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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my neighbour isn't *entitled* to park outside my house?

122 replies

TempusEedjit · 03/02/2016 13:15

Sorry this is long!

Some background - we've lived here for four years, the neighbours across the road who are in the house directly opposite ours have lived here for two years, they have four cars between them and no driveway of their own.

Our front drive has space for two cars but if both are parked there then one blocks the other in. This sometimes means that if DH gets home after me but knows I'm going out again later then he will park on the road directly outside our house so we don't have to mess around moving cars out of the way. Both of us will park on our drive though whenever possible, which is more often than not.

Anyway one morning I went to leave the house to find our neighbour's car parked across our drive. DH was parked on the road as he'd got home after me the night before but I was leaving before him that morning. DH knocked on neighbour's door to ask him to move, cue rant from neighbour saying it was our fault for being selfish by taking up a space on the road when we had a drive. DH explained about blocking in etc and there was plenty of space further up our road (maximum 50 feet away) but neighbour still thought we were being unreasonable.

Anyway over the last few months neighbour has taken to parking outside ours by default even when he has spaces outside his thereby leaving them free for his wife or son to park there later. If DH is literally gone for 15mins dropping his DC off at their mum's then neighbour will go out and move his car into that space whilst he's gone.

So we are having our front drive repaved, it's obvious access is needed for the workmen as there have been diggers and machinery outside for the past week. Workman told me yesterday that neighbour was very disgruntled at being asked to move his car and only did so when the workman warned him it might get damaged - despite this he was parked outside again this morning and upset at being asked to move again! (Our own cars were parked further up the road).

Anyway today a man from the council turned up saying there had been a complaint that the workmen had cracked the pavement slabs outside our house. Upon inspection it was obvious the cracks were old (they even had moss growing in them) so he just marked them for future reference and said he'd be back to check again next week.

I'm sure it must be the man across the road who's responsible as I can't think who else would report us as both of our neighbours either side are fine about the work as our front drive has been an eyesore since before we moved in.

Aibu to think that our neighbour is an entitled arse and if I want to park outside my own bloody house for whatever reason then I can? And would you say anything to them?

OP posts:
CheesyWeez · 03/02/2016 13:54

sorry x-posted about the side-by-side thing.

hownottofuckup · 03/02/2016 13:54

He's being a dick but unfortunately there is nothing you can do about it.

BIWI · 03/02/2016 13:55

I can see that his behaviour is irritating, but I can also see his point of view. If you have a drive that accommodates both of your cars, but you park one on the road, then you are occupying space that your neighbours could use. And as they have no driveway of their own, they do need to park on the road.

You want to park on the road for your own convenience. I'm sure your neighbours want to be able to park close to their house for their own convenience!

How hard really is it for you and your DH to move one of the cars out so that the other can get out?

I think, on balance, YABU. Your neighbour has every reason to be entitled to park outside your house. (Although not to park across your drive and behave like t twat Grin)

Hackedabove · 03/02/2016 13:57

Get the full drop kerb and then he can't block you in?

Original poster
TempusEedjit · 03/02/2016 13:57

cheesy no I can't drive DH's car because it's fucking massive mine's only a two seater so he needs to have his car available to ferry his DC about as they are with us quite often.

OP posts:
Original poster
TempusEedjit · 03/02/2016 13:59

biwi it's no harder for us to move cars than it is for him to park a little further up the road. Especially given the fact that his three vehicles fit comfortably along his side of the road and it's just his 4th extra vehicle that ends up outside our house.

OP posts:
5Foot5 · 03/02/2016 14:00

in order for two cars to not block each other in we'd have to knock down our front wall and get a dropped kerb put across the entire front of our house.

Might it be worth it though? Quite apart from the fact that you wouldn't have to worry anymore about blocking each other in, you would have the satisfaction that you had permanently taken away one of the street parking spaces that he used to use since if he tried to obstruct your drive when you had a dropped kerb then you could report him.

LentilStew · 03/02/2016 14:03

I would buy 2 old bangers and park them outside the house.

Trickydecision · 03/02/2016 14:03

Anyone can park anywhere on a public highway, official rules permitting, but you are not allowed to park across a dropped kerb if it prevents cars exiting. However if no cars are parked on the drive you can legally park across the kerb and stop cars entering.
From what you say, it sounds as if the neighbour is preventing you getting out in which case they are parking illegally as mentioned by Fizrim and Blindsider.

