I am slightly annoyed about a van parked outside my house. We have unrestricted parking (London terraced street).

[Mintyy]

So I know the law, and I know I have no rights to the space outside my house. I honestly do and you don't need to remind me . Our road can get busy but I can usually park within a 1 or 2 minute walk of my front door. So no real biggie.

But in my place would you be irritated that a largish van (think transit size) has been parked directly outside my house for 14 days now and not been moved once?

Please be honest. If it wouldn't bother you, would it really not, really and truly?

And wwyd? I am fairly sure I know who it belongs to. If I'm right, owner lives 15-20 houses away. They have a driveway which one of their cars occupies. They also have quite a large commercial vehicle, also parked on the road and also hasn't moved for a couple of weeks.

Yep, it would bug me, and yes, I would realise there is nothing I could do, all the more reason to be bugged by it!

YANBU

Vans still there.

I am going to put a note through the door, if anyone feels like suggesting some cheery wording?

Oh dear. A van. How dreadfully working class, must be awful for you. Sell your house immediately, the kind of people who wear sports wear and own staffies won't be far behind and the value of your house will plummet frightfully. Happened to a friend of mine, within months the organic deli was gone and there was an off licence which sold pot noodles there instead!

Oh don't be so fucking silly Moanie.

Dear Van Man,

I understand you have the right to park where you want on our unrestricted street however, might I suggest you give all neighbours the privilege of having your van parked outside their window? After two weeks, we feel you are spoiling is and perhaps it is time to allow someone else to enjoy the van.

Hello! Mintyy from no. Whatever here! A bit of a cheeky request but any chance you could move your van from outside our house? It's blocking our light. I wouldn't usually say anything but as it's been there for two weeks I thought you might take pity on us! Would very much appreciate it. Lots of love etc xxxx

Dear Van Man

Hi
Your van has been parked out side my house for a fortnight and not moved. I'm now becoming concerned as I think last night I saw someone trying to access it, they moved when they saw me. Thought you might want to know so you can move it occasionally.

From your ?ovely concerned neighbour
Mintyy

This happens here regularly. It drives DH and weirdly FIL who doesn't even live here crackers but it doesn't bother me quite so much.
It's worse in the summer as it makes the front room dark but in the winter I usually have the lights on anyway so it's not as bad.
DH asks the neighbour and he will move the van if he can.

I think plantsitter's reply is pretty much spot on although I'd be slightly more assertive and remove "Bit of a cheeky request" and just finish that sentence with a "please". I can't see the harm.

Oh and I personally wouldn't finish with "lots of love", but I may be stereotyping a white van man not appreciating another man signing off that way to him!

I'd do plantsitters reply. I'd drop the lots of love but otherwise leave it exactly the same.

That would drive me mad. My mum lives opposite a blank wall but some woman used to park her car directly outside mum's house every single day Mon-Fri, plonk in the middle so that anyone delivering something couldn't even squeeze in front or behind her car.

She also used to frequently leave it there overnight on Fri until Sat evening. One Sat when my DB and myself were both visiting I parked in front of her car and DB parked behind it, both quite close so she would have to knock on the door to ask us to move. When she did my mum said 'of course, no problem, oh and by the way I have small grandchildren being dropped over every morning (not true) and would appreciate if a little space could be left in front of the house so that car seats, buggies etc can be brought in.
She now leaves her car across the road.

It would annoy me but I wouldn't do anything about it.

This kind of thing is why a driveway or allocated off-street parking is a must for me when looking for a new place. I get such rage at discourteous parking!

I'd go and check the tax disc and if it was untaxed, call the police....

We don't have tax discs any more projecting

Someone I know put dog dirt on the door handle of a car which constantly parked outside their house.

It worked.

I've written this note:

"Hello, this is Mintyy from no. *. It's been more two and a half weeks now and we'd be grateful if you could move your van. We know you aren't legally obliged to, but we're asking if you could be neighbourly and move it just because that would be nice for us? Many thanks ... "

What do you think?

You can still checked if taxed in exactly the same way. So that would be my first port of call.
Then report if untaxed.

I'm confident it is taxed. Its a nice new van, belongs to a thriving business/affluent couple on our road.

Spray paint stripper on it in the middle of the night?!

I would just go and see them and ask them if it was definitely theirs as you thought maybe it had been abandoned and were about to see who at the council dealt with abandoned vehicles as you never know if it had been involved in a crime or something.

But isn't that what we call passive-aggressive? I know it's their van, I'm not going to pretend I don't.

That would really annoy me. Do you have a dog? Be very careful if the dog messes on the road outside the driver's door to get it all up properly and not leave a smelly patch on the road .

I think a friendly note is the best approach, but I think yours is a bit too defensive. How about:

Hello, this is Minty from xxx. We've had your van outside our house for two and a half weeks and I was just wondering if you could move it next time you get the chance? We're losing some light having it outside all the time and I thought you could share the joy!

Or something like that, whatever your own style is. But just make it sound like a completely reasonable and casual request.