Neighbour and parking issue. Arrrrrrrgh!

[NCABadger]

Neighbour opposite has approached me today and asked that I ask my husband not to park his car outside her house. He parks legally and doesn't block her driveway or dropped kerb etc. she just 'doesn't like it' and she says it's unsightly when sat in her living room and blocks the light 🤔🙄. We have a single driveway which my car is parked on as mine is the more valuable and larger car and we can't park on our side as neighbours parked on the street both sides mostly all day. I'm a reasonable person and said I would ask him to try and find an alternative, but now I'm wishing I had just been a bit more assertive and told her to do one as she doesn't own the bloody road! Funny she doesn't have an issue when it's a member of her family parking there when coming to visit! Hmmmmmmm...

Tempted to not tell my husband and see what happens ha! WWYD?

Well in future, you'll know to be non - committal. It's always easier after you experience this feeling of regret. (I've been there).

In the meantime, I'd suggest that she deliberately spoke to you rather than your husband. So send him over to discuss the parking, having practiced some responses like "I hadn't realised that is blocked you in" etc which will get her to admit that's she's being unreasonable 😂

@BlueAnemone she definitely chose to approach me rather than my husband, not that he's scary or anything but I'm definitely a soft touch and do anything normally to avoid confrontation... it's in my nature I just wish I was more assertive sometimes! To be fair if he doesn't park there someone else will so she's fighting a losing battle...

Smile and wave.
Your DH should continue to park wherever he wants to, so long as it is legal and safe to do so, and if that includes parking outside her house, so be it.
Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.
If she approaches you again say "Well now Mavis, I've been meaning to speak with you about that. I told DH what you asked and he just laughed at me. Sure he doesn't even listen to me asking him to put his socks in the laundry basket, why did you think he'd listen to me about where he parks? Men! . Got to run, bye!"
Then head indoors and leave her away with it.

@WhatchaMaCalllit sounds like a plan! 😂 I've literally just witnessed her march out of her house and have a go at a tradesman who just tried to park there. Poor guy didn't know what to say bless him and he ended up moving, but I was willing him to stand his ground. She has a screw loose!

I'd just ignore her, if she doesn't want people to park in front of her house she should of moved on to a street were everyone has a large drive... we live on a 'dead end' road and there's a large square next to our car park we're a neighbour parked his van at weekends (they have twins and needed the drive to get them in and out of the car) I noticed a note on his van so took it of! Some pathetic piece of sh*t left it saying this is a turn around area NOT a car park So park on your own drive !!! Like how sad is that? The people here though think they own the entire street not just there home!

I would ask him to try and find an alternative

you asked and he couldn't find one, so he will continue to park there.

Just be polite and cheery - well the road is busy. Good job there is space to legally park here on the road.

Tell dh and ask if he will go and speak to her and explain that he can legally park there so please don't bother you with this again. If she has concerns she can call her solicitor.

This has caused us no end of issues in our road. I'd leave it parked there or give her the alternative, your big car or his smaller one

Well DH has returned home, he dutifully parked further down away from her windows so as not to cause any aggravation.....but now we have an issue being that he is now parked opposite next doors driveway (opposite side of the road to the dropped kerb). Not obstructing it but opposite, which potentially could make reversing out trickier for the lovely little old lady next door. I have pointed this out to him and asked him to find somewhere else but he says she has got plenty of room and again he is parked legally (fair point). I'm getting really stressed about this! Arrrrrrrgh

Park your car there and husband's on drive. She didn't ask you not to park your car there .

I wouldn't have even moved! Tell him to move it back outside her house!

No need to get stressed. Stop pandering to a neighbour who has no authority to tell you not to park outside her house. Then stress is gone. Toughen up and tell her she is being ridiculous if she says anything again.

Stop pandering to a neighbour who has no authority to tell you not to park outside her house.

^This

I know. I should just toughen up and carry on as we would normally. Husband wants to keep the peace as well though as we've only just moved here and we want to be as amicable as possible. I think from reading some of the other parking threads on MN this seems to be a common problem! Where there's no parking restrictions and everyone has multiple cars per household it ends up being a free for all and you can't please everyone. Next door the other side is a taxi driver and chooses to park on the street outside our house rather than his driveway at the back of the house (presumably because he's in and out so much) and although it's less convenient for us I would never dream of asking him to move as he's as much right to park there as anyone! Lady across the road suggested I ask him to move 🙄 ERM no!