Dear Prudence,
I own a condo in a 20-plus unit complex with a homeowners association fee of $400/month, which comes with two parking spots. I use this condo as a second home if I have work events in the city and I don’t want to drive home to my family in the suburbs. Three months after buying and renovating my place, I got a knock on my door from a member of the HOA board who asked if he could use my second parking spot because his family bought a new car and they didn’t want to park it on the street until their insurance kicks in. His family has three cars and he claimed that the previous tenants of my unit let him park in their extra spot for free. I only have one car, so I said fine with the verbal contract that I wouldn’t charge him for it.
It’s been eight months since he asked and he still parks his car in my extra spot. To be honest, I’m not that pressed about it because I’m only here three days per month and he’s never put me out by taking both spots at once. However, I shared this with my friends, and they all reacted strongly in disgust because they thought I was being taken advantage of. At this point, do I: let him keep parking there for free, text him and say I’d like to start charging him for the spot ($100-$200/month), or use the spot as leverage for when I need a favor since he’s on the HOA board (I.e. I once lost my keys and he found them for me)?
—Too Nice, Two Spots