A man recentlysharedhow his one neighbor is a wannabe Homeowners Association representative, despite not living in an HOA community. She keeps leaving notes on his car and confronting him about his perfect parking. When the entitled Karen pushed him to his limits, the man did what any good neighbor would do. He served her with an act of malicious compliance that left her paying the price.Bored Pandareached out to the man to find out more.

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There are many reasons someone might choose to park in the street

Blue car parked in driveway with neighboring houses visible, illustrating neighbor dispute.

Image credits:roman_babakin (not the actual photo)

For one man, it’s because his car obstructs the sidewalk when he uses his driveway

Text screenshot about a neighbor’s complaints and reactions related to parking and HOA issues.

Text excerpt about a neighbor dispute over driveway parking and city involvement.

Neighbor woman in white sweater and pink scarf making a dismissive gesture outside.

Image credits:kues1 (not the actual photo)

“Driveway parking issue with neighbor complaint about sidewalk obstruction.

Woman conversing outdoors with another person, appearing to be in a discussion.

Image credits:freepik (not the actual photo)

Text image describing a neighbor reporting a car parked near a fire hydrant, resulting in a ticket.

Image credits:AtomicFile_

“Everyone seems to have their own ‘Linda’ story,” the man tells Bored Panda

The man told Bored Panda that his neighbor has “mellowed out a bit” since the incident but still keeps a “watchful eye” on the neighborhood. “There haven’t been any more confrontations, though I did catch her giving my car a side-eye the other day,” he said during our chat. The two are apparently civil but distant. “We keep our interactions to a polite minimum—definitely no holiday cookie exchanges in the near future!”

He also revealed that he’s not the only one who has had to deal with the neighbor’s interference. “A lot of neighbors have shared similar run-ins with Linda. It’s like she sees herself as the honorary HOA president,” he said. “Everyone seems to have their own ‘Linda story,’ so my experience isn’t unique.”

Fights over parking have landed people in jail this year, while others have lost their lives

It’s one thing to exchange words with a neighbor when it comes toparking. But there have been a string of incidents in the news this year, highlighting just how bad the situation can get. A 62-year-old woman wasarrestedin Georgia in November, after threatening to blow up her 28-year-old neighbor’s house during an argument about parking. Sylvia Allen was arrested after someone handed over an audio recording of the incident to police.

A 19-year-old Bronx man lost his life in April, after an argument over a parking spot outside his apartment building. Dominic Cruz Aguilera’s family said he went downstairs when a neighbor knocked on their door and “asked someone to move the family’s car.” Aguilerawas stabbed in the altercation that followed. He died in hospital. A neighbor was taken into custody and charged.

A separate incident, also in India, led to the death of a 50-year-old man. Local media reported that the man was stabbed several times, after a long-running dispute over parking. And just a few days ago, “abusinessman in Delhi allegedly set fire to his neighbor’s car over a parking dispute, leading to his arrest after a 600km chase,” reported the Hindustan Times.

“Love thy neighbor” is sometimes easier said than done

You find yourdream home, move in and everything’s peachy. Until it isn’t. Whether it’s an issue ofnoise, nosiness, untidiness, rudeness or just giving off a “vibe,” some people could win gold when it comes to getting on their neighbors’ nerves. Close to three-quarters of Americanspolledin a Lending Tree survey said theydislikeat least one of their neighbors.

Almost a quarter of respondents admitted to calling the cops on their neighbor, while 1 in 10 people said they’d previously packed up and moved, purely because of a neighbor. The reasons for neighborly discord vary but more than a quarter cited weird vibes, noise and rudeness.Only 13% said they’re peeved with their neighbors for parking in front of their house or taking their parking spot.

Across the pond in Britain, a separate surveyfoundthat almost half of the respondentssaid a neighbor has blocked access to their driveway, garage or allocated parking space. And one in six homeowners had got into an argument over parking. Some respondents said they resorted to sneakiness to keep their parking spots, with18% admitting to leaving objects in front of their driveways or on-street parking spaces, to stop other vehicles from using them.

When a research company conducted the study on behalf of Churchill Motor Insurance, they interviewed over 2,000 homeowners in the U.K. “When parking is sparse and life is busy, it can be easy to park in the first available space – even if it blocks others.However, it is important to remain considerate to others when parking,” said Head of Churchill,Nicholas Mantel. “As a general rule, drivers should always remember not to stop in front of, or park in the entryway of, any property.”

Mantel suggests first trying your best to sort out parking disputes peacefully. “If your neighbour persists in blocking or parking in your designated parking space or driveway, you should first try to have a polite conversation explaining the situation, as it may be a simple misunderstanding,” he said. But added that sometimes, it helps to take things further.“There are additional steps you can take, such as making an antisocial behaviour complaint or getting legal advice to remedy the situation.”

Reddit comments with users reacting humorously to a neighbor incident involving a driveway parking issue.

Reddit comment exchange about parking conflict with a neighbor and resulting ticket.

Text exchange about a neighbor’s parking complaint and retaliation involving rideshare cars.

Reddit comments discussing a neighbor dispute involving parking issues.

Reddit discussion about legal parking distance from a fire hydrant, featuring comments and a helpful link.

Comment about neighbor’s name being Karen, with a playful reply.

Discussion about HOA rules and personal freedoms on a forum thread.

Text conversation about a neighbor frequently reporting trivial issues to the city inspector.

Text discussion about neighbor dispute over driveway parking and city involvement.

Reddit comment about a Karen neighbor’s car ticketed for parking near a fire hydrant.

Text exchange about parking near a fire hydrant between inspector and Linda.

Text exchange about driveway parking causing neighborhood tension.

Comment discussing parking issues with a neighbor, humorously noting where to park.

Comment on a Reddit post about neighbor dispute involving a driveway.

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