... to be fiercely territorial about my - clearly labelled - allocated parking bay outside my house?

[PygmyValkyrie]

I've recently noticed that parents on the school run at the school opposite my house have begun to use my neighbours' parking bays as an overspill for the car park.

The first time it happened, I went out and had a word. The guy apologised but looked completely disinterested, then remained there to make a phone call and smoke a fag whilst eyeballing me through my kitchen window after I'd gone back in. My neighbour then came home to find the guy, finally, just leaving.

I've contacted the school, who said they'd send a text message (really? Is this what goes on these days?) to parents to remind them not to do this, but already I've seen it happen again. Doing what everybody always seems to do in this situations, I took a photograph. I am now the proud owner of a photograph of a stranger's car, that I have no idea what to do with.

I've emailed the council. I doubt they'll help, but I'm fuming and I've got to try something.

Is this the behaviour of a normal person, or am I losing it?

YANBU. i have a similar situation but with a train station and commuters (and people who live in flats round the corner) rather than a school and parents.

Firstly, it's extremely irritating to come home and be unable to park your car outside your own house, especially when you specifically bought somewhere with parking. Secondly, that selfish sense of entitlement really, really pisses me off. It wouldn't be the first time one of my neighbours has blocked in one of the many people who ignore the "Private property - residents only" signs and dumped their car here regardless.

This used to drive me crackers when I had a private parking space (which I had paid a lot of money for).

I would continue to police it aggressively and would send photographs of all the offenders to the school.

After all no one lets the after school crowd in to use their loo do they?

It is inconsiderate because people don't always move when you come home or make you wait to get into your parking space.

More parents should walk to the bloody school IMO and stop chasing the 'best school' 10 miles across town so they have to use their cars to get there.

While I suppose you are technically NBU, I can't understand why you'd get wound up about a neighbour's space, or that somebody would park in yours while you're out. Chill!

Living near a school, I accept parents need to park etc, it's the inconsiderate way they go about it that takes the piss, like double parking when there's a pace free a couple of yards down the road, blocking access to the drive and such like. That is NOT acceptable behaviour.

Although the parent wars are entertaining to watch!

betty sounds like my neighbour lol they have 2 cars & 2 transit vans and god forbid if anyone parks in thier space!
we dont have any written rule as how what house has what space so anyone can park but nextdoor are over the top with it,another neighbour parked up as no other space and they blocked her in so she couldnt get out,he has also before on the school run when someone was parked he left his van in the middle of the road got out went indoors had cuppa and when the lady knocked on the door he refused to move and went and had a bath!

It drives me nuts the way some parents think rules and respect can go out the window just because they are on the school run. There are cars here parked on the zig-zags and yellow lines every single school day (and not one of them has a disabled badge).

Is there any way you could put one/some of those locking posts up?

I knew somebody was going to commnt on moving near a school.
The school was there when we bought the house, yes, but the car park was the other side. We had no trouble with parking then. It's only been since they recently built a new car park on this side that this has started. Also, the school's capacity appears to have been increased significaly this year.

Anyway, there are always empty spaces in the car park. It just seems that the parents are too lazy to drive to them. Even though it would result in a shorter walk to the school for them!

Also, my partner often gets home during the school run, so there are frequently going to be clashes.

I can see that some people are a lot more laid back about this kind of thing. It's definitely the principle of the thing that pisses me off, though. I'm a "personal space" type of person, I guess: I like people to keep the hell out of mine.

We had this problem, our bays were outside but clearly labelled with the house numbers and a sign saying that only the occupants of the houses were to use them.

They were always being used by parents dropping off and collecting from the school, and they were leaving the cars because they had to go into the school to collect their children. It was a primary school and the children couldn't leave alone.

Worse, they used to gather and chat for ages, it wasn't a case of five minutes or so, it could be half and hour or more.

It was always bad timing for us coming home from work and it was annoying to have to park elsewhere and then have to move the car later on.

So we started to block in the car that was parked in our space and go inside, then watch as the driver came back, thought another parent had blocked them in and wait, getting more and more annoyed.

Finally they would realise that perhaps the car blocking them in belonged to the resident whose space they had nicked and come and knock on the door.

It was probably a bit petty of us, but it was annoying to come home every day and find the space blocked, have to find somewhere else to park and then move the car. The school had a car park for parents, but it was a longer walk for them to get to the school so they didn't use it.

It wouldn't have bothered me if we had been out for longer and not inconvenienced. But we were coming home at the same time as the parents were picking up and so it was a pain.

I can remember one man parking there when I knew my DH was only a couple of minutes from home, he'd stopped in the village for some milk on the way back and phoned to ask if we needed anything else. So I went out to tell the man to move and he said "I'm only going to be ten minutes" and I said my husband would be back before then and he told me to come and find him when he arrived and he would move the car.

Not only did we block him in, but an hour later when he came back and realised he had been blocked in we took a very long time to find the car keys to move the car and let him out after he knocked on the door and asked if we could move for him.

