of the asshat suggestions in this thread.

Just talk to them instead. Most people turn out to be pretty reasonable when you look 'em in the eye. ;)

It's much more fun to make asshat suggestions, but this is probably the best advice.


...or, you could leave a hot, steaming pile of **** on the hood of their car next time they park in your spot. And, if they take more beer, leave a pile by the door leading to their apartment.
 
You invented the situation by being gracious but not stern. You need to let them know that they can park behind you, but you want a key in case they're not there. If their friends park, let them know you'll call the police and have the car towed. Also let them know that nothing is free. You expect some compensation in return for letting them park behind you. By parking behind you, you lose the ability to have a friend over who can park there. Draft up a contract where they agree to pay you parking space rent.

I wouldn't keep the beer in an accessible place. You're liable if a minor gets to it.

Who cares if they think you're a dick. Who cares if they're not your friends as a result? This caused you enough anguish to vent over it. Make a deal about it, let them know that only their car is allowed to park there and that you want a key.
 
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