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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want the car to move!

309 replies

honeyandbutterontoast · 29/12/2024 16:19

Looking for honest opinions here because I’m aware this may make me seem like an AH.

I live in a road where the majority of houses don’t have drives. We park on the road. I knew that when I bought the house, it’s not permit parking but there is usually space for two small cars in front of my house. It has never been a problem in the time I’ve lived here, occasionally if there’s a local event I’ve had to park up the road for a few hours if I’ve been out, or for an evening.

Four weeks ago I came home from work to find a big car taking up both spaces outside. So I parked elsewhere. The car is still there.

Nobody has been to it, or moved it in that time and frankly I’m getting annoyed. I have to now park a long way from my house (else I’m in someone else’s space), which has been annoying with heavy bags of food shopping, or if I’m going out with the dog/DC. It’s meant if my mum has visited she’s also had to park elsewhere, again not ideal.

But what can I do? No point leaving a note as nobody has been to the car in that time (it’s right outside my window so I would see). None of the neighbours know who it belongs to either. It seems a stupid thing to get stressed about but I just want to be able to park outside my house!

OP posts:
BellesAndGraces · 29/12/2024 16:55

drgrat · 29/12/2024 16:39

I leave my car for weeks/months outside someone else’s house as we have only street parking. I have no right to the space outside my house and it’s an absolute luxury if I get to park outside my house.

YABU, so much so, I’d purposefully park outside your house just to prove the point. But I’m incredibly petty.

What a sad way to approach life.

Thepurplepig · 29/12/2024 16:54

Okonomoyaki · 29/12/2024 16:41

And the council could legitimately tow it... If it got reported by an equally petty person.

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Wrong

Sk1sk0 · 29/12/2024 16:54

So annoying OP. I’d ask around a bit more then report as it may be stolen.

ILoveAnnaQuay · 29/12/2024 16:53

I once had a neighbour who, while lovely for the most part, was incredibly petty about parking.

She had a driive that could take 2 cars. She lived alone and had one car on it. We were having some work done on our driveway so for a few days I needed to park elsewhere. I put my car opposite her house, on the other side of the road, where there aren't any houses just a hedge.

Within 24 hours She came round to ask if we knew whose car is was (she knew perfectly well it was mine) as she thought it might be abandoned and was going to ring the council about it.

The OP is being totally Unreasonable

Thepurplepig · 29/12/2024 16:52

Stop whining. It is not your parking space. All those suggesting calling the council are out of their minds. The car is taxed and MOTd. It can sit there until otherwise and it’s none of anybodies business.

Buy a house with a drive then you won’t have this problem.

SlipDigby · 29/12/2024 16:52

Okonomoyaki · 29/12/2024 16:41

And the council could legitimately tow it... If it got reported by an equally petty person.

Show quote history

Pretty sure the council would at most just contact the registered owner first who would confirm it wasn't abandoned. Otherwise anyone e.g. requiring a lengthy hospital stay or going on a big holiday would be pretty knackered.

It took our council over a year to shift a pair of derelict Luton vans with broken windows, no inflated tyres and moss growing all over them despite umpteen reports.

Soniastrumpet1984 · 29/12/2024 16:52

NutNutmum · 29/12/2024 16:44

Funny that I had someone as incredibly petty as you on my street once, that was until they got sick of repairing their tyres and paying to get the scratches out of there car ect.

Not as clever as you think you are, 🙄.

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So criminal damage then to someone who hasn't done anything wrong. Riiiighhht what a lovely person you are!

NutNutmum · 29/12/2024 16:44

drgrat · 29/12/2024 16:39

I leave my car for weeks/months outside someone else’s house as we have only street parking. I have no right to the space outside my house and it’s an absolute luxury if I get to park outside my house.

YABU, so much so, I’d purposefully park outside your house just to prove the point. But I’m incredibly petty.

Funny that I had someone as incredibly petty as you on my street once, that was until they got sick of repairing their tyres and paying to get the scratches out of there car ect.

Not as clever as you think you are, 🙄.

Okonomoyaki · 29/12/2024 16:41

drgrat · 29/12/2024 16:39

I leave my car for weeks/months outside someone else’s house as we have only street parking. I have no right to the space outside my house and it’s an absolute luxury if I get to park outside my house.

YABU, so much so, I’d purposefully park outside your house just to prove the point. But I’m incredibly petty.

And the council could legitimately tow it... If it got reported by an equally petty person.

