A parking one - with a skip!

[monkeymamma]

Came back from holidays in June to find a skip outside our house.

Back story - we live in a new build surrounded by the same. In their wisdom the builders designated the space outside our front door as a parking space for the neighbours across the road from us. Our parking space is round the corner outside our garage which is separate from our house iyswim. Not very satisfactory but we've always been very easy going about it, said a cheery hello when the neighbours are out there etc.

They said nothing about the skip, which is fine, it's their parking space so they can put what they like in there (some forewarning might have been courteous but it's no biggie). We were perfectly nice about it all through the summer when neighbour was shovelling dirt into it through the evening and early part of the night, even though it meant my baby ds2 (already a terrible, terrible sleeper) found it very difficult to settle (skip is right outside his bedroom window). But it's now been THREE MONTHS! It was completely full (I suspect over full) about a month ago and hasn't been touched since.

I went round there last night, was as lovely and understanding as possible, invited lady neighbour round for coffee whenever she feels like it (their baby is same age as ds2) and asked, as nicely as I could, how long the skip was likely to be there. Lady neighbour very hostile, mumbled that they'd been chasing the skip company but they weren't sending anyone out to get it because 'everyone is on holiday at the skip company'.

AIBU to think this is incredibly unlikely? And AIBU to suspect they have over filled the skip and the skip company won't collect unless they pay for a second skip (which I thinks they would need in order to collect current skip). And WIBU to contact the skip company myself, or should I just wind my neck in and be content to live on what looks like a building site for the foreseeable future?

To add insult to injury, very few of our neighbours realise the skip is not ours. As we've also had our garden done this summer most assume it's US who've left a bloomin skip outside all summer...

It took me crashing into the skip outside my friend's house before the skip company came and collected it.

They keep them where they are until needed for a new job ime. Ours was in our parking space behind the house for ages and I had to chase lots to finally get it moved. Probably not your neighbour's fault.

IME skip hire companies are happy to drop you one off but getting them to take the bugger away is a nightmare. Although 3 months is taking the piss somewhat!

The neighbour will be right.

Skips can take an absolute age to be moved. Why would a skip hire firm pay storage for their own skips when they can be left outside a paying customers home until it's needed again.

So yes, yabu

I think a skip dies require a permit if it is on a public road (i.e. anyone could park there) but if this is in the neighbour's designated parking space the rules may be different. OP if the skip wasn't there would you be legally allowed to park there? Or is it legally your neighbour's land?

I'm in London so maybe different but we've had a few skips from different companies and I've found they will take them the next day often. I usually have a fit of worry thinking it will be too heavy and am surprised when they take it. I always underestimate how much rubbish will be generated.

Skips only need a permit on the highway not on private land.
Skip company's can take an age to collect but equally won't remove overfilled skips.
Unfortunately there is probably little you can do but keep on at the neighbour. If the contents of the skip could be considered a fire risk the fire brigade might come out and have a word. They sorted out a problem I had with a van full of rubbish that was abandoned outside my old house, couldn't be removed although clearly dumped, as it was taxed but once they deemed it a fire risk it was gone within 24hrs.

Crikey! I called the local skip people to come collect ours and it was lifted 20mins later! I was still chucking stuff into it when they arrived!

Gosh when I hired a skip I was told I had it for one week only - I filled it the same night (to stop other people filling it), phoned the next morning and they came and collected it. Surely it is dead money to have a full skip outside a house when they could be rehiring it?

I would contact the skip company and explain that the skip is in the wrong place. It should be outside of the neighbours house, not yours. How much longer will it be there

If you know the facts (that it's over filled) then you can visit your neighbour again

Ours was collected the next day after telling them it was full.

Maybe give the skip company a bell yourself & see what they say??

If the estate is still being built, then the developers might take an interest, as it is an eyesore, and offputting to possible new purchasers.

I'd ring the skip company. If she's honestly had trouble chasing them she wouldn't mind.

IME skip companies can sometimes be slow to collect if they don't have a customer wanting the skip once empty. They then have to store it and don't always have loads of land, assuming x number will always be out.