Someone is using my assigned parking slot

GlobalSun

Hi all,

My current lease stipulates a specific slot number in the parking lot is assigned to my apartment/tenancy. I live in the city, so I do not really need a car, but have been contemplating getting one at some point. This evening, I made my way to the parking lot and to my surprised, there was a car parked in my assigned slot. I haven't used the slot since I moved in 8 months ago since I don't have a car yet. It is my understanding all the slots in the complex are assigned to tenants as the management company does not want third parties to rent these slots.

I signed my lease with a letting agent, but the parking spaces are managed by the management company managing the complex. About 70% of the parking slot is unused. There is plenty of space to assign if need be.

Now, I have to admit that I am slightly annoyed because if I am to find out I'm paying for the parking slot through my rent and in addition to this, someone else is availing of it (probably at a cost too), it won't be good. I live on my own, so it clearly is not shared with anyone else.

My questions are:

• As the parking slot number is clearly stipulated in my lease, can the letting agent or management company rent it out to someone else without my consent?
• Would this situation warrant an escalation to either have the rent dropped to deduct the parking slot fee given they seem to have re-assigned it without my knowledge or alternatively, escalate to get the slot back?

Thanks.

Sierra Oscar

What makes you assume that the management company or letting agent is renting it out separately? They can't do so if its specified in the lease that the space is assigned to you.

It's far more likely that someone has realised that the space isn't being used and is now chancing their arm in parking there. A note on the windscreen requesting them not to park in your spot is one route you could go down. If it continues, make a complaint to the management company and they can take appropriate action.

GlobalSun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104656#Comment_118104656

Thank you. I'll drop by the parking lot again tomorrow and see. I'll drop a note if the car is still there.

I simply assumed it's been rented out because there are so many available spaces that this person could have parked anywhere else. My space is surrounded by at least another 10/20 empty spaces and this person decided to pick mine specifically. It's a bit odd.

Xander10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104714#Comment_118104714

Availing of a space that has been unused for the last 8 months isn't odd. I'm sure they will stop when they see you have acquired a car to actually use it

TheW1zard

Buy a car for 100 euro and park it there!

callaway92

How did you get to the point of creating this thread without at least trying the note on the windscreen first…

no offence OP but this is coming across a bit childish and spiteful.

it's a parking space you haven't used since you moved in and you're only *THINKING* about getting a car soon.

why even bother saying a word until you have a car and need the space? like what do you get out of it exactly? if you're paying for the space in your rent for the past several months.. telling them to get out of your space won't change that?

absolutely I'd be there with you were you driving a car or needing the space but you simply don't at the moment so I couldn't see myself causing a fuss over it.

Strumms

Problem is that the longer the motorist parks there, the more they’ll feel entitled to and the more effort it might require to shift them... “ but I’ve been parking there since xxxx and there hasn’t been a problem “ needs to be proactively nipped in the bud.

GlobalSun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104792#Comment_118104792

How is it childish? The parking space belongs to the apartment and I refuse to be paying for a parking space for someone else to use it. I'm not a charity.

GlobalSun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104754#Comment_118104754

Well, it will be hard to acquire a car if I don't know where to park it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104827#Comment_118104827

but you're happy to pay for you not to use it?

interesting. I have a lot of things you may never use would you like to buy them just so no one else can have them?

HeidiHeidi

Start by asking the management company if they know who is parking in the space, and why.

GlobalSun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104826#Comment_118104826

Exactly.

Regardless of whether I have been using the space, this motorist is parking there without any authorization. The day I get a car, I won't know where to park it because this person will have already self-appropriated this space. It's not reasonable for me to keep my mouth shut until I get a car. I'm paying for the space and someone else is availing of it without my knowledge. It doesn't make any sense.

GlobalSun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104758#Comment_118104758

Haha, I actually just contemplated this a few minutes ago. I might have to do this I think.

GlobalSun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104843#Comment_118104843

I'm happy to pay for it because it wasn't a negotiable aspect in the lease and 've always had it in the back of my mind that I would eventually get a car, so it was never a problem for me to pay. It's a perk.

