AIBU to ask your advice on wether it's worth taking my Neighbours from hell to court?

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

I've had threads on here about my neighbours from hell.
We've been threatened, sworn at harassed and our visitors harassed.
We have involved the police who initially wanted to issue a harassment order against said neighbours but were overruled by their superior officer who said " it never ends well in neighbour disputes"
The actual abuse has reduced significantly though we still endure low level harassment.
I'm keeping notes etc as recommended by the police.
I've pushed for mediation and have met with the mediator however neighbours are stalling and I doubt very much they will attend.
Currently the favourite form of harassment is to park their vehicles to make it quite difficult for me to park. I can get in and I can get out but I do dread weekends and I dread coming home as I'm always so anxious about what they will have done and will I be able to get in ok etc.
I have checked my deeds and they are blocking my "easement ' and it states in the deeds that no one is allowed to do anything to hinder another's ingress and egress.
Currently the neighbours are freely enjoying and utilising the easement I honour and provide them with on my land.
So- Aibu to consider starting legal proceedings or am I just feeding into their crazy?
What would you do?

[thirstyformore]

Don't bother. It'll cost thousands and you'll get nowhere.

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

Do you have experience of this thirsty?
Thanks for the reply

[AnnieOH1]

I would say it's probably worth a solicitors letter to remind them of your rights within the deeds, along with telling them quite forcefully that you will seek a protection from harassment order and costs, along with a warning that once the order is in place any further harassment would constitute a criminal offence for which they could be jailed.

Shouldn't run much more than £150.

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

Are you a solicitor annie

[Ikillallplants]

I work in property law. Do not do this. Even lawyers hate boundary disputes. They are boring, pointless and both parties hate you in the end so any fees are wiped out by bad publicity. Most firms I have worked for have refused to take on these sort of cases.

You will also have to disclose the dispute if you want to sell the house. Search on here for threads about shared driveways, buyers are wary of them at the best of times. It could mean that you find it very difficult to sell.

DO NOT DO IT.

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

By parking the way they do they are actually blocking their own parking area and unbelievably each other. I have without their knowledge witnessed them having many domestics over it as they have to constantly shuffle the cars around etc they are constantly in and out of the house checking if we are outside so they can rearrange without us seeing - as if we don't know
They each have enough room for at least one car each behind there own parked vehicles so none of their guests or deliveries can access their property so often park on ours.
This has been going on since march EVERYDAY without fail. There resolve to inconvenience us far outweighs the obvious stress and inconvenience they are causing themselves.

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

*their

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

Desperate bump for the morning crowd

[CatsGoPurrrr]

I've not read any of your previous threads. It all sounds insanely stressful.

If the situation is as bad as you say, then legal proceedings will cost you thousands and likely just make things worse.

I couldn't line like that: is it possible for you to move?

[Whatthefudger]

Move. Easements are great in principle, something to get worked up about for property lawyers, but crossing over into litigation is a massive ball ache. I agree letter before action might work, but I'd just move.

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

I'm not sure I could even sell the house at this point? The way they park is so openly aggressive potential buyers would look at it and say no thanks
What can I say, don't worry it's just me they hate they'll park appropriately for you.

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

On the other hand - can I send a solicitors letter and then not follow it up with action - would that not weaken my position further?

[HaudYerWheeshtBawbag]

Can you not put chains around your part of the boundary to stop them parking on your land?

[StephanieAteMyLunch]

It would weaken your position and it would also go against you if you decided to sell.

Could you look at renting the house out and moving? Or selling to a landlord who would rent it out? Sometimes the neighbours become perfectly reasonable when the person they dislike moves.

But issues like this can go on for years and years. Have a look at GardenLaw forums on boundaries/rights of way etc. And realise you can't reason with crazy.

[rjay123]

I think we will need a diagram or two to explain how they are parking...

[luckylucky24]

Have you tried being reallllly nice to them? Cringingly kind? Send them flowers, take round leftover dishes etc. Kill their attitude with intense kindness!

[RNBrie]

Is there anyway you can alter the layout of the land or install a wall/boundary that still honours the easement but means you have a secure parking space? I would be spending my money on this before going down the solicitor route (I am not a lawyer).

Can you draw a diagram so we can better see the issue?!

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

I've tried to be nice to them previously but we're way past that now.
They are so focused on harassing us that they are compromising their own comfort.
I can't stop them from using my land to turn and reverse etc because they have an easement, I would be just like them then wouldn't I?

[Craicvac]

I think if you adjust your mindset (easier said than done, I know!), you could end up enjoying watching how much they put themselves out in order to put you out slightly! What a pair of dicks, blocking each other in to make your life slightly awkward!

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

I've had a look at garden law forums and I identify with lots of behaviors from my neighbours. I can't block their easement because I would be blocking another neighbour also if I did.... I think they want me to do this. I suspect that my bad neighbours are trying desperately to get a reaction from me. Currently my response has been whiter than white but I am struggling to now to not lose my shit with what feels like a constant onslaught of unpleasantness.

[Totallyattheendofmyrope]

craigvac

^^^
That is exactly what my dh wants me to do.
I called him this morning and woke him up with a rant about last nights behaviour (they've came up with a new parking pattern that is designed to make it difficult for me to park).
It wasn't welcomed (don't blame him).., dh says that I'm letting them get inside my head and I need to come up with a strategy to deal with it.

HOW DO I DO IT*

[AlternativeTentacle]

Park elsewhere before you even get to your drive and calmly walk home whistling and smiling?

Or pop a diagram up.

[IDismyname]

Can you find somewhere else to park your car? I'm just trying to think laterally....

However, I 'get' the fact that parking comes with ownership of the property, but it leaves them faffing about trying to 'almost' block you in, when your cars not there....

Mess with their minds!

[WeAreEternal]

A friend of mine has a similar issue.

She had a large paved front garden with parking for 3 cars (if she parked carefully).
Her ndn had the same.
After a disagreement the ndn decided to start parking their cars along the end of friends driveway so that she was unable to get on her drive at all
They wound shuffle their cars around and park in a way that meant they always had two cars completely blocking her drive.

She tried to negotiate, beg, plead, threaten involve solicitors and the police but it only made it worse.

In the end she took the advice of a stranger on an Internet forum and bought a second hand car for £400.
She used the car as a parking bollard and parked it in an awkward way at the front of her driveway, meaning whenever she wanted to enter/leave she moved the other car, drove her car out and then moved the other car back to its spot.
The ndn still try to park awkwardly and park right up to the other car, but the other car is big enough that it's space leaves enough space when she pulls forward to drive straight in.

She is considering buying a second other car just to prove her point though.

[cordeliavorkosigan]

Can you just park on the street till they get over this? We park on neighbouring streets for boring identifying reasons I won't go into, and it is not such a big deal.
Can you put something else on your parking space Iike a few bikes or planters or whatever, use it another way?
What a giant pain in the ass.
Would pointing out to them in a mild but slightly mocking way about how much time they seem to have , to spend their time doing this, and how funny your dh finds it to watch maybe take the wind out of their sails?