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AIBU?

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Parking one (with a photo!!)

86 replies

DealForTheKids · 03/09/2026 18:56

Photo taken from my house. Red line is the boundary line. Blue line is where the drop kerb ends. It’s a joint drop kerb serving us and our next door neighbours. Next door neighbours have parked this black car blocking their own driveway, but we cannot get onto ours based on the location of the black car.

AIBU?

Parking one (with a photo!!)
OP posts:
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Yetone · 10/09/2026 12:13

DealForTheKids · 03/09/2026 20:09

It’s just out of shot tucked around the corner. The grassy area starts at the beginning of the blue line. Here’s it tonight now we are parked up. There’s a low wall - not an issue unless our access is impeded. Want to get rid of the wall, but have been quoted £k to do it as it would involve making good the public pavement to the standard of the LA and it’s only an issue when our drive is blocked.

Op your car is not properly parked on your drive. It sticks out into the pavement.

Nearly50omg · 10/09/2026 11:53

Report to council

RandomMess · 10/09/2026 09:53

@ktopfwcvyou are not legally supppsed to bump up the kerb/cross the pavement you have to have a dropped kerb.

JohnofWessex · 10/09/2026 07:56

If your car is stuck you can get the Police to remove the offending vehicle.

HMO's have to be licenced and there are various conditions attached to the licence. I would suggest talking to The Council and The Landlord

LaurieFairyCake · 10/09/2026 07:31

I would park on your drive facing forwards so you can drive off. Right at the end so they can see when they pull up that you literally can’t get off the drive.

BanditoShipman · 10/09/2026 00:45

University’s usually are interested… I know this from many years ago when as uni students in a private rented house (nothing to do with the uni), we let our grass grow long, neighbours complained to the university and we had a week to cut it before the uni took ‘action’ against us! ☺️☺️

ktopfwcv · 10/09/2026 00:32

AppleButterGutter · 07/09/2026 11:46

Maybe tell them that you get fined every time your children are late for school, and that you still have to pay full price for any clubs they miss. Therefore, you will be invoicing them every single time.

Might concentrate their minds.

That wouldn't run.

It's OP's choice not to go over the kerb. More so, no court would rule this.

LivingTheDreamish · 08/09/2026 02:23

I would embrace being "mean lady next door" and call the police next time they block you in and get them towed. It should only need to happen once and they will get the message.

AlphaApple · 08/09/2026 01:49

DealForTheKids · 03/09/2026 21:39

To be fair on this you’re entirely correct. But it’s like trying to plug a dam with a finger - the HMOs are big business in a student town and the councillors are trying to walk the line between ‘ordinary’ residents and the student population and what the uni want/need to stay profitable. Parking wars are small fry!

It’s perfectly possible to run a financially sustainable university without students parking illegally. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

Radioheads · 08/09/2026 01:29

OP, in a similar situation my friends local police were extremely helpful when they couldn't get out to bring their children to school.
She rang both the school and police that someone had blocked them in.
It was some guy at a party nearby, as he knocked on the neighbours house to ask where his car was later that morning.

Police were very helpful, possibly because children and school were involved. Car was towed quickly.
Next time it happens I would report it.

patooties · 08/09/2026 00:45

How big is your car? You’d get a bus through that…

Booboobagins · 08/09/2026 00:12

Hopefully its resolved now, but ridiculous parking.

Speak to the landlord so they know youve had an issue. They are responsible for managing their tenants. Check to see if you can get their car towed if it happens again. It wont help ref time, but come 1pm when tjey get out of the houde and see their car gone and find they need tp pay fees to get it released, they def wont park over your drive again!

BadHabitat · 08/09/2026 00:01

DealForTheKids · 03/09/2026 19:07

Right hand side has a low wall, but is also a raised kerb anyway. Everything right of the blue line is ‘buggering your suspension’ territory. The joint kerb is between us and the house on the left (the drive mostly blocked by the car).

Knock every time or encroach on their bit until they stop. Buy a rubber dropped kerb for emergencies.

AgentKim · 07/09/2026 23:35

I always think nowadays that you are worried if your neighbours sells thier home, as it might get turned into a HMO.
We have one 3 bedroom house thats been turned into flats and its full of lets say rough, down on their luck types.
Also one 3 bed house opposite thats flats now. You never know who is going to move next door but it worse now with all the HMOs.