I think you're a very strange person if you think it's OK for you to absorb the cost of something, but for some stranger to use it. You must have a very charitable mindset, I don't.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104870#Comment_118104870

not at all, but if you're paying you're paying and you only seem to care enough now that someone's parked a car there.

you've been there 8 months why do you care NOW? that's what I can't understand. my assumption is you're just being a bit spiteful, but you're correct noo I wouldn't have much of a shite unless I needed it.

like the entire thing you said contradicts itself. you're happy to pay but you said in your OP you wanted to negotiate a rent reduction minus the cost of the space..

so are you happy to pay or are you not?

GlobalSun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104891#Comment_118104891

I am happy to negotiate a rent reduction if it turns out the landlord rented it out, but not if some random motorist decided to self-appropriate this space out of nowhere with no prior binding agreement with anyone. I'm not contradicting myself, it is pure logic. One scenario would have been triggered by the landlord / agent, thus providing enough supporting evidence to request a rent reduction. The other scenario is clearly unauthorized parking.

cfingers

My guess would be someone noticed that no one every parks in that space so decided to park in it as they don’t have their own space.

Probably not that 'odd' that one of the other tenants picked your spot - perhaps they have a good view of it from their apt/ could be that their car is 'less on view' from the street etc... / might be one of the easiest spots to navigate/reverse in and out of in the car park.... You say you 'made your way down to the parking lot' this evening - was this the first time you went down in quite a while? Most likely there's an apt with more than 1 car user in it; and since yours has been empty for so long, they think it's 'fair go' to use yours...

And for those who say; "When they see that your spot is being used, the 'cuckoo parker' will discontinue using it" A total crock imo,,,, Whether or not you ever buy a car, it's still your spot!!, and can be used by your friends/family etc, when calling over....

It's on the lease... Your spot!

What you don't know is; if the apartment owner has being paying their service charges/management fees.. If this is the case, then maybe (am guessing here) the owner (and, by extension, you) might have no claim to the spot... That's unlikely the case, and, if not, then you probably won't be able to find out... The agent is highly unlikely to state in the lease that the Landlord has 'lost their parking spot privileges' ..

Go to/ring the agent and flat out ask them "Do I have sole rights to the parking spot, as it stipulates in the lease that I do?"

Maybe the agency rent out a few apartments in the block... Do they (agent/mgmt company) have a caretaker for tending to the common areas of the apt block... Maybe he could have a word with the parking spot thief, without you having to conversate with them, or doing any of that 'putting notes on windows' rubbish...

You want your parking spot, regardless whether or not you have (or ever will have) a car.... because, 'according to the lease' it's yours!..

No point in going too gung-ho with notes on windows and the like, and potentially falling out with other tenants... It doesn't appear that it's an immediate concern; so if you can find out about the parking spot's ownership/entitlement for use, for sure, perhaps you can put it on someone else to sort the situation out... That's what the agent is for, I presume..

YFlyer

OP best of luck. Where I'm living there is one space assigned to per house. A parking card is given. Clampers come around to check.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118104714#Comment_118104714

Your space is just one of 11 or 21 empty spaces. Their picking your space is no odder than their picking any of the others.

Let me get this straight, this is the first time youve noticed this happening?

Seems a bit of a stretch to get jumpy about it if its not even a pattern or anything

Charles Babbage

Leave a note €50 a week or park elsewhere.

Del2005

Just because your lease has a spot doesn't mean that the landlord had the authority to assign it to you, parking in MUDs can be complex. You have to contact your landlord and tell them that someone is using the space assigned to their apartment, they will then chase up with the OMC and tell you what the story is.

C14N

A few thoughts OP

1) I would make sure with the management company that this is actually your spot. In the last apartment I stayed in, spots weren't assigned based on their number. They had to be rented out in addition to the apartment from the letting agency, and you were told which number you were assigned, which most likely was different to the apartment number. Double check that this one is actually yours before doing anything else.

