People sleeping in caravan on neighbours driveway

[Namechanger445]

Just wondering if anyone knows the law around having people sleep in a caravan on their parking space?

Our neighbours have a large caravan on their parking space and for the last few night have had several people staying in it. We live in a small modern Close and sound travels very well, especially in this weather with windows open. They were making noise and shouting in the caravan until 2am, it must have been pretty loud as it repeatedly set the white noise machine off in my daughters room which overlooks the front of the house!

As we live in a small Close, the driveway isn’t on their own property, there are some designated spaces for their property set a couple of spaces back from their house, so it’s not like the noise is contained on their property. They have to cross a communal path and others parking spaces to get to their parking space.

I’m just wondering if this is a normal/acceptable thing to do or if there are rules about not doing this? Could really do without my little one waking up every 20 minutes from their noise!

[Jghijjjoo]

I think as a short holiday one off, you need to suck it up. It's a sensible way of housing guests.

[Deshasafraisy]

Unless this is a very regular disturbance then I would ignore and let them enjoy a holiday.

[DamsonPie]

Report to the council. It needs addressing in case the neighbours decide to do it regularly. Though by the time the council get off their arses to investigate the people will probably be gone.

[Namechanger445]

Thanks for the replies. I certainly don’t want to cause any issues with the neighbours over something short and temporary, as we’ve never had any issues before. The caravan lives there all year round so I’m just worried it will carry on, having said that it’s school holidays, so let’s just hope it’s a one off!

[Singlenotsingle]

Is this going to set a trend? How many caravans can we fit on there? You could have a travellers site there before you know it!

[lightonthewater]

It must be disturbing your neighbours too surely? I would have thought they would be keen not to see this continue. I would wait a week and if they haven't gone go round and talk to your neighbours. If the occupants have left, explain how disruptive you've found it and seek assurances it won't happen again.

If it continues on, report to the Council.

[LakieLady]

We have a motorhome and often stay overnight in it when visiting. We prefer our privacy to sleeping in other people's houses! We're either on our hosts' drive or just parked on the road, not in a parking space some distance away though.

We're quiet though and wouldn't dream of making a noise late at night. If they're there again tonight, I see no harm in asking them to keep the noise down as it kept you awake.

[BlueBug45]

Go and talk to your neighbours. Tell them they were bloody noisy and ask them not to repeat the behaviour. If they then repeat the behaviour they won't be surprised when the council gets in touch with them.

[Jux]

We need a diagram before we can possibly comment!

[ArcheryAnnie]

The issue isn't people sleeping in a caravan. The issue is your neighbour's guests kicking off until 2 am and disturbing you. Treat it as you would if they were hanging out of your neighbours' spare bedroom shrieking at 2am.

[WhentheDealGoesDown]

Is it teens having sleepovers in there as they might be the age to make a racket, we have a caravan on our drive but if we had guests who slept overnight in it we would expect them to be very quiet to not disturb the neighbours.

[Caaarrrl]

What Annie said is absolutely correct. My teenagers often sleep in our caravan in our garden when they have friends over. If they disturbed anyone the they would not be doing it again, but they never have and the caravan is right under our bedroom window so I would know.

The problem is not because your neighbours had people in the van, it is that they are inconsiderate twats.

[DontCallMeCharlotte]

Quite a lot of conveyancing documents prohibit keeping "houses on wheels" (caravans). I wonder if yours does?

[PavlovianLunge]

I can reasons for visitors sleeping in a caravan, but no, it’s normal or acceptable to disturb the peace at 2am.

You’ve really got three options:

• keep quiet and put up with it
  
• speak to the neighbours if it happens again
  
• speak to the neighbours today.
  

Personally, I’d let the first time slide, but if it happens again, I’d be round to the neighbours early the day after a second occurrence.

You really don’t want this to become a regular thing, it’ll make your life a misery.

[NotARealDuchess]

Ditto what DontCallMeCharlotte said. Check whether they’re actually allowed to keep a caravan there in the first place as a lot of new build estates don’t even allow them to be parked on a drive let alone a communal parking area.

[BottleOfJameson]

I don't think necessarily having them there for a short period of time is unreasonable but they should at least make the effort to keep the noise down. I imagine there might be restrictions about them living there permanently though.

[Anxious2niteaaah]

If the caravan has always been there and belongs to the neighbour then the people inside are probably family or friends visiting and staying in there so they and your neighbour have space from each other and are not getting under each others feet...

If you are on good terms with the neighbours, say that you don't mean to cause offence but can they ask their visitors to keep the noise down as they were shouting and making noise until 2am and you have a child who was trying to sleep, say that the noise was loud enough to trigger a white noise machine in your home..

[Namechanger445]

Thanks everyone. I’m pretty sure I remember restrictions on what vehicles can be parked from our solicitor when we moved in. Vans were definitely not allowed, but people still have them and honestly the caravan has never bothered us as other than the fact it doesn’t look that great it doesn’t affect us in any other way.

If I owned one of the parking spaces next to theirs I’d be annoyed though as the caravan takes up every inch of the space meaning their neighbours can’t open a car door on that side of their parking space.

I think we will let this incident go and if it happens again have a word with them. My husband thinks it was kids playing on a football computer game and shouting/cheering regularly. Hopefully it was a one off. It definitely must have disturbed other neighbours as we aren’t the closest to the caravan.

[88Charry]

I was a traveller for 12 years. I've only stumbled onto this post as I was looking up the law of parking a caravan on the driveway.....
I wonder if its straight out banned on a council house driveway?