ThatRatBastard · 07/09/2026 22:41

Maybe tell them 'You seem to think we are being picky, with your 'slightly over the line' comment but actually it is a really awkward spot. It is about getting our kids to school on time, not looking perfect. So please make sure your cars don't hang over the line. Thanks.'

eastegg · 07/09/2026 22:30

Sorry if I’ve missed it, but I don’t think you’ve answered the question of what you actually did when you couldn’t get off the drive and neighbours weren’t answering? Have I got that right, that you were actually stuck unable to get out, and they didn’t move the car til lunchtime?

SueKeeper · 07/09/2026 11:54

If their boot was on the red line in the photo, would you really be able to get a car that size out at that angle, especially reversing out?

They are being twats and have too many cars, but you have bought a car too big for the parking space (where you took the photo from) and have made life a lot more difficult for yourself by having to squash it into the front garden at a weird angle.

Your message was fine, but if you need more space than the red line to accommodate the size of car you bought, then you might need to be a bit flexible about it all.

AppleButterGutter · 07/09/2026 11:46

Maybe tell them that you get fined every time your children are late for school, and that you still have to pay full price for any clubs they miss. Therefore, you will be invoicing them every single time.

Might concentrate their minds.

Awkwardisfunny · 07/09/2026 11:33

DealForTheKids · 03/09/2026 20:56

We sent it via WhatsApp (with the lines!) the one tenant I have a phone number for at 8am. She maintains it was ‘slightly’ over the line….

I don’t want to threaten police etc as I know it’s hollow and they won’t give a damn. I’m hoping this is the last of it but as they’re new neighbours and we had bad experiences with the last lot I wanted to get a sense check that I wasn’t being a Victor Meldrew about it (I should hope not at 37 but you never know…)

We have school runs and clubs and work that sometimes starts at 7am and elderly parents who occasionally need a drama call at 10pm and it’s really important that we have access. I have said this to them today.

Yeah, then if it continues, it might be time for putting something super heavy in the way to stop them going further back.

Or like I say, to reciprocate. If you can't use your driveway, use theirs (with a car you don't need). Or block them in.

OfficiallyOnVacation · 04/09/2026 11:49

The alternative is you park on the street and block your own drive and theirs when they are out. So they can’t get in. And then say - if you agree to stop blocking our drive, we will stop blocking yours.

OfficiallyOnVacation · 04/09/2026 11:47

Yes I’d spray paint a yellow line on the pavement and onto the road also to mark where there parking should line up to.

If the council get upset, then tell them the alternative is that every time your neighbour parks incorrectly you will cal them and report their misbehaviour- so it’s up to them.

mcmuffin22 · 04/09/2026 11:39

I think neither you or your neighbours driveways are suitable! Even if that blocking car budged forward a bit you still wouldn't be able to park at the angle you have on your own drive. And I'm assuming the car is too wide to park on the bit of drive that you're supposed to without bashing the passenger door on the wall.

mondaytosunday · 04/09/2026 10:50

well you could get off your drive by driving over the kerb but yes it was very inconsiderate of them. If they do it again leave a note on the car if they are not answering the door.

Orangery76 · 04/09/2026 10:41

I would never buy a house with a shared drive again. We have the same issue and it’s so annoying. Our neighbours are actually lovely people but they park across ‘their’ half of the drive sometimes and while we technically can get on and off, it is far more difficult and usually means driving over the grass and raised kerb as it’s really hard to get the angle right with half of it blocked.
It really annoys me as if we did it (which we never do) they would also really struggle to get on their drive.
I’m sure I found, during my research of this, that you’re actually not supposed to park over any of a shared drive, it’s not the case that it’s your half and my half, it’s shared so no one should be parking over any of it. But it’s one of those rules that how on earth do you enforce it?
They know it makes it harder for me, they’ve watched me struggle, and because they are decent people they don’t do it often and I think it’s mainly when they have people over who clearly don’t care. But so many people just don’t give a crap do they about inconveniencing their neighbours.
I would maybe find the legislation that says about not parking anywhere on a shared drive (I’m sure it’s online somewhere) and give it to the landlord. This is what I would have done with the neighbours if they had kept on doing it loads and weren’t reasonable people. Then let the landlord deal with them.

MimiGC · 04/09/2026 10:28

DealForTheKids · 03/09/2026 20:52

Totally fair - the obligatory shit diagram attached

I know I am missing the point of the thread, but 4 students in one house have cars?! How on earth do they afford to run cars? Are they mature students?