Apartment Parking Space Wars

Rezident

We live in a complex with a small underground parking lot with no spare space. We live in No. 8 and use parking space no. 8 (obviously) since mid-2012. Over the weekend someone left a threatening note on our car about not using that space again (even though there are no other spaces). There has been no word or emails or calls from anyone about it. We don’t even know if it’s the management company or another tenant.

I’ve been calling the management company but their main number seems to be out of service as is their mobile contact number (not engaged, it is out of service). Our car was mysteriously scratched quite badly recently causing several hundred Euro worth of damage. Obviously we didn’t see who did it but are now quite worried following the note. Should we call the police, as the management company is uncontactable and has not replied to any emails from last week?

Any other advice? Getting quite worried here.

jd83

Are you renting or do you own the apartment? I rent and my lease states I have car space. The space isnt the number of my apartment but a different number.

For all you know space 8 could be owned by another apartment and someone has just moved in or bought it and is starting to use the space. You need to check and see if parking is a free for all or if the spaces are individually owned and does your apartment have one. Theres nothing more infuriating coming home from work and finding someone in your space and having nowhere to park! However damaging someones car isn't a way to deal with it. Is there cctv in the car park. Find out where the management companies office is and call in person.

quad_red

Rezident wrote: »

We live in a complex with a small underground parking lot with no spare space. We live in No. 8 and use parking space no. 8 (obviously) since mid-2012. Over the weekend someone left a threatening note on our car about not using that space again (even though there are no other spaces). There has been no word or emails or calls from anyone about it. We don’t even know if it’s the management company or another tenant.

I’ve been calling the management company but their main number seems to be out of service as is their mobile contact number (not engaged, it is out of service). Our car was mysteriously scratched quite badly recently causing several hundred Euro worth of damage. Obviously we didn’t see who did it but are now quite worried following the note. Should we call the police, as the management company is uncontactable and has not replied to any emails from last week?

Any other advice? Getting quite worried here.

Call the landlord. Was the space mentioned when you rented the place? Was it mentioned in the ad? Is it mentioned in your lease?

I've lived in three apartment complexes and none of them had a car park space numbering system that had apartment no 8 given space no 8 etc.

lau1247

run a check and see the amount of parking space number match up to the number of apartment??

maybe try to leave a note of your own in your own car to say to call you to discuss? seems to be the painless way

or invest in one of these

Mrs OBumble

How many apartments are there? Is it feasible to knock on your neighbours doors, and ask them what they know about the parking arrangements? I know that talking to people F2F is kinda old fashioned, but it often solves problems faster than other methods.

Zulu

Oh dear. I'm a landlord, I rent an apartment. The number of the apartment does NOT correspond to the car park space. I'd hazard a guess that you are incorrectly taking someone elses parking spot.

djimi

Zulu wrote: »

Oh dear. I'm a landlord, I rent an apartment. The number of the apartment does NOT correspond to the car park space. I'd hazard a guess that you are incorrectly taking someone elses parking spot.

Thats a rather sweeping generalization. Any apartment building Ive ever lived in or known has the car parking space numbered according to the apartment. It seems to vary depending on the complex, but from my experience its more likely that the OP was parking in the correct space than it is that they are in the wrong.

Zulu

djimi wrote: »

Thats a rather sweeping generalization.

Sigh. You need to switch off "auto-argue".
I was talking about the apartment block I own in. That isn't a "sweeping generalisation, it's a statement of fact. I then went on to say "I'd hazard a guess that..." they were parking in the wrong spot. Which, when we look at the info presented, isn't a wild leap.

...but from my experience its more likely that the OP was parking in the correct space than it is that they are in the wrong.

Really? So someone left the note because...? And the car was keyed because...?


I think the first port of call here is for the OP to find out if it actually is their car parking spot.

Grolschevik

djimi wrote: »

Thats a rather sweeping generalization. Any apartment building Ive ever lived in or known has the car parking space numbered according to the apartment. It seems to vary depending on the complex, but from my experience its more likely that the OP was parking in the correct space than it is that they are in the wrong.

And any I've lived in, the parking bay number was not the same as the apartment number.

I remember being told once why this was common, but can't remember the details, except that it had to do with not making it obvious which apartment which person lived in to a casual observer in the car park. Privacy, security and all that.

Carter P Fly

Same here, never once seen a apt number and a underground parking spot match up.

Ive also left the same note you got OP when someone was parking in my spot on more than one occasion.

djimi

Zulu wrote: »

Sigh. You need to switch off "auto-argue".
I was talking about the apartment block I own in. That isn't a "sweeping generalisation, it's a statement of fact. I then went on to say "I'd hazard a guess that..." they were parking in the wrong spot. Which, when we look at the info presented, isn't a wild leap.

Apologies if I took the tone of your post up wrong; I read the capitalized NOT as you talking about the OPs case, not yours.

djimi

Grolschevik wrote: »

And any I've lived in, the parking bay number was not the same as the apartment number.

I remember being told once why this was common, but can't remember the details, except that it had to do with not making it obvious which apartment which person lived in to a casual observer in the car park. Privacy, security and all that.

I think thats exactly the reason; so that if someone wants your car in the middle of the night its not immediately obvious which house they need to invade to get the keys.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Rezident

We are renting. There are only 8 parking spaces but at least 12 apartments but we are paying for a parking space. Have not had any reason to contact the landlord in months and now their landline and mobile numbers are both out of service and they haven't responded to any emails form last Friday.

Good idea about talking to the neighbours alright, I don't know any of them but it's worth a shot.

murphaph

Grolschevik wrote: »

And any I've lived in, the parking bay number was not the same as the apartment number.

