'Reckless Parking': Woman Backed for Not Covering Landlord's Truck Repair

Commenters on a viral internet thread showed support for one woman after she explained how a driveway fender bender led to calling the police on her landlord.

In a Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/Home-Junior (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said her car was parked in its designated parking spot when her landlord smashed his pickup truck into the coupe and immediately looked to lay the blame on anybody but himself.

Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for not paying for my landlord's damaged car after he rammed his car into mine?" the post has received more than 6,300 votes and 98 percent upvotes in the last day.

Writing that she lives in a rented suite attached to her landlord's home, the original poster said the residence was advertised to include a parking spot, but failed to mention its miniscule size.

"The suite came with one parking spot [but] the parking spot that he advertised? This tiny tiny squeeze right next to two of his cars parked in front of his two car garage," OP wrote. "But okay. I could carefully fit my tiny coupe in.

"And I had, for [three] months without incident," OP added.

However, following three incident-free months, the original poster said her pristine parking record came to an abrupt end.

"As I was trying to leave the house yesterday morning, I witness my landlord trying to back his F-350 into its usual spot next to my car," OP wrote. "Except he missed and rammed my car instead."

"He climbs out of his truck, looks at me, and cusses me out. Telling me that because I had my car there, I was at fault. That my car being there 'made for reckless parking and he had no option but to hit me,'" OP continued. "I told him no. That he hit my car. And that he was the one who sanctioned a parking spot there."

After her landlord informed her he would be billing her for the damage to his truck, the original poster said the situation escalated quickly, prompting her to call the police in fear of retribution.

"He of course chuckled at me, called me an idiot, and told me to expect a bill in the mail," OP wrote. "I said, 'Nope, you give me no option except to call the police.'"

"This man was suddenly very angry and cussing me out," OP continued. "I quickly went into my suite, locked the doors, called the police."

"This morning [my landlord] sent me a ton of texts calling me a b**tch, that I was costing him a ton of money," OP added. "His wife got in on the action this evening, telling me the costs of the repair will severely affect their ability to raise their baby."

In certain cities, a single parking spot can cost hundreds of dollars per month and can tack on a similar figure to monthly rent.

While residents of cities with adequate public transportation are less likely to regularly rely on a car, residents of wide-spanning cities with little public transportation are faced with a different reality, where parking spots come at a premium.

For those parking at an apartment complex, or like the original poster, in a private driveway, access to open spots may prove to be less contentious, but that does not prevent controversy and confrontation.

Since the end of last year, Newsweek has reported on numerous viral Reddit threads detailing a myriad of parking issues, including stolen, snow-filled spaces, multiple phone calls to tow truck companies and bizarre cul-de-sac behavior.

In the majority of those cases, Redditors sided with those suffering from parking injustices. In the case of the original poster, Redditors were swift in calling out her landlord for losing his temper over an accident that was clearly his fault and encouraged OP to move out as soon as she can.

"[Not the a**hole]:" Redditor u/Elizis wrote in the post's top comment, which has received more than 7,000 votes. "He sounds like the a**hole and you should probably move."

"Sounds like you did the only thing that you could and what you needed to do to ensure your safety," Redditor u/mle667 added, receiving more than 1,500 votes. "That said, this man has keys to your apartment so I would consider moving ASAP."

"He's going to make your life miserable as long as you live there?" another Redditor chimed in. "Do you have any option to move? Because I'd seriously consider that."

In a separate comment, Redditor u/ErixWorxMemes offered a more fleshed-out response.

"He not only provided a 'parking spot' but went out of his way to advertise that the apartment came with a parking spot," they wrote. "Then he hit your car, and even had your vehicle been parked so it was sticking out of the allotted space, it is still the responsibility of the other driver to avoid hitting you."

"He is obviously trying to cover his a** and make you pay for his mistake," they added.