An Australian resident’s frustrating discovery after returning home has highlighted what she says is an “entitled and rude” act taking place in shared parking areas across the country.
With limited parking spaces across Australian cities, it’s something authorities admit there is no quick fix for, prompting a plea for drivers to be “more considerate”.
Riah Matthews, a Yahoo staff member, came home to her Sydney apartment to discover a car obstructing access to her private parking spot outside the building with a note hanging out the back of the boot.
“Please call me if you need me to move my car,” the note read with a phone number attached.
While Matthews said the note is “polite”, it remains “really inconvenient” to have to phone someone simply to access your own parking space.
“I’m sick of having to ask people not to park somewhere that is clearly obstructing our spot — it’s entitled and rude, but I also can’t find a way to stop them,” she said.
“Having a parking spot cost me more than $100,000 during our home purchase, so it’s no small investment.”
Riah Matthews came home to find the car obstructing her parking space. Source: Yahoo News Australia
What can be done to stop ‘inconsiderate’ drivers?
Randwick City Council told Yahoo News there’s nothing the council can do from an enforcement perspective.
Because it’s on private land, Riah would be required to either speak to the car’s owner or the strata committee, a spokesperson said.
Criminal lawyer Hayder Shkara echoed this, explaining that because it’s “entirely within a strata complex”, it’s not a council issue.
However, he argues the act can still be seen as unlawful.
“In most strata schemes, blocking or interfering with another lot owner’s parking space is a breach of strata by-laws and may also amount to trespass or an unreasonable interference with another owner’s property rights,” he said.
“Even if the car isn’t fully blocking the space, creating a situation where the resident cannot reasonably access her allocated parking spot is usually enough to constitute a breach,” he said.
Shkara argues the resident “shouldn’t be expected to call someone and wait to use her own parking space”.
From a legal standpoint, he says residents can:
Formally notify the strata manager or owners corporation in writing, with photos and dates showing repeated obstruction.
Ask the owners’ corporation to issue a Notice to Comply to the offending resident or vehicle owner under the strata legislation.
If the behaviour continues, the matter can be escalated to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which has the power to impose penalties and orders.
After hearing the options available to her, Matthews described the situation as “frustrating”.
“I know that strata rules are often ignored and management can be slow to react, so it’s not really a solution,” Matthews said.
She has called on people to “be more considerate”.
“Aussie drivers should generally be less entitled about where they park because it causes genuine inconvenience for people when they’re blocked in or out of their own spaces,” she said.
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