2) Assuming it is yours, yes this person is being a bit cheeky taking your spot without even asking, but in fairness it is no skin off your nose when you weren't using it. It's still bad form, but as others have pointed out, it doesn't actually affect you in any way compared to the spot just staying empty. I'm going to guess the person who took it lives in a 2-car apartment, noticed it was never used and thought it would be no harm to park there. They could just as easily have done the same with the other vacant spots. That said, if you are going to be getting your own car then yeah, you don't want the person getting too used to using it.

3) A note on the windshield either saying to please not use the spot, or maybe to offer to rent it out to them for the time being should probably be enough to take care of it without getting any third parties involved. Where I am now, I rent out a parking space from a neighbour, and have done so in other places before. They might just chance their arm and take one of the other empty spots hoping not to get caught again (presumably when they took your spot they figured it would be cheaper to ask forgiveness than permission), but you never know, it could be money for nothing for at least a few months.

.red.

Is it a car you've seen there once, or repeatedly, from reading your post it seems like you've seen it there once as you don't go down there.

Could be a case of somebody visiting and being told to park in your space cos it's always empty.

Could also be somebody who's space is at the opposite end of the parking lot to the exit so parked in yours as its always empty and nearer.

GlobalSun

To answer a few questions:

• According to my lease, this is my spot. The lease clearly stipulates the spot number. So, based on the legally binding contract I signed, it is my spot unless proven otherwise. Whether it has been re-assigned by the management company in the background is a different story and needs to be confirmed. I'm not supposed to know the inner adjustments, I'm relying on the legally binding contract I signed.
• This is an underground parking lot, so you can't see any of the vacant spaces from any window. This individual has probably noticed the spot has been vacant for some time, indeed. It is a good spot given it is right next to the exit gate. I agree that it could be a household with two cars and one of them decided to use my spot as there is only one assigned parking space per household / apartment.
• Before raising it to the management company, I will drop by the parking lot once again at lunch break and this evening to ascertain this person has been using the spot. It could be a visitor, but I want to make sure this is not an isolated incident. I drop by the parking lot about once or twice or week to take the bins out and can see my parking spot from there, so I know for fact this only started this week.

If the car is still there today, I will check with the security guy to see if the spot has been assigned to someone else (because they manage the fobs etc) and ask for further clarification. I very much doubt the owner / landlord has ceased to pay their management or service fees to be honest.

OP, here is what I would do.

Keep an eye on your parking spot regularly. If you see the same car park there more than once, I would leave a note on the windscreen, advising them that this is your paid spot, and that they are not entitled to park there. I'd probably setup a temporary email address also, and provide this. Something that doesn't provide any personal info, e.g. assignedparkingslot123 @ hotmail . com

If they park there again, I would leave one further note

After that, I'd start letting air out of the tires

Whether you use it or not, is irrelevant. If I have a shed in my garden that I dont use, it's not available for someone else to start using.

The other option, as others have mentioned, is to offer to rent it to the specific car for a cost per week

C14N

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105818#Comment_118105818

There's no need to start resorting to vandalism. If they're refusing to comply, the management company is in charge of policing it, and they will most likely have a clamping company that they can call in. Interfering with their car yourself is opening yourself up to more trouble than it's worth.

spurious

Note explaining it is your spot and if they would like to continue using it, pay you x amount per month until such time as you need it yourself.

If no response inform management company.

GlobalSun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105850#Comment_118105850

I agree. Currently, the motorist who is parking there illegally / unauthorized is in the wrong if it is proven that the parking spot has not been re-assigned. Let's not turn the tables. I don't believe in vandalism nor do I want the issue to escalate to the point where I'll be in the wrong.

the_pen_turner

You need to dial back the level a bit. Your in the right but it no benefit to you.

You have only seen someone park there once. It could be a mistake just someone parking somewhere easy for a short while.

You dont even have a car so cannot use the space even if you wanted to .

I would make sure they are using your space loe than once. Then leave a note saying that you dont mind them using the space while your not using it but you are Planning on using it in a few months

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105758#Comment_118105758

This is solely an issue between you and your landlord, you have no contract or dealings with the OMC or their agent. What the landlord does to resolve it is all that you have to worry about.

