Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

My parents have taken to parking on next door’s drive when they visit.

47 replies

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 16/11/2022 15:53

I genuinely can’t believe it.

Saw them out earlier and their car is on next door’s driveway. Plenty of places to park on the street, including directly outside my house and across my driveway.

My next door neighbour is currently in a nursing home but it is still his house with his belongings inside.

I am so embarrassed.

They have no understanding of boundaries. None. If they want to do something they fucking do it, to hell with everyone else.

I’m not even asking for advice, I’m just ranting.

Why, WHY would you think it’s okay to park on a strangers drive?

OP posts:
Jaybird43 · 16/11/2022 15:55

Could you mention it to them @TheLightSideOfTheMoon? Tell them that it’s private property and you wouldn’t be happy with someone else parking on your drive. It’s bad manners to do that, but I would definitely say they should stop.

myusernamewastakenbyme · 16/11/2022 15:55

Your parents are cf's.

IntrovertedPenguin · 16/11/2022 15:57

I would tell them to move their car now.

Original poster
TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 16/11/2022 15:58

Oh, I know they’re CF.

There’s no point saying anything. My mum will laugh and my dad with angrily defend my mum.

She loves a row. She likes to try and start arguments with people. It’s what she wants.

I just have to go to them rather than them coming here.

OP posts:
Roundandnour · 16/11/2022 15:58

I’d tell them straight to stop being so entitled that they think they can park on someone else’s property.

Don’t want to listen? I’d stop inviting them over and tell them why.

BonjourBonheur · 16/11/2022 16:04

Oh God, I feel your pain- this reminds me of staying in an AirBnB with my dad- it was the owner's home although they were staying elsewhere. They'd left a note saying "please help yourself to whatever you like including the wine!" which pretty obviously meant "feel free to have a glass" not (as my dad attempted) "feel free to take all 12 bottles off the rack and put them in your suitcase" 😱

Genuinely think this sort of extreme CFery can be the start of cognitive decline.

BigSandyBalls2015 · 16/11/2022 16:07

@BonjourBonheur he took all 12 of them? Bloody hell 😂

BonjourBonheur · 16/11/2022 16:10

He tried to but I took them out and we had a row about it. It was quite an eye-opener for me about his judgement being a bit off.

QuebecBagnet · 16/11/2022 16:17

Years ago my mum did similar to a neighbour of my brother’s. Not quite as bad as she parked on the road but semi blocking his drive. He moaned at her (my brother was on holiday and she was house sitting). She came home fuming, and wrote and posted the neighbour a lengthy letter, like 3 sides of a4! Neighbour came and showed it to my brother who was mortified. Neighbour was ok with my brother when he realised my brother was on the neighbours side.

all you can do is apologise if the neighbour says anything. Make it clear she’s been told. You’re not responsible for her and hopefully they’d see that.

BigScreen · 16/11/2022 16:19

Don't let them in until they have move it. CF'ers.

MissVantaBlack · 16/11/2022 16:21

Well...it's a bit cheeky and I wouldn't do it myself, but I can't honestly see any harm in it, given that the occupant is in a nursing home. If I were the owner of the house, I'd be quite pleased to discover that people were parking in the drive, as it would make the house look occupied and therefore less likely to be burgled.

HumourReplacementTherapy · 16/11/2022 16:22

Next time they come round, text a friend to go and park on their drive.... see how they like it! Grin
Better still, give said friend a spare key and tell them where the tea and biscuits are kept.

barskits · 16/11/2022 16:24

Co-opt a friend with a large car (or ideally a van) who lives close by. As soon as your parents arrive, text your friend and they can come round and park across the driveway, blocking your parents in.

ExtraJalapenos · 16/11/2022 17:03

BonjourBonheur · 16/11/2022 16:04

Oh God, I feel your pain- this reminds me of staying in an AirBnB with my dad- it was the owner's home although they were staying elsewhere. They'd left a note saying "please help yourself to whatever you like including the wine!" which pretty obviously meant "feel free to have a glass" not (as my dad attempted) "feel free to take all 12 bottles off the rack and put them in your suitcase" 😱

Genuinely think this sort of extreme CFery can be the start of cognitive decline.

How on earth had this not been made into a thread and put into classics ill never know!

Its so so bad I'm actually laughing in shock here! 😂

carefulcalculator · 16/11/2022 17:07

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 16/11/2022 15:58

Oh, I know they’re CF.

There’s no point saying anything. My mum will laugh and my dad with angrily defend my mum.

She loves a row. She likes to try and start arguments with people. It’s what she wants.

I just have to go to them rather than them coming here.

You can say to them that they are not to visit you because you are not happy with them parking on your neighbour's drive.

If your mum enjoys arguments, then you can make her day by starting one about this Smile

asdfgasdfg · 16/11/2022 17:13

Put bins or pots in the drive so they can't park.

saraclara · 16/11/2022 17:16

Get hold of some parking cones and put them at the end of his drive.

Realistically of course, it IS good to have a car park in the drive of a house that's unoccupied for any amount of time. When we had two cars, our neighbours asked us to park one of them on their drive when they were away for several weeks. And now that I'm on my own, if I go away with my car, I'm uncomfortable about the fact that it's clear that I'm not there (obviously I should ask my neighbours to do the same!)
But of course it's your parents' attitude that's annoying rather than any aspect of the car actually being there.

saraclara · 16/11/2022 17:19

Actually, I've just remembered that my SIL asked my MILs neighbours to use her drive when MIL went into a nursing home. So it is a good idea. But if you know the man's relatives, they should be asked if it's okay/would help. Your parents shouldn't just do it.

PinkButtercups · 16/11/2022 17:19

My mums NDN's mother also used to do this. Until my mum told her to move and her response was 'well you aren't using it yet your DH doesn't come home until late'. My mum did get her to move it but it was so rude and she was a CF just to park there!

IamSamantha · 16/11/2022 17:22

My next door neighbours constantly park over our drive, so near to us we can't pull cans out. Park cars on either side of narrow street so we can't get through.

I really really gets on my tits! Mainly because we all have a double driveway, there is plenty of parking space and it's just done without any thought or consideration for others.

Ponderingwindow · 16/11/2022 17:24

I don’t understand this at all. We had a visitor try to pull something like this once. I answered the door, saw the car, and told them to move it before they entered my house.

silverclock222 · 16/11/2022 17:24

It's an empty house and as you've said the neighbours belongings are inside it might also look to strangers eyes that the house is indeed occupied which can only be a good thing?

soberfabulous · 16/11/2022 17:27

Watch out, there'll be a thread about them here soon!! Maybe a diagram too Grin

pictish · 16/11/2022 17:30

Rude. Did you tell them off?

bowchicawowwow · 16/11/2022 17:38

Is it worth contacting your neighbours family and asking them if it's ok for your parents to park there? They might approve? It's not something I would like my parents doing either but bearing in mind they are going to park there regardless it could be worth an ask.