A man has shared a note he got from his neighbor complaining about his van parking, and social media users have weighed in.
Sean Downie of Essex, England, put the note in a viral post on TikTok to show how his neighbor wasn't happy with where he and his girlfriend were parking their van while having guests over. However, he said he was legally parking the van outside his driveway.
"I haven't once parked illegally or with intentions to upset anyone," he told Newsweek.
Downie said he and his girlfriend moved into their first apartment about a year ago and have received notes from three different neighbors.
The first one complained that she didn't like the look of Downie's van and that it made it awkward to pull out of her driveway. The second neighbor shared similar sentiments. Then a note was recently left on his girlfriend's much smaller car.
"Now, I'm not sure if this is being done on purpose, but two more neighbors from across the street with a pretty big driveway started putting both their cars where I was putting my van," he told Newsweek.
"They were essentially waiting for us to come home, then ran out to speak to us. They said the van has been outside there mum's house for too long and that me parking there has upset them."
So Downie put the note in a TikTok post, which has received over half a million views since it was shared one week ago. The note, left on his girlfriend's car, reads: "Please may you move the van outside your house. We have really struggled over Christmas. We have a large amount of guests over Saturday night and really need the space. Many thanks."
The neighbor ended the note with a smiley face.
Parking is often a source of contention for neighbors. But in the U.K. there are an estimated 33 million cars, according to NimbleFins, compared with over 283 million in the U.S., according to Consumer Affairs.
Downie's video has received over 1,000 comments from people sharing their views on the situation.
Ian wrote: "They clearly and obviously very kindly asked for space on one night for guests. Just be kind and oblige, it's not that big of a deal!"
Jess commented: "Don't have cars/vans if you don't have the room for them," to which Downie responded: "So don't work is what you're saying?"
When someone said that the note was a "polite request," Downie responded: "I get that and if it was the first time I'd happily move it and I did for them but it's multiple neighbours telling me where I can and can't go."
Jaquie wrote: "I hope you didn't move it. If you invite people organise where they can park, a short walk won't hurt them."
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