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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Neighbour passing through my driveway to get on and off theirs

169 replies

parkingcars · 26/03/2025 01:29

I bought my house October last year and had the driveway fixed a couple of months later. Recently, I’ve seen that my next door neighbours, who are not attached, pass through (couple of times a day) the upper half of my drive to access theirs. They run side by side with a fence (in red) on the boundary line, but it’s not a shared drive. Additionally, their garage was built up to the boundary line.

I only have the 1 car, but they have 2 - a van parked on the road and a car on the drive. They are unable to drive immediately on and off since the van slightly overhangs their drive. They’re unable to drive the van forward to create extra space because their neighbour parks his car close to it to avoid blocking his own drive, which has another car parked on it (also a 2 vehicle household)

I understand it’s not my neighbours fault / intention to cause any issues, however it is frustrating that they are using my drive, which will lead to faster wear and tear without any contribution to maintenance costs. Ultimately, I think it’s up to them and their neighbour to find a resolution instead of using my drive.

My drive extends along the full length of my house, and I typically park towards the end. However, I’ve considered parking at the top of my drive to prevent this issue from happening. My concern is that they might bump my car while moving in and out.

AIBU? Am I being petty? Diagram attached…

Neighbour passing through my driveway to get on and off theirs

OP posts:

Thread gallery

Daisydiary · 26/03/2025 07:24

Fence and gates. Or borrow a couple of friends’ cars for a few days and fill your drive with cars, forcing them to find a solution for themselves. How dare they? It’s your property!

SmurfKingdom · 26/03/2025 07:24

I don’t think it’s petty. I would never think it’s ok to keep using my neighbours driveway like that. This is the problem with everyone having too many vehicles than they can accommodate nowadays. Our street is a nightmare, everyone’s got 2+ cars with driveways that only fit 1, plus work vans parked everywhere.

MaryGreenhill · 26/03/2025 07:23

Do not turn this into a neighbour problem, in case you ever want to sell the house OP.
My friend has terrible neighbours and her life is a living hell because of them .
Also her house value is affected because of it .
It's such a minor thing just twice a day and whilst annoying , it will not cause terrible damage to your drive surely .

unsync · 26/03/2025 07:23

Ask them for a contribution to the repair costs. If they are using it, they are contributing to the wear and tear. Drive maintenance can be expensive. Or put a collapsible bollard or gate in.

Harrumphhhh · 26/03/2025 07:19

10/10 for the diagram
0/10 for all the PP who have not yet suggested penguin bollard

I think you need to consider the bigger picture here:

How important are neighbourly relations? (Do they take your bins out occasionally, take in mail, feed your cat when you’re on holiday, etc? Or do you literally just live next to each other?)

How much would it annoy you if they started parking the van at the end of your garden (the obvious solution)?

simpledeer · 26/03/2025 07:19

Big heavy plant pot.

Or leave your car at that end.

Shinyandnew1 · 26/03/2025 07:13

JoyousEagle · 26/03/2025 07:05

Potentially they think this is a preferred option to them parking their van on the road in front of your garden - which would obviously be perfectly legal for them to do, and would give them space to drive onto their driveway without crossing yours.

Good point.

Could they do that, OP? Would that annoy you more?

MellowPinkDeer · 26/03/2025 07:13

I would absolutely be parking just into my drive so they stopped doing it. Petty probably but this would drive me nuts. They could just park their van properly. It’s a then problem not a you problem

outofofficeagain · 26/03/2025 07:10

JoyousEagle · 26/03/2025 07:05

If you block your driveway this is definitely what they will do.

Perfectly within your rights but will block your view to the right getting off your drive, which is more of an arse than blocking it to the left.

Fiveandeight58 · 26/03/2025 07:09

Install one of these detachable metal posts

JoyousEagle · 26/03/2025 07:05

UpsideDownChairs · 26/03/2025 07:04

Where's the pavement?

Isn't the bit they're driving over pavement?

Wishingplenty · 26/03/2025 07:01

Yawn another petty "that is my land" dispute. Until people learn to let these things go for the greater good, there are always going to be wars.
Once people start quibbling about parking, there is literally no going back, you will be arch enemies until one of you decides to move. If you can bare it pick the battle, but it literally will never go away.

outofofficeagain · 26/03/2025 06:59

MathsMum3 · 26/03/2025 02:30

So they're really just drving over the corner of your driveway (left hand side of your purple rectangle), to angle their car onto theirs? If so, maybe it's not a big deal.

It's curious that the fence doesn't extend right to the end, but you said in a previous post that the drives are very narrow, so maybe the fence was built that way so that both of you have more of an angle to get on to each of your own driveways, especially if you're reversing in.

Edited

Show quote history

also fences limit visibility getting on and off the drive.

greengreyblue · 26/03/2025 06:58

Definitely not petty. It’s cheeky fuckery and these people operate by making you feel petty. It’s your property and no decent person would do this . Park at the end of the drive so they can’t.

Flipperti · 26/03/2025 06:55

Can you put out a couple of plant pots to stop them doing this?

outofofficeagain · 26/03/2025 06:55

The wear and tear on the drive is a non-issue. It’s a driveway, they are supposed to be driven on. It’s also the furthest bit away from you.

But it is your property

You can go to the trouble of putting in obstacles etc but I think you will look petty.

Feelingstrange2 · 26/03/2025 06:55

Just here for the diagram. Great work!

Fourleggedfanatic · 26/03/2025 06:54

Have to be honest- it wouldn’t worry me.

beAsensible1 · 26/03/2025 06:53

Reugny · 26/03/2025 05:12

The OP has to pay money to repair her drive. They don't as it isn't a shared drive.

Them driving over it adds to the drive's wear and tear.

Anyway all the OP has to do is put an obstacle on her drive.

I live in an area where people who don't have a car at all or a car that doesn't fill their drive put planters in the space to block people driving over their drives.

Show quote history

Yes that’s petty too. It’s all so miserable and pagg agg. When everyone has car it makes
roads tight, sometimes people have to use the edge of your drive to turn around etc.

i Just don’t understand the misery of it as someone who owns a car, you know what it’s like. Why be nasty about it.

RosesAndHellebores · 26/03/2025 06:51

Extend the fence with a trellis and put in a climber.

Alternatively, have some white posts sunk at the dividing line, or tree stumps, etc. Have a narrow bed, no more than 6 to 8 inches sunk and plant it with geraniums in summer, cyclamen and daffs for winter/spring.

beAsensible1 · 26/03/2025 06:50

I think you are being petty.

HellsBalls · 26/03/2025 06:46

You think you’ve got problems? Saw this on RM.

Topsyturvy78 · 26/03/2025 06:06

Can you not put a double gate on?

MontyDonsBlueScarf · 26/03/2025 06:01

If you deliberately make it awkward for the neighbours to park their van outside their own house then I wouldn't be surprised if they park it outside yours instead. Would you prefer that?

Perhaps you could speak to them along the lines of 'I can see it's difficult for you to get on to your drive without crossing mine but I'm not happy for that to continue now I've had mine repaired. Can we work out a solution that suits us both?'

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