Hi OP, you are definitely not being unreasonable. We have the exact same thing where we live - though with people going to the local station/shops. We paid a premium for a property with an allocated space and I've lost count of the number of times I've come home to find a rogue vehicle abandoned in it, forcing me to find a space somewhere down the road - not easy at 38 weeks pg and also invalidating my insurance which says that the car is parked in a private driveway overnight/when not in use.
All the posters who keep comparing this to parking on the road outside someone's house - this is not the same thing! The OP is talking about part of her property which the parents from the school are trespassing on (as this is what the legal situation is).
In terms of practical steps you can take, we informed the local community police who have been extremely helpful. The policeman I liaised with classed the drivers' behaviour as anti social and asked us to keep a log of repeat offenders' registration numbers. We have also put up no parking signs. The police recommended photographing the cars and then using one of the online companies that issues fixed penalty notices to send these to the drivers - though I was surprised they were in favour of this and wouldn't have been happy to take this route personally.
Is there any way you could 'block in' the people parking in your space? I know this sounds juvenile but it might teach them a lesson - and make them think twice next time! Good luck - a totally infuriating situation and you have my sympathy x

Oh gosh yes. Get the bins out. Block em in. Do what you need to.

Thanks for your comments, everyone. It's appreciated, even if you think I'm just being a loon.

I feel somewhat vindicated. I'll keep taking those photos, I guess.
Perhaps my wheelie bins could find a new home in the driveway...

You are worried about people sitting in their cars for a few minutes in one of many bays that you share with your neighbours and one of which belongs to your partner (not even you)? Yes, technically it is trespass, but really wouldn't it be nice to let other people get on with their lives if they are doing you no harm whatsoever? You might be much happier and more fulfilled if you were out helping people (why not volunteer to help after school with club if you live nearby and clearly have time on your hands?) It is not good for your soul to get wound up by this. One day someone might even do something nice for you without any gain for themselves Be part of a community rather than a weirdo who takes photos, shouts a lot and wastes time and energy every day policing a neighbour's parking space when it is not even needed at that time . We could do with less standing on our rights (although here OP doesn't even have any rights, she is standing on her partner's neighbour's rights).

Let's all be kinder to one another. Smile at someone today instead of photographing their numberplate. It will do you no harm and I promise you will feel better.

Just to clear up the confusion here, there are four bays. Two belong to next door and two are ours. When I am home, my car is parked in mine, but I do come and go a bit, as does my partner. It's more my partner's bay that I'm concerned about. I don't directly care about the neighbours, it's just that the cars I happen to have seen so far have been next door, and it's a set of four bays side-by-side.

If only I did actually have time on my hands. I know it might seem like I'm lurking behind the windows like some sort of weirdy, but it just happens that the cars I've seen so far have been there whilst I've been preparing my daughter's breakfast and happen to be in the kitchen. There have no doubt been several I haven't seen. I don't intend to police it, I'm just taking notes of anything I do see in my travels.

But, at the same time, it is private property. And half of it is my private property.

birdofparadise can I come and live in your world? I think that's a wonderful post! :o

I was just wondering if all the replies would be the same if Pygmy had people parking on her driveway rather than a parking bay??

We have a parking bay and don't have any problems with the school parents, but only because it's round the back of the house and I don't think they realise it's there!!

YANBU Parking on your drive wouldn't be acceptable so why should parking in your private parking bays be?

Yes, those who live near schools should expect a bit more traffic and extra cars parking in the streets twice a day but there's no reason why they should have to put up with inconsiderate parking.

The op is not a weirdo. I think bird of paradise is a parker rather than a parking space owner. People can be generous with other people's stuff sometimes.

YANBU - they are being bloody cheeky. Send the photo to the school. Also, get some cones for your spaces, put them out when you leave. Annoying, but best way to hold your space.

Yanbu this would Send me loony.

If I had the time I would stand in front of cars and refuse to let them leave and have Hilda Ogden street calling.

YANBU It is rude and inconsiderate. The parking of some parents at our local school has to be seen to be believed, all so they don't have to walk a few feet more.

Can you look into clamping them.

Yes because clamping people, arguing in the street ( and the subsequent police call outs!) and the like will be far less stressful than the actual parking!

A good parking row can be quite cathartic but they might come back and key your vehicle in the dead of night.

I've seen other suggestions about clamping, but I don't really fancy the headache that would come with it. I've only tried speaking to one of these people, and I was quite polite; but I'm not looking to pick fights with everyone. There are things I'd rather be doing that having aggro with strangers.

My partner reckons he'll block-in anybody he finds in his space, but a quick bit of research indicates that the law actually favours the blocked-in over the blocker-in regardless of who owns the property. I'm thinking of going with the wheelie bins. Either that or an orbiting-laser-plus-webcam arrangement.

These parents are being incredibly cheeky and it would annoy me too. I wouldn't go so far as to take photographs/contact the school though - mainly as I'd be scared of reprisals (am a scaredy cat).

I'd go out and buy a lockable post so they physically couldn't park there.

We had allocated parking in our first house and it drove me batty the number of times I'd come home and find neighbours' visitors in our space. The neighbours knew they were there but didn't seem to care. We moved in the end before we got round to doing the post thing. I have not since, nor ever would again, choose allocated parking over a specific drive.