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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think this is really effing unneighbourly?

67 replies

Whysoserious · 08/11/2011 18:40

I live in a street with old Victorian terraced and semi-detached houses where people need to park on the street.

My house is a semi and my neighbours in the semi next to us have a garage built into the front of their house (our houses are set back and up from the road - we have a small front garden, they have the aforementioned garage.)

This garage is NEVER used for keeping a car in but has KEEP CLEAR painted onto the road in front of it so of course my neighbours have a guaranteed parking space all the time.

However, (and this is the part that really fecks me off, especially when I arrive home from work after a stressful day) when the husband arrives home (usually before me) he will park directly outside my house leaving the space outside their garage clear for when the wife gets home so that they are both parked pretty much right outside their house.

By the time I arrive home (often before the wife) there are very few or no parking spaces left and I am greeted with neighbour's husband's car right outside my house and then a space directly outside their's which I cannot park in because it says 'keep clear' and they would be arsey about it despite the fact that they definitely do not need to get onto the garage.

I am happy parking on the road, occasionally a bit further away from my house - I have a lovely old house full of character and having no drive is the only downside to this type of house. BUT I think it's really rude that my neighbour constantly parks outside my house so that they can keep the spot outside theirs clear for the second car. And they don't own that piece of road - I'm quite within my rights to park there when I get home on a rainy evening like this one aren't I? Or am I being unreasonable?

OP posts:

slavetofilofax · 08/11/2011 19:34

They are being a bit uneighbourly, but then that's probably preferable to them than having to pak ages away every day.

You need to put up with it, as you chose to live on a road like that and are choosing not to make a driveway out of your own front garden. They may only have bought that house in the first place because of the dropped kerb outside it, I know that is definatly one of teh major things I would want out of a house.

Original poster

Whysoserious · 08/11/2011 19:35

Yeah sorry thisisyesterday saw your links after I wrote that.

worraliberty the issue isn't about people parking outside my house - I accept that, it's the nature of my street. I park outside other houses too. Therefore if the first neighbour came home and parked outside their garage and then the second had to find a space and the only one was outside my house then fine - they need to park their two cars and fair enough. BUT the fact that they park the first car outside mine leaving their space free for the second I find greedy and selfish and unneighbourly. It's the conduct rather than the fact that there is a car outside my house IYSWIM

OP posts:

warthog · 08/11/2011 19:37

well you'd have to start earlier if you were to leave earlier. i'm not suggesting you just cut your day! is that an option?

i think you need to make the point that you'll park there too. so when they piss off at the weekend go and nab that space, and do it a few times.

warthog · 08/11/2011 19:38

btw i do get you - they should park outside their garage first.

yanbu

just giving you some ideas.

Original poster

Whysoserious · 08/11/2011 19:41

Thanks warthog

Unfortunately in my line of work it's impossible to change the hours of when I work. Would have to run it by Michael Gove first...

OP posts:

TidyDancer · 08/11/2011 19:42

They are extremely selfish, but unfortunately when you take everything into account, there's fuck all you can do.

Some people are just morons I'm afraid.

smokinaces · 08/11/2011 19:46

ooooh, I completely understand.

I dont have a dropped curb issue - but i live on a Green so already have a 100ft+ walk to my front door.

2 doors down have just got a 2nd car. A huge brand new 4 x 4, which they cant park or drive to save their life. Which means they park right outside my house - and take up at least 2 spaces. Mega annoying, especially when I am trying to juggle two kids and things in the rain.

I went the passive agressive route. I very loudly spoke to another neighbour out the front about "who's new car is this, they really cant park etc"

Seems to have ahelped a little. They still park like shit, but further down the street now.

fedupandtired · 08/11/2011 19:46

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure you only can't park in front of a dropped curb if by doing so you're preventing another car from accessing the highway (had a bit of a neighbour dispute myself so looked into it). So unless their car is in the garage and they can't get onto the road 'cause your car is in the way then the police/council won't do anything because you're not breaking any laws.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong though!

ChristinedePizanne · 08/11/2011 19:50

I have a no parking sign in front of my gate - I don't use my drive, I park in front of it. If I open my gate, I'm opening the whole back of my house to the world (I live on a corner) and it makes no difference to other people whether I park on the drive or in front of it - they can't park there. The parking where I live is awful because loads of people park here to use the station.

It does seem a bit mean of your neighbours not to use their drive for one car and then block that one in with the other but if it really pisses you off, pave over your front garden.

ChristinedePizanne · 08/11/2011 19:52

fedup - if you park in front of my drive, I can ask for you to have a ticket because you're blocking my access.

A driveway is a driveway - whether I choose to use my off-street parking or not

Original poster

Whysoserious · 08/11/2011 19:55

christinedepizzanne it's not a driveway, it's a garage.

I don't want to pave over my garden. It would cost me a fortune as it's a raised garden and I suspect it's integral to the building of the house.

OP posts:

Original poster

Whysoserious · 08/11/2011 19:56

*structure of the house

OP posts:

fedupandtired · 08/11/2011 19:56

Right, next time neighbours very rude daughter parks in front of my drive I shall be on the phone telling (who exactly?) them to give her a ticket!

ChristinedePizanne · 08/11/2011 20:05

It doesn't matter whether it's a garage, a driveway or a special cars-only yurt. If you have a dropped kerb, it's access to your land via the road. And I can understand that's irritating to you but you are being unreasonable in terms of the law to park in front of it. I only EVER park in front of my drive and I always park on it if we have visitors so they can park in front because I'm really mindful of how difficult parking is here.

fedupandtired - go ahead and report her. I'd leave her a little note first, just to be kind

RomanKindle · 08/11/2011 20:10

I don't think the op is being unreasonable to be hacked off. Sure the neighbours aren't doing anything illegal but if you have 2 cars and you have guaranteed parking for 2 cars yet choose instead to park in front of your neighbours house every day it IS selfish and bound to lead to ill feeling.

JuliaScurr · 08/11/2011 20:13

yy tethersend @ 18:48 I was gonna say that

letitwork · 08/11/2011 20:18

Yes, they are being unneighbourly.

But, I would be asking myself if it was really worth being annoyed about.

I don't know your circumstances - are you regularly:

carrying/walking small children back to your house after work;
carrying heavy shopping or heavy equipment of some sort;
do you have limited mobility?

Because, if the walk from the car to your house is pretty straightforward for you then I would say that it's annoying but entirely unimportant and you need to forget it.

If the walk from the car to your house is complicated in some way then I can understand your frustrations.

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