Town centre flat-- no parking for 3 months

[Coffeetree]

I live in a town-centre block of flats. We have a car park with allocated spaces, so I have a space that says "Flat 8" and my title docs actually show that one little space belongs to me. No visitor spaces.

We're going to have some external work done by the building managers, which we knew about, but we just got a letter saying my parking space and a few others are going to be unavailable for three months starting next week, because of the work.

I mean, there's nowhere else to park. The streets are all zoned for council permit holders, which we don't have. There are some parking garages nearby which charge £100 per month. I don't fancy having my car far away because I sometimes work late.

I've asked the building managers about the plan, but their response has been, "Well its just a few spaces that won't be available. The rest of your car park is available!" I've explained several times that the other spaces are allocated to other flats and there are no visitor spaces. Whenever someone leaves, they put up a bollard. Which they already know? It feels a bit like gaslighting.

Would I be within my rights to just refuse to move my car until they come up with a plan? So annoying!

You would be within your rights to ask for compensation to allow you to park elsewhere given they are preventing you from using your own property.

Thanks--I know that but unfortunately they seem determined to just steamroll through.

I think I will need to just take a hardline stance that I'm happy to move my car once I have a permit for somewhere else.

Speak to a solicitor. They can't just occupy your property without consent, it's trespass

Well they have the consent of the freeholder to be there, but they definitely can't touch my car.

Just realised my insurance will also be need to be changed if I have to park somewhere else long term!

My council give visitors permits for residents (max 200 days a year) but it's £5/day. Maybe write to the building management and ask for payment in advance to cover 90 days temp parking or whatever.

Then rent the cheaper garage anyway

Yes, I rang the council and found out about that.

What annoys me is that the building manager is like "Yes it's inconvenient but..."

Yeah inconvenient for them, not me. Because I'm not moving my car until they figure out a safe and legal alternative.

I think you will probably need to take this up with your direct landlord - they may be in breach of the terms of the lease but a solicitor would be able to advise.

Does everyone use their space? Maybe you could ask to rent off someone that doesn’t own a car?

Yes all the spaces are used and they put up bollards when they leave for work.

Update: I got a response from the building management co saying they thought we all got street parking day passes from the Council. They suggested I "try to get some" and that if they cost anything they'd reimburse.

I wrote back and said that residents here don't get those for free anymore (I've asked the council a few times). I even had a whole conversation about it with my building manager when I moved in so they should have known.

I sent the building management co a list of charges for council parking permits and copied the Council parking dept. I said I would let them make the arrangements since all of the affected residents will need a permit and that they were too expensive for us to pay and wait for reimbursement. I also told them to let me know once it was arranged so that I could tell my insurer.

At least its a little progress but really annoying at how shoddy they've been about all this.

It's definitely breach of the terms of the lease but I want to give them a chance to make it right.

The building management co responded that they've been trying to liaise with the Council but "they're a little slow ". Then the Council parking team responded within minutes saying, " Which permits do you want to buy for your residents?" LOL.

I've responded on the email chain saying thanks, no need to copy me anymore, leaving it to you, just let us know when permits sorted.

@Coffeetree - buildings works often overrun the time schedules (eg. In my street at the ancient church the scaffolding has been up for months as the builders have gone off to do another job elsewhere!).

Get it in writing about any car parking permits that if the works take longer than 90 days, another permit will be arranged as necessary.

Oh most definitely! I'm keeping everything in writing.

Lovely work OP!

Thank you, should I bill them for my time?!

Get this, the works manager said, "Well the last time I was on site one of the residents was in the garden and he had a blue t shirt on and he said that he thought you could get Council parking passes".

By all means, head up a building renovation project worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, but don't bother getting proper legal or logistical advice. Trust the man in the blue t-shirt.

The older I get the more I think if you want something done right, you have to get a woman involved. I said what I said.