[Closed] Neighbours parking in our spaces problem

For petrol money and a *few pints of Guinness Iäll happily come over and shit on your neighbour's windscreens whenever they park in your space. 😀

*This may need to be had in advance. 😉

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Coupled with

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Ought to get the message across...

going against a decade of previously amicable and orderly cooperation between neighbours

It's silly. Has to be handled with care due to it being a problem revolving around cars which as we all know everyone gets touchy as **** about, but the OP does have a valid point.

I bought a house just over a year ago, it's the last house down a cul de sac, so it has the benefit of a massive corner plot with parking for 6 cars. The other houses have shared drives for 2 cars and there are all kinds of problems.

My house had been empty for 18 months and next door neighbour had been parking on what was to become my drive. I made it very clear to him that I was happy for him to keep parking their UNTIL I MOVED IN, as it made the property look occupied, but as soon as I took ownership, this wouldn't be necessary.

I did it in a polite but assertive way and it didn't cause any aggro. However, I had plenty of even firmer lines 'rehearsed' in case he'd dug his heels in.

I know how easy it is to be cowed by others, especially when you're the new kid on the block and you want to appear to be everyone's mate. But if they're spoiling the enjoyment of your own property, you have to nip it in the bud. Be Mr Nice Guy once they've stopped using YOUR property.

You have three choices really

Talk to them and try and work something out
Enforce your ownership and prevent them parking there
Offer to sell them the land or let them rent the spaces

Everything else is just waffle.

Well if the OP wants his relationship with his new neighbours to be that of a landlord/tenant, and be universally despised by everyone, then yes he should put signs up, bollards, send letters etc. Or he can choose to let it lie, get to know his neighbours on an equal footing and perhaps in time gain some valuable new friends. I know which one I'd choose.

[url= http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/friendly-neighbours-wasting-their-time-2013080677937 ]Gaining some valuable new friends?[/url]

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Daz, reread his original post. They don't give a monkeys about becoming valuable friends, all they're bothered about is p*ssing against trees!

Shibboleth - Member

Daz, reread his original post. They don't give a monkeys about becoming valuable friends, all they're bothered about is p*ssing against trees!

No. they're reacting as most people would when informed by the 'new bloke' of a change of circumstance that they'd always just taken for granted for a decade, and they'd never really given any thought too.

And as Daz is suggesting, if the next thing they notice are bollards cones, letters, and legal notices getting thrown around then every single one of them will think the 'new bloke' is an utter *!!!

Like Daz, I'd sort my priorities out, chill the * out, and not listen to the utter cobblers being spouted on this thread. I reckon that'd be an awful lot better for a quiet life in the long run

Well now I have a list of who wont mind if I need somewhere to park a caravan, dump stuff on their drive etc.

My neighbour said "Sure, no problem at all, just give me the nod when you're moving in." He respected my ownership.

These twunts have basically said it's communal, which doesn't respect the OP's ownership at all!

Are you able to see that difference binners? I'm not suggesting bollards - they're a last resort. I'm suggesting firmly asserting his ownership and letting them know what concessions/permissions he's prepared to grant.

When we moved into our new house (new build) we had this problem. We live on a development of 5 houses, 4 of which have a space allocated opposite the houses. The adjoining neighbour had often used our space on and off for visitors before our property had been occupied and this continued after we bought the place.

If you are interested this is the layout, it was a concern for us, but we wanted the house so compromised

We just told them to move each time we found them there and then sent an email to all the residents asking them not to use our space.

We still have a good relationship with them all and no one uses our space anymore, still it was a bit bloody annoying at first.

Just nip it in the bud now, they might kick up a bit of a fuss now but it will all be fine a year down the line:

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I need to see a photo of this said land....

Just change the parking spaces into flower beds ?

That PH linky was a joy to read. Thanks retro. 5-tonne tow rope, was it?

Hmmm... I want to keep my parking spaces available for me and my family to park in, so I'm gonna turn them into flower beds? Genius! 😀

Awkward situation bol and you have my sympathies. But as always in these cases, you need to start with the correct legal understanding. Ensure that everyone knows what the legal situation is and that this is respected. From there, [b]you[/b] ([b]and you alone[/b]) can decide on how accommodating [b]you would like to be [/b]regarding how they may use your property. If you ignore this, your rights will be ignored as will your helpfulness /generosity....even worse, it may be argued that you are giving consent which could give lawyers room to play silly games if it came to that in the future.

They are the ones who are being (slightly) unreasonable here, not you. Play it by the book - its the first rule in these situations, especially with friends and neighbours. They will still be friends and neighbours afterwards, if not then you probably wouldn't want friends like that anyway.