I remember being told once why this was common, but can't remember the details, except that it had to do with not making it obvious which apartment which person lived in to a casual observer in the car park. Privacy, security and all that.

Makes sense and what if spaces are only leased. What if apartment 5 doesn't rent a space. What to number when one apartment has 2 or more spaces. No, typically the numbers haver nothing to do with the apartment ones.

nkay1985

First thing I would do is consult the lease. See if it mentions anything about parking. Failing that, with it being such a small set of apartments, I'd just call door to door and see if anyone else knew the situation with parking and maybe you'd even find the person who has the issue and it could be sorted out very easily.

AnonoBoy

Sounds to me like you're in someone's space alright.

But it probably means somebody else is in your space.

I've seen this happen loads of times.

I've always wondered why management companies don't put up signs in carparks indicating that parking space numbers do not correspond to apartment numbers.

Lemming

If you are paying for a parking space, were you not given a designated bay number? If you weren't, I would be querying that to see exactly what you are in fact paying for.

Doodee

Captain Morgan wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I find that to be such a terrible excuse. Have heard it being used when objecting to a numbering system in car parks. If the 'thieves' have access to the car park / building then it doesn't matter who's home or not.
The last block I lived in was small (26 Apartments) and the numbers corresponded to the Apartments they belonged too. There were also 3 visitor spaces that thankfully we marked with 'Visitor' on them.

OP, we used to have a similar thing happen prior to the spaces being numbered. People we always parking in a space that was not theirs. If the person didn't leave any contact info on the note then mores the pity. You could try writing a note and leaving it on your dash asking the person to call you to resolve the issue as you were informed by your landlord that the space was related to the apartment number (might be a fib).


They eventually had clamping become enforced in the block with a permit system. It transpired that a number of apartments had 2 cars and were both parking in other peoples spaces and the visitor spaces.

People who leave notes without contact info are just keyboard warriors.

thalia_13

My apartment space is a different number to my actual apt number, and I did have a problem with visitors taking my space, despite signs on the walls.
I hated doing it but I left notes on the cars, irs a bit passive agressive but it worked, the same car avoids my space each time it visits...

The dashcam vid sickened me, who on earth is that vindictive to key so many cars. That would never ever enter my head as an action to take!! My friends car was keyed outside her house, it has cost alot to respray as it was a new car, and another friend had someone take what wr assume was a bottle opener to the drivers side. Gouged long jagged gashes into driver passenger doors and front panel.

Anyhoo back on topic, have a quick word with your neighbours, and definitely try get a hold of your landlord. Their vanishing act is worrying.

jd83

That footage is shocking. What a scumbag thing to do! Hope that guy go what coming to him!

OP if your renting and paying the landlord for a space, you need to get in contact with him to find out the number of space if any.

If landlord ignores you i know what id do but its probably frowned upon. I would stop paying the rent or at least the rent on the space. Go on daft and see the rent on a car space in your area and deduct it from your rent. Im sure the landlord will be quick to make contact. Id only do this if I had exhausted all other option i.e trying to get hold of landlord by phone, post, email and even calling out to them in person.

ted1

Rezident wrote: »

We live in a complex with a small underground parking lot with no spare space. We live in No. 8 and use parking space no. 8 (obviously) since mid-2012. Over the weekend someone left a threatening note on our car about not using that space again (even though there are no other spaces). There has been no word or emails or calls from anyone about it. We don’t even know if it’s the management company or another tenant.

I’ve been calling the management company but their main number seems to be out of service as is their mobile contact number (not engaged, it is out of service). Our car was mysteriously scratched quite badly recently causing several hundred Euro worth of damage. Obviously we didn’t see who did it but are now quite worried following the note. Should we call the police, as the management company is uncontactable and has not replied to any emails from last week?

Any other advice? Getting quite worried here.

Not obviously, very few apartments issue parking spaces numbers that match the apartments. It is found to be very bad for security as if space five is empty do is apartment five. Most numbers are mixed on purpose

Rezident

Lemming wrote: »

If you are paying for a parking space, were you not given a designated bay number? If you weren't, I would be querying that to see exactly what you are in fact paying for.

Yes we are paying for a space but there has never been assigned spacing.

Rezident

ted1 wrote: »

Not obviously, very few apartments issue parking spaces numbers that match the apartments. It is found to be very bad for security as if space five is empty do is apartment five. Most numbers are mixed on purpose

Good point Re: security but there has never been assigned spaces for anyone, not when we moved in, not in the contract, not according to anyone else here. It is one of the better spaces as it's not impossible to get into, like one other space (it is a tiny underground car park and there isn't really room to turn).

Lemming

Rezident wrote: »

Yes we are paying for a space but there has never been assigned spacing.

What space are you paying for then? You're paying, so where is your allocated, guaranteed space for which you have paid? You've said there are fewer parking bays than apartments, so how do you tell if someone's meant to be there or not if you haven't been assigned a bay? Can you not see the problem here? Have you never, ever thought to ask?

Seriously, I'd stop messing about and challenge exactly what it is that your car parking charge pays for and what the management/agent/whomever has to show for your paying them for a service that you don't appear to be getting.

athtrasna

When we were considering bringing in allocated parking the Gardai advised against matching space numbers with unit numbers - less about knowing which unit the keys could be found in but more about saying which units are empty at any time.

Mrs OBumble

Rezident wrote: »

Good idea about talking to the neighbours alright, I don't know any of them but it's worth a shot.

That's a problem you'd want to be fixing anyways ... twitching curtains (or whatever) are your best defence if someone thinks about breaking in etc while you're at work.

But I'd also be worried if the landlord's numers aren't working - what happens if you have a burst pipe or worse? Not sure what you can do about it though, besides not pay the rent for a week (which I'm not advocating!)