How to Take Care of Problems With Neighbors

While the Coronavirus has caused schools and universities to close for a month, I have more time to relax and do the things I enjoy, and focus on solving some problems myself. 

About 5 months ago, a familiar car in our neighborhood was parked in front of our apartment. That doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but in the city, it is really hard to find parking spots. I was irritated, because the car had not moved for 5 months, and was taking up a parking spot Lucas, I, or our other neighbors could have used. 

The residents who lived in my building asked themselves if the owner had died or moved. We really were not sure who the car belonged to, so we could not ask them. We had seen the car parked around this area, but not left sitting for 5 months. It had condensation built up in the front window, and this got so bad, that mold began covering the steering wheel, seats, and the entire inside of the car. It looked disgusting. 

Not knowing who to contact, I called the Ordnungsamt, the official department responsible for handling parking issues and abandoned cars. I talked to my trainer, and they said that as long as the (TÜV) mechanical certification was not expired, the car did not have to be removed from the streets. In Germany, cars have to go to get a mechanical check once a year. If they pass the test, they get a sticker saying when the mechanical certification expires. If the car is on the street after the certification has expired, the car can be towed by the city. The mechanical certification of this particular car did not expire until September 2020, which was 6 months away. 

After contacting them twice, and hearing that my elderly neighbors stopped in to the Ordnungsamt personally, nothing had happened. However, nearly a week later, I walked out to get into my Jeep, and saw two ladies from the Ordnungsamt standing outside of the vehicle. They informed me that I was incorrectly parked, and that people could not walk by on the sidewalk. 

People on our street have been parking there ever since we have moved here, so I really did not know that this was illegal. I explained this to them, and that there are not enough parking spaces on the street. They said that they had to drive around sometimes for an hour before they found a legal parking spot. They gave me a ticket, and told me I could park on the corner of the street. 

I was very frustrated, because this would not have happened if there were enough parking spaces for homeowners, and if the moldy, abandoned car was not occupying one of the parking spots. I told the Ordnungsamt about this car, and they looked it over, but could not do anything, because it was parked completely legally and the TÜV was still valid. 

I then bumped into my elderly neighbor, and after chatting for a few minutes, I asked him if he knew who this car belonged to. He told me where the owners lived, and that they had bought a new car (which meant now they had three cars on the street for two people). I went and rang their doorbell a few days later. I should have done this earlier, but was too scared to talk to them, and did not know where they lived. 

A woman answered the door, and I asked her if the car belonged to her. She said yes, and then seemed to get very defensive and say that it was allowed to stay there because the TÜV was still legal. I said that I knew that, and said I actually came to tell her that her car was moldy. She replied that the car had always had condensation in the front window. I explained that the car is actually covered in mold, on the seats and the steering wheel. I made sure to avoid saying that the car was a problem or it inconvenienced me (even though it did). The woman said she would take a look at the car later. 

Lesson 1: state problems in how they affect you or don’t even mention that it is a problem. Tell them what you notice and show true concern. Do not expect to get anything out of the situation.

A few minutes later, I heard someone on the phone outside my apartment, where the moldy car was parked. I saw that it was the lady, and that she had seen her car. She seemed rather upset. 

I had to go to work later that night, and went out to get in my Jeep, which was parked on the corner, where the Ordnungsamt ladies said I could park. I had received another ticket, and so had our other car, which was parked right behind it. I was very frustrated, and talked to my colleagues, who have also had such problems with parking. I don’t find it my fault that the city does not have enough parking, or that an abandoned car is occupying a legal parking spot on my street. On top of this, I had never known that any of the places the cars had been parking were illegal. 

Later that evening, after returning home, I saw the lady’s husband come out to wipe up mold in the car. It was dark out, so I can only imagine how effective it was. I thought about asking them if they could move their car, because it did not belong to anyone in the apartment that it was parked in front of. After doing some quick research on Google, however, I found out that he can legally park there, because the street is a public place. Anyone can park anywhere that it is legal. 

I did not end up talking to him. I thought he would leave the car there until September, and that it would only get more moldy again. To my surprise, the next morning, he was outside trying to get the car to run. 

After we came home later that day, the car was completely gone. I was so happy and surprised, I quickly stole the parking spot, and now am very happy each time I look out and get to see my Jeep out the window, parked LEGALLY!! 

Lesson 2: Take care of problems yourself before involving officials. You will be surprised with what you can achieve on your own, and much faster, too.

I now plan to bike or take public transportation as much as possible, so that I can keep the Jeep in a legal parking spot, and avoid tickets. Is this nature’s way of making me become more environmentally friendly? I don’t know. 

Imagine if I had found and talked to the owners in the beginning, when I first noticed the mold. We most likely would have never had such a severe problem, and I could have avoided two tickets. On the other hand, now I know where it is legal to park!

“SOMETIMES THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED IS LESS TRAVELED FOR A REASON.” – JERRY SEINFELD