Thanks everyone. Blimey, what a response! A really broad range of useful suggestions - and some more erm, interesting ones. And some useful perspective. At least no one has dumped a Vectra in one of the spaces.

I think I'll have a quick chat with the conveyancer who managed the purchase to make sure we're on firm ground and then write a friendly but firm letter and see how it goes. Unfortunately I think we're past the friendly chat stage with a couple of them, but hopefully we'll be able to pull that back. No issue at all with the others.

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Bloke in bottom left hand corner: "piss off out of me parking space, you ratbag, Tony"

Give them the guilt trip in your letter. Stress that you wanted a friendly solution but the actions of some have made you go down a more formal route, although you still want everything to remain amicable.

They'll know deep down that they've not got a leg to stand on, so as long as you're seen as being the nicest, fairest Mr Nice Guy ever, they'll come round. Good luck!

and the rest of them trying to cut him in half with a car door!

send the letter with a bottle of wine/ can of Red Stripe or a box of chocolates/ Mars Bar, thanking them for their understanding.

Or sit and drink all the wine and red stripe, then sit in the middle of the street at about midnight, surrounded by empty cans, and read the letter out really, really loudly while randomly shaking your fist at all their houses in turn. Then wee on any of the cars in your parking spaces

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They'll know deep down that they've not got a leg to stand on, so as long as you're seen as being the nicest, fairest Mr Nice Guy ever, they'll come round.

Sadly I fear that whilst they'll be 'friendly' to his face, the real feeling will be one of seething resentment of the 'who does he think he is?' variety. All over a car parking space 🙄

Good luck to the OP. Hope you manage to mend those damaged bridges.

Sadly I fear that whilst they'll be 'friendly' to his face, the real feeling will be one of seething resentment of the 'who does he think he is?' variety. All over a car parking space
Good luck to the OP. Hope you manage to mend those damaged bridges.

The problem is, the op didn't start the damage. When you try to be amicable and have it thrown back in your face, what would you do?

Alternatively, please can you buy some land for me so I can park my car on it?

Binners bang on their door and say move your ****ing car now would work better. That way they wouldnt dare retaliate. Talk politely and theyll laugh/plan funny revenge acts.

Such are people.

Sell or rent them the space. If they don't want it, rent them on rent my driveway.com orsomething.

slowoldgit - Member

That PH linky was a joy to read. Thanks retro. 5-tonne tow rope, was it?

Alas, it was not me, just a thread I remembered.

HOIras apprach needs added cowboy boots for his pure menace look
That said he is right. Banging on your neighbours door really loudly and then swearing aggressively is almost always the solution to issues with your neighbours....I me an who does not respond well to that 😕

Depends tbh

My neighbour parks at the side of my house - technically neither of us should park there but he has decided we share it for some reason known only to him- though he goes ape of someone parks outside his house on the road

To force the issue would mean to fall out with an otherwise reasonable and sound neighbour so i dont bother forcing the issue - that said parking is not a massive problem tbh and he goes mental about it

I guess the issue is do you want friendly neighbours or a parking space

Compromise one space as shared one as off limits??

not read thread beyond OP so sorry if allready mentioned

not read thread beyond OP

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'Tis a difficult one. Parking is one of those things that does get contentious.

No matter what the previous arrangement was, this is your land so you can do what you will with it. If you want to end the agreement they had with the previous owner, they'll have to suck it up because at the end of the day they have no right to park there. I'd definitely nip it in the bud now* but I'm not too fussed about being best mates with my neighbours...I'm happy at just saying hello.

You will be seen as the bad guy so you are doomed to a certain extent. Those saying get over it etc - how would you feel if your neighbours assumed that they could use your drive / toilet / garden as they please because of an informal agreement that used to exist? I suspect it’s very easy to say get over it, an easy life is more important but harder to do if it is your property being used despite you asking them not to.

The bit that would annoy me the most is that they have just assumed that they can continue to use your spaces. Surely the right thing would have been to check with you first? That would have avoided all of the tension.

I get what people are saying about why can't your friends / family park further away. On the otherhand, why should they have to when you have ample space for them to use? Its not your fault their houses have less parking than yours.

* on the basis that the spaces will get used. If you kick off about it and no one uses them you will look like a toolbox. Although as it is your property, its up to who uses it.

Junkyard I was in my front garden one Sat morning. Neighbour (medical professional) went across the road and hammered on the front door shouting move your ****ing car NOW.