It's all fun and games, and largely irrelevant now regardless; on account of there being many vacancies in the parking lot atm.. OP is dead right to want to get it sorted now.. In 6 months/a year's time, perhaps, there may well be 10% more car owners/car park users, than there are spaces available for parking.. And, if at that stage the OP has a car of their own, things could well escalate quickly.. Fair play to him for wanting to get it sorted/nipped in the bud asap.... So what if he's already been there 6 or 8 months..!

Best of luck OP.. Hopefully that spot will soon remain vacant, and continue to stay so, until such time that you or your own decide to use it..

GlobalSun

For those saying I should turn a blind eye until I get a car: if this person is already willing to park in my spot without any preliminary authorization and I move forward with granting them a free pass by allowing them to park there (all while I'm paying for the spot), what makes me think they'll give me my spot back once I get a car? This person clearly doesn't care about rules. Therefore, giving them a free pass and expecting them to return the spot is not realistic at all. Utopian of an approach in my opinion.

silver2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105865#Comment_118105865

Exactly.

If you are not using it, why not earn a few quid from it.

€150-€200 a month would be a reasonable rate if its in a prime area. You may get more if its near premium office space and rent it to someone that drives into the city.

If left unused, others will park in it especially if there's no clamping

YFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108162#Comment_118108162

First line of action is to say to the driver. That is my space buddy.

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108201#Comment_118108201

The OP said in his OP that the management company does not want third parties renting the spaces......

silver2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108226#Comment_118108226

renting it to someone else in the block who has two cars is probably the best solution

mrcheez

Lots of items could be "left" in the parking space to block it (building block, traffic cone)

C14N

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108162#Comment_118108162

I'm not one of those people, but tbh, I think this is a bit of a stretch. Someone can think it's fair game to break a rule that basically has no victim (like using an empty parking spot, even if it isn't assigned to them) and then also not want to break it if it is actually intruding on someone else. Honestly, I'd kind of assume that even if you leave this person a note to not park in your spot, they could easily heed it, but just move on to one of the other empty spots until the same happens again.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108201#Comment_118108201

That might be hard though, depending on how its set up. In my experience, a lot of apartment car parks are set up to require some kind of fob to get in or out, and the tenant will only get one and probably won't want to give it away. If that's the case, the place wouldn't really be accessible to the general public, and you'd only be able to rent it out to others in the same building.

Strumms

traffic cone is a good idea... that said I’d attach a laminated notice to it along the lines of ‘ no parking / private assigned space ‘ or whatever.

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/melba-swintex-mpl-1-piece-traffic-cone-750mm/2011v

YFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108247#Comment_118108247

An old Ford Mark 1.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108290#Comment_118108290

weigh it down with sandbags too.. make it a chore for the driver to move (and protect against wind). Cover it with spikes... ok I'm getting carried away :D

the_pen_turner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108162#Comment_118108162

you will have the law on your side then. get the car towed or clamped etc.

.42.

Don’t turn a blind eye, if you are provided a parking space then it’s yours no matter if you own a car or not.

if it’s not your car parked there then it should be empty.

every time it happens, take a photo and send it to the management company

.red.

Buy a well used bike with a kick stand for €20 on adverts, park it there.

A cheap chain and a cavity block and problem solved.

mfceiling

Funny people saying he should let it go or is being childish. It's his parking space...his. He can sleep there if he feels like it.

Anyone have a holiday home in France or Spain that they're not using at the minute? Sure if you're not using it then it's fair game for us lot on boards to use it.

Crikey boards can be a strange place sometimes. It seems in this case Occam’s razor applies, no need to suspect this is any more complicated than a motorist noticed that there hasn’t been a car parked there for 8 months and just decided out of convenience to park there. A note should do the trick. Op, you seem to be letting it annoy you, even though you don’t have a car. When you do get one, park it in your space, until then, what’s the issue?

JeffKenna

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108713#Comment_118108713

The OP noticed this yesterday for the first time. Could have just been a one off as the OP said they take out bins and haven't seen the space used before. All unnecessary drama.

GlobalSun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118108713#Comment_118108713

This.