‘Poor’ Parents Throw Child’s Birthday Party at Apartment Pool - Now They Face Potential Eviction

• A debate reared its head online after parents decided to save money by throwing their child a party at an apartment pool.
• Soon, another couple showed up and decided to take the problem up with the building's front office.
• After a complaint was issued, officials came to shut the party down, eliciting many differing reactions from internet users.

Most people have come into some conflict or debate surrounding appropriate behavior regarding public spaces. Whether it's about someone else leaving their trash at a communal grill, loud music on the weekend, or merely an argument about parking, public amenities can often bring up some unforeseen conflict.

One couple experienced this first-hand recently when a family in their apartment block decided to presumably save some money by hosting what seemed like a child's birthday party at the apartment's public pool. A 32-year-old man took to the internet to explain their situation, saying it all started with a minor complaint.

The unnamed man wrote that he and his partner wanted to enjoy a relaxing day by the communal pool, but the entire pool area was flooded with people by the time they arrived. The man quickly realized that not everyone present was a resident, but the couple decided to leave things be and try to find a spot in the water. He wrote:

"I live in an apartment complex with a pool. There is no active lifeguard or anyone really monitoring it like most apartment pools. On Saturday, my boyfriend and I went to hang out at the pool around 2 p.m. We get there, and it's packed. Like wayyy too packed. I knew this couldn't all be residents."

Finding a spot was almost impossible, as the original poster described it, and the couple soon realized that all the guests were there for a child's birthday party. The original poster noted that the guests were using almost all the space, and other residents were also unhappy.

The couple apparently spoke to another pair who lived in the apartment block who were just as surly at the entire situation. After a while of trying to get comfortable, the original poster decided to get up and log a formal complaint at the front desk. Not expecting much to come of it, the couple grabbed their things and took their leave.

What Did the Couple Do?

The original complainant also noted that the guests had all brought alcohol to the pool. While parties had never been expressly forbidden, it was a well-known rule that glass and alcohol were banned in the pool area. This is not a rule unique to the pool, seeing as glass can be a dangerous thing if it breaks and falls into the water.

Feeling that pinning all the consequences squarely on him was unfair, the poster approached the family and tried to sort things out.

The other residents at the pool agreed that the guests were a bit intrusive, using both the public grills and playing loud music. The original poster also noted that the apartment building had a rule that all guests were to be checked in at reception, although he confessed that few people bothered to do so.

Eventually, the poster and his partner cut their losses and spoke to the front office. After making an official complaint, the couple went home, deciding to spend their Saturday indoors instead. However, after about an hour, the pair realized that the group that had been occupying the pool had suddenly vacated.

The complainant assumed his protest had been noted, and the party was shut down. Although he felt slightly bad, he didn't overthink the situation. The internet user who shared the story indicated that he and his partner went to bed that night without further contemplating the incident.

The pair thought the ordeal was behind them, believing they had merely put a stop to an intrusive social gathering. However, the following day, the couple woke up to find a note on their door. The message stated that the complaint of the previous day had had drastic consequences for the small family who only wanted to celebrate their kid's birthday.

The message revealed that what seemed like a minor complaint had severe repercussions and that the "poor" family whose party it had been was now facing a serious "lease review." Naturally, the original poster felt bad about what had happened and decided to hear the internet's opinion on the matter, prompting his post.

What Note Did the Couple Get from the Parents?

The note explained that the lease review could get the small family kicked out of their home whenever the landlord wanted and that the complaint had been the direct cause of this. Feeling that pinning all the consequences squarely on him was unfair, the poster approached the family and tried to sort things out.

He noted that he and his partner weren't the only ones who had a problem with the party. He also pointed out that if they hadn't complained, someone else surely would have. Nonetheless, the family was obstinate that the couple was directly responsible for the predicament they now faced.

The complainant then took to Reddit, asking people what they thought about the situation. Naturally, the altercation sparked fierce debate, with many people saying the original poster should have dealt with things differently. People pointed out that making a formal complaint was overkill and suggested that he should have approached the family directly.

People also took offense at the fact the original poster focused on the fact that many of the guests had been Hispanic, with one person noting, "I don't see what the ethnicity of the party had to do with the situation at all, so I thought it was very weird that got a special mention." Another user wrote:

"This is one of the grey areas. Legally you are alright. Morally? You had so many options. You could have talked to them. You didn't. Instead you put in an official complaint. Housing is a nightmare right now, you have given them more to worry about. Why did you specify Hispanic? What does it have to do with this issue? YTA."

Another person noted, "The fact that it was a birthday party means it was likely a one-time event. It's not like they were doing it every day for weeks on end. You could have easily tolerated the extra people for one afternoon, especially [because], as you said, there isn't a rule against having parties."

Other people thought the poster had every right to report something that broke the rules. One person wrote, "They got under lease review bc they broke the rules. The responsibility is entirely on them, and nobody else is to blame." Many shared this view, observing that the guests were drinking out of glass containers by the pool.

Many people noted how dangerous it could be to have glass by the pool, saying they had seen public pools closed for that very reason. One person commented, "I'm not a big stickler for rules, but at a certain point, breaking them will result in proving the reasons for why the rules exist (sic)."

Want more like this? Click here to read about a janitor who had to evacuate an old building.

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