Got home to find someone in my parking space

[ReacherSaidNothing]

Popped out to the library earlier and came back to find a random car in my space. It's not a proper driveway but it's the end of the lane down the side of my house, my detached garage is next to the house at the end of the lane.

We have houses that back onto the lane (adjacent to our building) and I'm sure it's one of these houses that the owner of the car has gone into, their visitors have parked there a couple of times before.

I've just parked up their arse and gone into the house, waiting on the bell ringing. Was reluctant to do this as our neighbours have right of way over the lane for their pwn vehicles but it's a visitor to their house, so fuck it.

I think I may need to invest in a sign as other posters suggested. A few of the neighbours we talked to already seemed to know this strip of land belongs to the house, not sure if the neighbour in question does but he's apparently lived here for years so may do

I think putting up a sign of some sort would help.

Well, that sounds like a fantastic way to get along with your new neighbours. I can't wait to see what drama ensues

You can’t really blame them if they don’t know. How are they to know what your deeds say? They could just think it’s the public highway. Agree that you should invest in a sign

Ignore all the people saying it isn’t your land; loads of people don’t understand that a right of way over your land doesn’t mean you give up ownership and doesn’t mean it is shared ownership.

Sounds like you own the “driveway/lane” up to your garage, and you have the garage plus a parking space in front of your garage where you can park your car but the rest of the lane has a right of way across it so your neighbours can access their drives. So, because someone has parked in your space in front of the garage, you have had to park your car behind them, which is putting you on your “lane” rather than your parking spaces and the lane has the right of way across it.

But one of your neighbours has caused this issue so who cares if you’re blocking the right of way!

Is it something like this, OP?

@ReacherSaidNothing
Nevermind 🤣. You posted a diagram while I was drawing one to ask about!

But… directly in front of someone’s garage doors is not public highway. Would you, as a competent road user, ever park your car right up to someone’s garage door? Blocking them in/out? Or would you realise that the space and single car lane outside of their garage is there to allow them into and out of their garage?

I certainly wouldn’t park there. You’re blocking someone’s garage.

The driver is obviously visiting and doesn't know. You need a sign

Theres been people parked there before in the four months we've lived here so maybe it's not clear. I think I'm just fed up as we moved from a place with awful on street parking and paid for the privilege! OK we got more space overall but the better parking was a big draw

I'm debating going and moving my car, feel bad that I've potentially blocked in an innocent person

This.

Doesn't sound as if it's your space. Do you own the land

Yes it's something like that basically!

Yes! It was clear in my deeds, all the areas I own were highlighted a certain colour and this included the strip up to the garage

Parking in front of a garage?

Why would you?

You can't really park in front of someone's garage.. how would they know you don't have a car in there and then can't get out.
Looking at your diagram.. can you put a line of pots or a mini fence from the edge of the garage to the road, which makes it clearer that its part of your patch? And a no parkign sign on the garage.

Exact same thing happened to me on Saturday OP! I definitely own the space and it has a sign saying so. For those saying that the visitor might not have known they couldn’t park there, maybe not, but the people that they were visiting (my next door neighbours) definitely know that it is my space and they knew that their visitor had parked there. Had my visitor parked in their space because they didn’t know, I would have immediately told them to move.

I called a tow truck. Funnily enough last time someone parked in my space (it’s only happened once before) that neighbour was the person who suggested that I get them towed. Luckily they moved their car just before the tow truck got there - after I’d been waiting 90 minutes! It was past 9pm by that time.

Surely the key point here is that they have parked right in front of your garage? That would make it obvious they could not park there, surely? When I asked why you hadn’t used the garage, you said it was because it was decrepit, but isn’t the access blocked anyway?

Don't move your car. I block people in using my drive. They don't park there again.

It sounds like an innocent error and you've, perhaps through lack of thought and frustration, have escalated it into a whole thing. Not a great way to get along with your neighbours really

Blimey. What’s the call out fee for a tow truck?

To add, there are 13 houses in our complex each with designated spaces, so I didn’t know which house they were visiting until they eventually came out to move the car. If I’d known I would have just knocked on the door and asked them to move.

Don't move your car. They are blocking the access to your garage on land you own. They may have a right of way over it but they do not have the right to park.

Inconvenience them! Make them come to you. What a shame you have had a couple of drinks now!

Ooh, this is hardcore. I love it! How do you call out a tow truck and how much does it cost? Can anyone call them?

This. ^ Do you think people are mindreaders @ReacherSaidNothing ???

You sound very petty!