BeaufortBelle · 03/02/2016 14:06

As he doesn't have a drive start a campaign for residents' parking with higher amounts levied on 2nd, 3rd and 4th cars as an eco measure Grin

rogueantimatter · 03/02/2016 14:07

Well this is no help to you but it's struck a chord, as they say, as my neighbour also has four cars. Two will fit on his drive. He complained about our skip when we had our drive redone - it was there for about four days!

Anyway for a long time it's been part of my manifesto that when I'm prime minister I will make a new law to ban any single (ie not flats) -residency dwelling from having more cars than will fit on their off-road parking unless they have no off-road parking, in which case they may own one car. And large cars that make parking in narrow car-park spaces will also be prohibited from filling whole parking spaces.

Just saying. Grin

3WiseWomen · 03/02/2016 14:08

BIWI the neighbourg is parking in front of the OP's house even when there is space in front of his house though.
So it's not that they don't have any other choice. They are CHOOSING to park there to annoy the OP!

If he is there, I would park in the nearest space available. I suspect that it will be the neighbourgs 'space', which aren't theirs anymore that the spaces in the front of the OP's house are hers.
I wouldn't go out of my way to do so though.

If he plays the 'I'm going to park so cvllose to you that you can't move' card, I will park infront of your drive (which you can do) and do the same.

3WiseWomen · 03/02/2016 14:09

Bte, the neighbours are unreasonnable to have 4 cars anyway. I hope they do realise that nowdays, houses are planned on thre basis of one car by household and no more!

rogueantimatter · 03/02/2016 14:09

Ask your builders to knock down your wall and alter your drive so you can get both cars on side by side! What on earth happens when you and your neighbours both have visitors?!

I do sympathise with your neighbours car-wars pettiness. Irritating.

jessesd1834 · 03/02/2016 14:10

Sympathies!

BalloonSlayer · 03/02/2016 14:10

TBH I do think parking on the road when you've got a drive is a bit selfish. 50 yards up the road isn't far but it is when you've got a baby in a car seat and a load of supermarket shopping.

I wouldn't say anything though. I would just fume inwardly. I used to live somewhere with very limited parking. There was one house, ONE, which had standing for cars. Other people like us were not able to create off-road parking. If the occupants of this house were having visitors they would park their cars on the road so that their visitors could have their off-street parking. But they would never park their cars in the 50-yards away option, oh no. Always right opposite their house. So everyone else with their babies and supermarket bags would have the long walk.

Borninthe60s · 03/02/2016 14:10

I totally understand hoe you feel, it's very irritating but don't rise to it. Ignore them, park where you want and unless they're blocking your drive just let them get on with it.

jessesd18340 · 03/02/2016 14:11
Thanks
LentilStew · 03/02/2016 14:11

Console yourself with the fact that he's a sad wanker. Who the guck watches out the window for someone to go out do they can move their cars? Whey the hell didn't they buy a house with a drive when they have 4 cars. Idiot!

LentilStew · 03/02/2016 14:12

Why won't Apple let me type Fuck!

TooMuchOfEverything · 03/02/2016 14:15

YANBU and he is an eejit. Let him get himself worked up while you glide zen like through these trivial worries.

Original poster
TempusEedjit · 03/02/2016 14:16

If we have visitors they simply park further up the road - there is always space within a few doors along. I just don't see why I should have to compromise my own convenience on the few occasions that we don't have both our cars on our drive just because Mr Entitled said we were selfish and wrong to park outside our own fecking house. Ditto for knocking down the wall/adding a dropped kerb - additional cost aside it would look ugly!

OP posts:
budgiegirl · 03/02/2016 14:21

the neighbour is parking in front of the OP's house even when there is space in front of his house though.
So it's not that they don't have any other choice. They are CHOOSING to park there to annoy the OP

Not necessarily, the OP does say neighbour has taken to parking outside ours by default even when he has spaces outside his thereby leaving them free for his wife or son to park there later, which on the face of it doesn't seem any worse than the OP CHOOSING to park on the road when she could park on her drive.

He does seem a bit petty though if he's watching for OP to leave and then dashing out to move his car. On balance, I think OP IBU, but I can see how it must be irritating.

BrokenVag · 03/02/2016 14:22

Our neighbours have a driveway like this. If the one that's home first at night is going out earlier in the morning one/both of them will switch the cars around. They've never needed to park outside anyone else's house. Why can't you do that when your drive is fixed?

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 03/02/2016 14:24

Yawn. Public road - neither of you have any rights at all (except no parking across your driveway if it has a dropped kerb).

Now, both of you put your toys back in the pram and get on with life.