Two Asian lads in their 30's came out, shouting/one was swivelled-eyed (probably with the stress of it literally wanting to hit her, calling her a fat-this, fat-that etc etc). Lasses Father came out (nice bloke and he obviously felt dutybound to be present for his daughter although he was very uncomfortable). I intervened, cooled everyone down. The father came round and thanked me. Bizarrely so did another neighbour who was nothing to do with the trouble.

She didn't. She did this again the following week. Mrshora said 'shes at it again/are you going out'?

NO.

Guess who moved out? Not her/her family.

Had our Mondeo keyed again over the weekend.

We have a drive. Probably could [i]squeeze[/i] two cars on but we are talking a Mondeo & a Galaxy here, so not the smallest cars.

Had a party for my youngest weekend before last, so I parked the Mondeo in the communual area at the end of the street so that family could park on the drive & outside our house. The comunual area has room for about 5 cars, but the bays are not marked.

A chap who uses the communual area because its right outside his front window takes offence to me using it. He has his owne drive at the back of his house. Probably annoys him that I have space for 2/3 cars so shouldnt be parking there. But its a public area. Its not assigned to anyone, but this chap honeslty thinks he has a right to it becasue he has parked there for so many years.

I'm not too fussed. Couldnt care less about the car. Its got half a dozen key lines on it anyway. We are talking 11yr old Mondeo here, with 170k on the clock. I honestly dont care, but by god i'd love to catch him doing it. I've tried befriending him. Tried reasoning with him. Tried everything. I just take the stance that its a bit of inconvenience to me sometimes, but at least I'm not annoying him.

But after this latest incident all attempts to reason with him are abandoned, & I shall be doing everything in my power to annoy the hell out of him. 🙂

There's compromise to be had. But ultimately, it's your property, and your neighbours are taking liberties, so I fail to see why you should. You say you want to use the space but really, that's irrelevant; it's your space, you shouldn't have to justify it.

You don't want to fall out with your neighbours, and that's fair enough, but arguably the ones who've responded to your request not to park on your land with anything other than "oh, ok, fair enough" aren't people you want as 'friends' anyway.

Ultimately, you need to make a decision as to how much leeway you want to give them, and then communicate that to them. If any of them are arsey about that then I suggest that what you give them is "none at all."

I really like the idea of knocking on their door and asking to use their toilet, and explaining that it's the arrangement you had with your old neighbours before you moved so you assume it won't be a problem. (-: Or going round with a load of clutter and asking to store it in their garage as you don't have room in yours.

I intervened, cooled everyone down. The father came round and thanked me.

I haven't been keeping count but I swear this is far from the first story you've told in which your appearance averts a crisis and you're subsequently thanked by witnesses and bystanders. You must project a zen-like serenity.

Well I was fettling my bike. I was hardly going to bury my head into my bike or slyly walk inside and look from behind a curtain.

I still remember the time a group of lads were outside the bar (thrown out for fighting) were waiting for us to come out and I went out alone to ask them if we could calm down/go our own way after another naughty STW'er had sparked off the ruck.

I've been actively campaigning for this for some time, but seriously..... [url= http://www.prideofbritain.com/ ]Lets make this happen[/url]

Loved the PetrolHeads thread, brilliant work, and exactly what I would have done. The 9 ton towing strap I have in the boot probably wouldn't have broken, either...

the real feeling will be one of seething resentment of the 'who does he think he is?' variety

Other odd neighbour behaviour.

Me - Hi I've got this transit for the weekend, I'm off to the tip. Do you have anything that you'd like taking.

She filled the van. 😆

^^ and then you get to the tip to find it's only Thursday's where they allow anything over 1.7m tall, and only then if you've pre-registered with the council as residential, and not dumping trade waste 😉

Start renting the spaces out on www.parkatmyhouse.com
Advertise through flyers through their doors.

parking does seem to bring out the crazied mentalists in otherwise normal people.

My mother in law shares a side by side driveway with her neighbour. Neighbour doesn't like it if she feels car is too close to her half and now doesnt like the fact that MIL parks a motorhome on the drive (very much within her own half), this has escalated to to CCTV, legal letters, painted lines, expensive bollards, police involvement and damage to vehicles.

I doubt you are going to reason with them over this.

Op, do nothing except twitch the curtains and moan to your wife whenever they park there.

Op, do nothing except twitch the curtains and moan to your wife whenever they park there.

😀 ....and while they're at it, put up a 'No Ball Games' sign just in case any of the neighbour's pesky kids dare impinge on their property by kicking a ball over the fence.

If you really value your parking spaces that much put some bollards in. The type that sink into the ground when not needed as they can't be taken out by the neighbours. You will have to carry out this works at night and try and be as quiet as possible.