Parking outside of someone else's house

[Pankhurst09]

To give a bit of background I live in a narrow street of detached and semi detached houses. Every house has a driveway for one car. I have lived here for nearly a decade with young children and two cars. When we first moved in some neighbours had clearly been upset by us now using our drive and space directly outside of our house (it had been a single lady before) and two neighbours communicated that this was making it difficult for them to reverse out of their driveway. I acknowledged this but explained that with two cars there were not a lot of places to park and we could only do our best to try and park sensibly ie not restricting each other's drives. All has been fine and we all have worked together to try to be accommodating. Within the last year there has been someone new move into the street who continually had been parking in front of others houses (they are directly across the road from me) I heard some exchanges between neighbours that they were not happy, it had got to the point one neighbour left a note on the window. I only found out about this as the new occupier told me when she was ranting at me. She started to constantly park in front of my house. There is space on their own side to park but they 'choose' not to. This didn't bother me at all in the beginning as I thought it's just a misunderstanding and I actually defended them when my ex partner complained about no parking, saying give them a chance to work out that they can park on their own side (which they do only if someone else is parked in front of my house) . However when any visitors dared to park in front of my house (when I was at work) the female occupier was knocking at my door to confront my ex partner or mum to tell them to move their car (in an aggressive way) despite the fact that this is where they continue to park their car. It got so bad my sister had parked outside my house and the female occupier started gesticulating in the window as if she wanted a fight! I went out to say is there a problem? And she said, yes! And I have been purposefully parking in front of your house. I said well that is antagonistic and it is a difficult street to park on so why don't we all try and be respectful. She stormed off. She is back to parking in front of my house on a Thursday and leaving the car until Monday morning! Despite the fact they have two cars and actually reverse the much bigger car out the drive to run errands rather than move the car in front of my house. I know the law is not on my side and I know it's just down to decency at the end of the day. I was happy to give up the space if I was just unlucky that they happened to have visitors and needed the extra space but this is a different scenario. What do you think?!

[VioletBam]

Why don't you park in front of her house? That's what I would do. Or, I'd consider asking the council about the issue.

[ExtraHotLatteToGo]

I think I'd move 😁

It's one of the reasons I want to move from here.

I don't know what else you can do really, except offer to shove her tyre Jack where the sun doesn't shine if she does it again.

Is it a public road or a private road?

[RealityCheque]

Club together with all the neighbours and put a wheel clamp on her car every time she parks there. All deny it.
Rinse.
Repeat.

And park in front of her house.

[amy85]

Just Park infornt of her house

[tofutti]

Can you apply to the council for a dropped kerb? Then call the police if she parks there.

[MustStopAndThinkBeforePosting]

Is the missing bit of info here that the street is so narrow that you can only have cars parked on one side or the other if the street is to still be passable? Does them being parked in front of your house mean that you can't simply park outside theirs without blocking the street?

If so, then effectively there are half the "expected" number of street spaces on the road and the best solution would be for the council to paint double yellow lines along one side. The spaces on the other side will not belong to the people whose houses they are nearest to obviously - just first come first served.

If not then this whole post is a bit odd as the solution of parking outside their house is so obvious I don't get why the drama.

[tofutti]

Must OP does say 'there is space on their own side to park but they 'choose' not to' so I don't think cars can only be parked on OP's side.

I don't think OP is causing the drama, she seems to have been very patient with her neighbours.

[Tanfastic]

I was gonna say what Must says but if you say there is space outside their house to park as well as space outside yours then, well sounds all a bit of a drama when there doesn't need to be.

I live on a narrow street where there are no double yellow lines but if we parked outside our house as well as the neighbours across the road, unless we all parked well onto the pavement it would cause a bit of a problem for people getting out of their drives. I sometimes have to do a 56 point turn as it is getting out of mine because of parked cars but I manage it. Is it a case of that?

Personally if my neighbour continually parked outside my house meaning I had to park outside hers then I would do it....and fuck them.

[CatNip2]

I don't get this either, it would only take a neighbour to park outside my house once and leave their own free for me to park there.

[OliviaStabler]

I'd be tempted to slash her tyres but of course would not and would just park in front of her house instead

[WibblyWobblyJellyHead]

We used to have this in our old house. He parked outside ours, wrecking the grass verge. When we got a second car we started parking there and as soon as DH moved his car the neighbour would rush out and move his car there.

We started parking outside his house (ruining his pristine bit of verge) and he put a shitty note on the windscreen.

It went on for years. We moved in the end but we still have to drive down the road and his car is now permanently outside our old house, so I guess he won.

[Jessbow]

As long as a car is taxed and insured you are perfectly at liberty to park where you like. Contrary to common belief, you don't own the road outside your on house, nor have the exclusive right to park on it.

Why is everyone so obsessed with parking bang outside there own house?

[SoupDragon]

Did you actually read the OP, Jessbow?

the OP clearly states that she knows people can park where they like.

The Parker is deliberately being an antagonistic twat.

[Pankhurst09]

Violet I tried parking outside her house because I had gone shopping with one child other child was being looked after. She had parked in front of my house, there was literally no other spaces on the street so I parked outside her house so I could carry all the bags in she threw open her curtains shaking her head, I only know because my daughter told me and I could tell she felt uncomfortable. I just ignored her. As soon as the other person in my drive left I parked back in my drive.

[Pankhurst09]

Ha ha extra hot. Sorry to hear you are having the same issue. It's a private road and I am seriously thinking about moving.

[Pankhurst09]

Reality

[Pankhurst09]

Amy I've tried but she's not happy about that either!

[Pankhurst09]

Tofuti good suggestion, my sister suggested this. I have a drop kerb to be able to park one car and the other side is chips, the problem would be I would be parked literally in front of my living room window but still might be worth it.

[Pankhurst09]

Must stop the street is so narrow that you need to carefully space cars. You also need to be careful reversing as cars parked on the opposite side don't leave a lot of space to get out your drive. when she came over to rant at my ex while he was getting kids ready for school, telling him to move his car (from the very spot she parks in outside my house) she wasn't happy because it was difficult to get out. It seems it's only ok for her to reverse if it's her car causing her to have to manuvere and not mine or a visitors.

[MintyChapstick]

Seriously, just tell her to fuck off. Its the only way of dealing with people like this. Either that or crack an egg on her windscreen (I'd say key the car, but that's criminal damage so..).

[Pankhurst09]

Olivia think I might need to toughen up and just start parking there

[Pankhurst09]

It's a bloody pest wibbly. That's exactly what they do, move there car into the space. That's when it becomes really annoying because they are making a claim on something that seems unfair. If they happened to come home, no spaces, took the one outside your house fair enough but it's not unfortunately. Moving is looking more appealing. That said my house is bought theirs rented so I suppose I hope they don't stay much longer.

[Pankhurst09]

Jess I know not much I can do legally. Minot obsessed at all with parking outside my own house, it's never been an issue in almost 10 years. It feels like the neighbour is obsessed with parking outside my house

[Pankhurst09]

Soup that's exactly how I'd describe her, she actually said, "I have been parking to annoy you on purpose" when we had words. Wow!