Source: Reddit
This happened around 20 years ago. Our family owned two apartment buildings, three units each. We lived in two of them, rented out the other four. There’s nothing but these “three-flats” lining both sides of the road for about a mile. Not all have parking. On the side streets are houses and very little street parking. We had more land than most of these units – since it was also our home. So we had parking for around 16 cars. Everything was fine for literally decades.
Then cars started appearing in our parking lot that were not our tenants. I blocked one in one day. Went outside to see this A%^&ole drove through our bushes and across the yard to get out. I called the cops – nothing they could do. So I called a tow company and had them put up signs. We’d have to call them to have a car towed – the signs seemed to work. No more random cars.
Until New Years eve one year. I arrive home and every space is filled. There are even cars on the street blocking in the other cars. I’m beyond pissed. I call the tow company – they can’t do anything for a few hours because they are so busy.
We’re in the Chicago suburbs. It’s below zero out. I have an idea. I dig out the lawn sprinklers and hoses. I run one hose inside to the laundry room faucet and turn on the hot water. This way the hose and sprinklers won’t ice up. But the cars and ground sure did. Three sprinklers, moved every half hour or so. For almost five hours.
Every car, every square inch of the parking lot, the street by the cars, encased in ice. I made it a point to spray ice IN the locks, between the window seals and glass. In the grills. Put away the sprinklers and hoses, went to bed. 4am, furious pounding on the doors, doorbells ringing non-stop. We just smiled and called the cops. Waited until they arrived and went outside.
Cops were holding back laughter. These people were told to park here by their “friend” who owned an apartment several buildings away. The same idiot who drove over our bushes. I pointed to the tow sign and told the people to move their cars or get towed. In our town cops can ticket on private property with the owner’s permission. So all cars were ticketed. They were also towed, since nobody could get in their vehicle. Wish we had it on video.
