Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Help me deter neighbours

292 replies

Claytonclogs · 15/02/2026 20:29

I have miserable neighbours. One woman coordinates with another neighbour to make sure that I can’t get my car in the drive most days of the week. My house is at the end of a very narrow dead end track and one of them parks their car opposite my drive each day after I’ve left for work preventing me turning in. Every day, the same charade - I go and ask them to move and maybe they do or maybe they don’t do it for a few hours. They both have drives and garages. They’ve had it in for me since I put in planning application for loft conversion. It was approved easily, it’s legal and was built considerately. I don’t overlook their properties or gardens from the loft.

Confronting doesn’t work, trying to diffuse doesn’t work, and I’m not interested in stuff like blocking their cars in retaliation. I don’t want to go down legal routes because don’t want formal disputes with the neighbours.

So … my goal is to appear so bizarre and wildly unhinged that they will think twice about blocking my drive or taking any action that might lead to an interaction with me. Creative and (legal) suggestions welcome!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Mummylove2026 · 15/02/2026 21:39

Put your wheelie bins there, but blather the handles and side in the anti theft paint/grease. Hopefully they will go to move it to park the car and get covered!

BrownTwigStanding · 15/02/2026 21:37

Buy some sage smudge burning sticks, and dance around outside with them, often.

Quite fancy doing it myself, although, I’d like real sage like I’ve seen in USA TV series, for a better effect 🤣

RollOnSunshine · 15/02/2026 21:36

Park adjacent to the other vehicle so they cannot drive off. When they ask you to move claim to have lost your keys.

It will help if you do not need to go anywhere for a couple of days.

Basically the more of a ball ache you can be the less they will do this in future. Verbal arguments will not work with people like this.

Fridgemanageress · 15/02/2026 21:36

Just block their car in. Wait for them to knock, tell them you’re in the loo and you won’t be long.
when they start complaining how long you’re taking, say it’s none of your business, like blocking my drive isn’t your business, but I have the Tom tits - and then go to Kobe an imaginary piece of fluff from their face

RunningJo · 15/02/2026 21:34

Have you actually asked them why they park there? Would they be embarrassed by confrontation & stop?

Get a friend to come round in a high vis, and stand there with them looking official, get them to take photos, measure the space.
They’ll wonder what’s going on. And as your friend leaves, hopefully they’re watching so pump the air and grin madly as if you’ve had some good news 🤣

People like this have too much time on their hands & are incredibly petty (we had a neighbour who was similar some years ago - tried to stop me walking the dog in a public area because “if someone saw me, other people might walk there”).

Barney16 · 15/02/2026 21:33

Clementine12 · 15/02/2026 20:42

I wouldn’t go in the drive. Leave your car in front of their’s. So they have to come and ask you to move yours. Then they will get fed up!

This. And smile a lot.

HeNeedsRehab · 15/02/2026 21:31

Is it impossible to access your drive or just far trickier than you’d like? Would reversing in make it doable?

Otherwise I like the lion idea 😂

Mum1216 · 15/02/2026 21:30

Yes park a really knackered rusty vehicle opposite their house. Then use it to store things in, like old clothes.

grumpygrape · 15/02/2026 21:30

Claytonclogs · 15/02/2026 20:29

I have miserable neighbours. One woman coordinates with another neighbour to make sure that I can’t get my car in the drive most days of the week. My house is at the end of a very narrow dead end track and one of them parks their car opposite my drive each day after I’ve left for work preventing me turning in. Every day, the same charade - I go and ask them to move and maybe they do or maybe they don’t do it for a few hours. They both have drives and garages. They’ve had it in for me since I put in planning application for loft conversion. It was approved easily, it’s legal and was built considerately. I don’t overlook their properties or gardens from the loft.

Confronting doesn’t work, trying to diffuse doesn’t work, and I’m not interested in stuff like blocking their cars in retaliation. I don’t want to go down legal routes because don’t want formal disputes with the neighbours.

So … my goal is to appear so bizarre and wildly unhinged that they will think twice about blocking my drive or taking any action that might lead to an interaction with me. Creative and (legal) suggestions welcome!

Come, come, OP. Not real without a diagram!

crazeekat · 15/02/2026 21:29

NotnowMildrid · 15/02/2026 20:53

They are bullying you.

Buy a cheap vehicle and permanently park it opposite, to prevent them from doing it.

It would be a pain operating the manoeuvres, but at least you would have control and be able to get in/out of your drive.

Also they will get mightily pissed off with a car parked outside their house 24/7 but it will serve them right and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Or:

Park the car that you drive permanently outside their house 24/7. Again, they’ll soon get pissed off and give up. BUT, if they then commence at a later date, then so do you.

Totally this!! Get the worst looking but still legal car u can find and park it where it will stop them doing what they do but double piss them off too, and yes they are absolutely bullies of the worst adult
kind. They need to get a bloody life .

Lurkingandlearning · 15/02/2026 21:27

NotnowMildrid · 15/02/2026 20:53

They are bullying you.