Printedword · 29/12/2024 16:41

Happens every now and then here. You can report it, especially if it's over 2 parking spaces. Traffic wardens pick them up here.

Jc2001 · 29/12/2024 16:40

honeyandbutterontoast · 29/12/2024 16:20

And it is mot/taxed, I checked that after the first couple of days

There's not a lot you can do really, unfortunately it's just a risk you take when you buy a house without a drive. Leaving notes probably won't help if they've not been back to the car for some time.

drgrat · 29/12/2024 16:39

I leave my car for weeks/months outside someone else’s house as we have only street parking. I have no right to the space outside my house and it’s an absolute luxury if I get to park outside my house.

YABU, so much so, I’d purposefully park outside your house just to prove the point. But I’m incredibly petty.

StormingNorman · 29/12/2024 16:39

honeyandbutterontoast · 29/12/2024 16:28

Thanks for that. But when you buy a house with parking on the road you kind of expect to be able to do that.

And yes if I parked outside someone else’s house that would be inconveniencing them. We all try and be considerate when parking here. It’s a residential street with most people in the same boat.

Sounds like it may be your car? If so just move it along the road a bit? Just for a change

Edited
Show quote history

When you buy a house without parking, you don’t expect to be able to park directly outside your house. You hope you’ll be able to park on your street but you know nothing is guaranteed.

Original poster
honeyandbutterontoast · 29/12/2024 16:38

It’s an okay car, about 7/8 years old, not a luxury or particularly special type. Just big.

OP posts:
Noshowlomo · 29/12/2024 16:38

Yes report to the police. This would annoy the shit out of me

ScrambledSmegs · 29/12/2024 16:37

This happens round where I live however it's because when thieves steal a luxury car they dump it in a quiet street for a while to see if the tracker has been activated and then retrieve it if not. There are websites to check if a car has been reported as stolen, not sure how legit they are though!

Pixilicious1 · 29/12/2024 16:36

Whammyammy · 29/12/2024 16:26

The car is not parked in YOUR space.
Parking further down the road won't be in ANYONE ELSES space.
Both your car and the car outside your house will be parked in the public highway.

100% this

Original poster
honeyandbutterontoast · 29/12/2024 16:36

It is taxed and mot’ed.

Neighbours have no idea either.

I think I will let the police know tomorrow, just in case it is stolen.

OP posts:
SkyGrant · 29/12/2024 16:34

Hi Op you can check whether the vehicle is taxed or an mot via gov.uk. You never know it could be stolen. If is the Police will arrange recovery, if it not taxed the DVLA will either immobilise it or get it removed.

Have you spoken to any neighbours have they any knowledge?

Original poster
honeyandbutterontoast · 29/12/2024 16:33

ILoveAnnaQuay · 29/12/2024 16:31

It's a public road. If you're desperate to park outside your own house, buy a house with a driveway.

Thank you
like I said, it’s a residential street with everyone in the same position. I happen to like where I live, and have no need of a driveway generally. Maybe the person whose car it is could put it on their driveway?

OP posts:
XmasMass · 29/12/2024 16:31

Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast · 29/12/2024 16:25

A better note would be

I'm so sorry. It was a total accident. Good news is you can hardly see it.

Brilliant. I'm going to remember that.

ILoveAnnaQuay · 29/12/2024 16:31

It's a public road. If you're desperate to park outside your own house, buy a house with a driveway.

GirlWithTheRedScarf · 29/12/2024 16:29

I can relate OP and sympathise with you. I’m in a similar situation within my street. The parking is a nightmare nowadays.
A random car parked only a few houses up from mine. It sat for days on end. A neighbour took to the local FB page to post about it and asked to whomever it belonged to, to get it shifted. It was gone within the hour!
Try that as naming and shaming the number plate is usually enough to get a car shifted when it is made public 🙂
However, it’s not guaranteed! So please bear this in mind as aside from this, there is not much else you can do!
It might be worth making a police enquiry as previous poster suggested - it may be stolen or it may have more sinister reasons (owner may have passed/went missing)
Good Luck OP!

TotemPolly · 29/12/2024 16:28

If not taxed nor mot'd , report to police / and local council / traffic warden .

My road has no fences around the houses / gardens.
A car was once parked on the path but the front wheel was in my garden . We phoned up the council who sent out a traffic warden within the hour .
Whilst the warden was there person came to their car ( they'd probably walked the short distance to town ) and sweet talked the warden so didn't get a ticket but I've never seen the car again.

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