to be fed up of being made to feel like I can't park in front of my own house

[123betty]

My neighbours are usually pretty nice but they are increasingly aggressive, territorial and inconsiderate when it comes to parking. I think I need to rant just to get it out of my system so I can stay friendly with them (I do want to!)

We are semi detached and they have a drive but we don't.

They don't like to park on the drive. They don't even like to park in front of their house. Instead they park three quarters in front of ours. This is because they want to park on the pavement and a postbox is in front of their house.

If we park in front of our house they passively aggressively complain loudly and park fully in front of our property the next chance they get as if to teach us a lesson. They'll even come out specially to move the car forward that bit.

They have also had a go at other people for parking in front of our house and making it hard for them to park in 'their spot'. They have a go at people for blocking their drive too even though they say they don't like using it and never do. They don't like to park in front of it either.

It's not them parking in front of our house that bothers me. I don't own the road!!! It's them being so aggressive at us for parking there! It is frustrating that I have to carry my three children up the road in torrential rain (like yesterday!) because they take up our spot and theirs but it's the being treated like I'm the one in the wrong that upsets me.

Am I being unreasonable to be fed up of them thinking they own the road?

Anytime their car is taking up the space in front of your house just park in front of their drive. If they say anything say that you would prefer to park in front of your own home but there isn't room because of their illegal parking.

If that doesn't stop them/Or complain to the council. They can tell them that they can't park where they are because of RULES, rather than because their neighbour complained.

I wouldn't regard the space outside your house as your parking space. It's a public road. First come first served.

Don't get drawn into this petty game playing OP. Just park in the closest legal space to your house when you get back like a normal person. Don't engage with them on this it'll drive you crazy.

It's not that that's the problem as such. It's that they park in front of th OPs house then act like complete arseholes if anyone parks on their drive, in front of their drive or anywhere else in front of their own house.

For them it's first come first served if it's them and come whenever you want you're not parking in front of ours if it's anyone else.

I agree with Tarka.

I know the feeling when it comes to parking! We live on a main road and all the neighbours know each other very well and we rarely have any problems. A lot of people have two cars per household so will park one car directly in front of the house (next to the window and not illegal since it is technically separate from the pavement) and the other car on the main road (wherever a space is available). Now by parking your car directly in front of your window puts you at risk of not being able to get your car out if the main road is full of parked cars. One old lady up the road CONSTANTLY complains about anyone parking on the pavement near her house because 'she can't get her car out'. It annoys us so much and I always try my hardest not to park near there and it is just impossible sometimes! She 1.doesn't own the road and 2.shouldn't park her car in front of her window knowing she can't get her car out.

I can't really think of a solution except politely having a word with your neighbour about the situation?
I just tend to ignore what my neighbour says now because I have told her several times that we can't help where the spaces are!

YANBU. Your neighbours are plain weird. Neither they nor you owns the road but normal neighbourly courtesy is that if your neighbour has a car then they have first dibs on the space in front of their house.

I like smokinaces idea.

Try and speak them to reasonably - although they shouldn't get away with it (and don't let them) - you also don't want a full out war with your neighbours...
Anyone can park anywhere legally on the public road -as long as you don't cause an obstruction -(I think blocking a drive counts as this).

Where I live we all have to park on the road (outside other peoples houses - we have no vehicle access) and space is at a bit of a premium. One of these houses has a drive -but the (nice) guy who lives there can't use it - too steep so his car bottoms on it. I always try and leave enough space in front of it for him to park...in general we all cooperate with each other .

BUT I had a neighbour from hell (he died last year) and he thought we should park across this driveway - in fact had a go at me for not doing so ...
But then if I did anything to 'upset' him (eg ask him politely not to come into my garden to trim my tree so it gave him privacy and a perfect view from his viewing platform raised decking which included all our back garden too - so we had no privacy) - he used to park within a cm of my bumper to try and block me in.
I spoke to police and they said they could do nothing about it -it was on a public road - if he did manage to block me in - I should either ask him to move (a non-starter as it nearly came to blows when my DP did this) or get someone else to move (Other neighbours had sympathy for me -so used to leave me plenty of space -and he also did this trick to other neighbours once or twice). If neither of these worked the police would come and ask him to move..(so hopefully not on my way to the hospital with a sick DC in the middle of the night!) We have two cars and could have blocked him in - but we were trying to calm the situation -not make it worse -I used to park 200m or so away to avoid the issue)

In the end the police became more involved (lots of stuff happened) -and it became part of an harassment case- he was warned to stop. He would then behave for 6mths or so and then start doing it again ...went on for 10 years + and (with other stuff) made my life a misery....(now he is gone I realise just how much impact the whole thing had on me)

BTW parking on the pavement is not illegal - as long as you don't cause an obstruction - you leave enough room to get a wheelchair/pushchair past.