Buy a cheap vehicle and permanently park it opposite, to prevent them from doing it.

It would be a pain operating the manoeuvres, but at least you would have control and be able to get in/out of your drive.

Also they will get mightily pissed off with a car parked outside their house 24/7 but it will serve them right and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Or:

Park the car that you drive permanently outside their house 24/7. Again, they’ll soon get pissed off and give up. BUT, if they then commence at a later date, then so do you.

@NotnowMildrid is on to something. Parking another vehicle permanently in that spot would work. A motorbike rather than a car might give you enough space to get onto your drive without the palaver of moving your "space saver".

It would be less expensive than a car but might also play into your wish to appear to be someone they don't want to mess with. You could get yourself a full Hell's Angel's outfit. Maybe a helmet with horns on. Then wear these to wash your motorbike once a week.

Terfedout · 15/02/2026 21:26

BlackCatDiscoClub · 15/02/2026 21:15

Do your normal things, but dressed as a lion. Water the garden. Put the bins out. Even leaving for work, get into the car as a lion. When it gets warmer, have a nice cup of tea in the front garden dressed as a lion. Very, very occasionally, stare out of a top window in your home dressed as a lion. Maybe at the moon, maybe at the birds. Who knows. You are a lion.

The problem with doing things like this (well for me anyway) would be that I would be pissing myself laughing at how funny I am, thus ruining the effect!

Terfedout · 15/02/2026 21:24

ScaryM0nster · 15/02/2026 20:39

Spend a good amount of time outside with a tape measure and some road chalk.

Make various markings. kneel down every so often and mutter. Talk to the flowers. Talk to the sun. Make some more chalk markings. Repeat. Ask the nature goddess to guide your hands with the chalk. Maybe sprinkle some glitter.

Aim to give the impression that you’re seeking some kind of other worldly inspiration to identify transit lines for accessing your drive.

Yes. Do this. Brilliant 😂

tooloololoo · 15/02/2026 21:24

MargeryBargery · 15/02/2026 21:02

When you next see them smile at them whilst staring right into their eyes for far longer than is comfortable.
Stay silent.
Stay still.
Keep smiling and staring.

Maybe stand at the end of their path , smiling and staring as they go in, or come out.
If you've got family get them to come and do it with you.

Do not respond to anything they say or do.
Just keep smiling and staring.

A few days should do it.

I can’t stop laughing

Birch101 · 15/02/2026 21:15

Fresh prince mind ya business sketch springs to mind.... start talking to yourself in front of them .... sinister....

will smith shut up GIF
BlackCatDiscoClub · 15/02/2026 21:15

Do your normal things, but dressed as a lion. Water the garden. Put the bins out. Even leaving for work, get into the car as a lion. When it gets warmer, have a nice cup of tea in the front garden dressed as a lion. Very, very occasionally, stare out of a top window in your home dressed as a lion. Maybe at the moon, maybe at the birds. Who knows. You are a lion.

Agrumpyknitter · 15/02/2026 21:15

I would go down the weirdo route. Get the sage out and burn it near their cars and entrances to their drives. Tell them you have seen some spirits around their houses and that spirits are attracted to bad feelings/ bad karma and keep crossing yourself when you pass their houses.

ilovelamp82 · 15/02/2026 21:13

Clementine12 · 15/02/2026 20:42

I wouldn’t go in the drive. Leave your car in front of their’s. So they have to come and ask you to move yours. Then they will get fed up!

Definitely this.

Fuckitydoodah · 15/02/2026 21:13

Or failing all else go give them a swift and hard kick in the fanny 😁

FullLondonEye · 15/02/2026 21:12

Hatty65 · 15/02/2026 20:34

Build yourself a Wacky Races vehicle so that you can accidentally sideswipe the annoyingly parked car as you turn into your drive?

Sorry, OP this sounds infuriating.

Well I'm petty, plus my current car is old and I don't care about it so I probably would just do this. If they caught me on a pre-menstrual week I'd certainly have no qualms about just driving into their car when they've done this 😖.

EmeraldRoulette · 15/02/2026 21:12

@Claytonclogs when you say they park the car opposite the drive, does that literally make it impossible to get into your drive?

What's the official parking situation? I'm wondering if anyone is allowed to park there, who owns that space etc.

Original poster
Claytonclogs · 15/02/2026 21:11

Some of these suggestions are hilarious. I might go for a combo approach of drawing arbitrary new age style symbols on the road while muttering about the beauty of the gravel, and smiling intensely without breaking eye contact every time I see them before delivering valentines cards through their door in March.

OP posts:
SissySpacekAteMyHamster · 15/02/2026 21:10

I'd be painting a nice set of double yellows

itsneverdullinull · 15/02/2026 21:09

Borrow a nice large slightly awkward vehicle (caravan, horse box, transit van) and leave it parked just close enough to, but not over, their drive that it’s hard for them to get out. It’s petty but so are they.