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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

a parking one with a note from neighbour

490 replies

KinkyAfro · 04/06/2016 13:42

This is the letter left on DP's van yesterday. We live at 215, attached to 213, then there's a road and then 211 where note writer lives.

I'm having to sit on my hands so I don't write a response. AIBU to think this is a bit passive aggressive or AIBU to park van there?

[Message from MNHQ: We've had to remove the attached letter as it was a bit too identiyfing. We realise the rest of the thread will make little sense now to anyone new to the thread, but we're leaving it up so the OP can continue to discuss with those already on board].

OP posts:
OneMagnumisneverenough · 04/06/2016 17:44

Little Englanders! :o :o :o

Where are they meant to park? At their workshop or whatever they rent to run their business from. And if they aren't doing this then they are running a business from home and need to ensure that they are paying the correct rates and have appropriate insurance and check their lease if renting and mortgage if they have one. And if someone is running a residential business from their home then residents are within their rights to complain to the council if the business is affecting the residential nature of the area.

If they work for someone else and are using the work van to commute then it also has to be insured appropriately and they need to be paying the correct levels of tax for having a company vehicle and residents still have the right to complain to the council about the vans being in a residential area.

Most people won't care as long as van owners and drivers are considerate.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 04/06/2016 17:46

Oh dear OneMagnum, you really haven't thought about this at all have you? You are being quite daft.

No, I have thought about it - I'm not the one being daft here.

Mari50 · 04/06/2016 17:48

Parking is one of these things that half of society seems to assume there are polite rules for and the other half don't give a flying fuck about anyone else. At my DP's house a neighbour has a double drive but insists on using the space for overflow/guests this is despite the fact that one of the neighbours has a disabled child and could really do with having access to the spot all the time. As a result several other neighbours take great joy in using the space simply to keep the first neighbour out. The family with the disabled child could apply to have the space marked off as disabled only but they don't want to because their child is quite sensitive about it. Any normal person would accept a bit of inconvenience at moving cars etc for the sake of a neighbour with a disability but not this arsehole. There is nothing worse than some random car parked outside your house, whether you own the street or not. Well, there are lots of things that are worse but it can be annoying!!

bibbitybobbityyhat · 04/06/2016 17:49

I wonder if we could do a poll? Would you mind if I started another thread as it is not the real issue on this one.

Original poster
KinkyAfro · 04/06/2016 17:50

No problem

OP posts:
Hissy · 04/06/2016 17:51

I think you should have left it with the it's a temporary situation, and while you will try to minimise inconvenience, there will be occasions where it will be be left overnight as there are no other options.

I'd suggest you get cctv for the van.

Gide · 04/06/2016 17:52

Ellie, we have already been to see her to explain it'll be 3 weeks max and only overnight. She's adamant it has to be moved

She can jack off, it does not have to be moved. As she knows, it's not her parking spot, it's a public road, anyone can park there. I'm all for neighbourly relations, but now she's being silly. I hope you to.d her to stfu. Asking the neighbour how long a mobile home will be on the drive?! There's a bloke up the road with a caravan on his drive: should I ask him when it's going?! (It's been there at least 13 years!)

Sorry, she's being ridiculous. If you told her you're going in a few weeks, she's being especially ridiculous.

quietbatperson · 04/06/2016 17:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 04/06/2016 18:04

Highway code rule 250:

Rule 250
Cars, goods vehicles not exceeding 2500 kg laden weight, invalid carriages, motorcycles and pedal cycles may be parked without lights on a road (or lay-by) with a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) or less if they are:

at least 10 metres (32 feet) away from any junction, close to the kerb and facing in the direction of the traffic flow
in a recognised parking place or lay-by.
Other vehicles and trailers, and all vehicles with projecting loads, MUST NOT be left on a road at night without lights.

Laws RVLR reg 24 & CUR reg 82(7)

I can't remember what type of van you said but I think it was a Ford Transit? Minimum weight of a transit would be 2500kg so if it is over that, it shouldn't be parked on a residential street at night without displaying lights. Hello flat battery.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 04/06/2016 18:05

Also from your description I'm not sure it would be the requisite distance from the junction?

Chippednailvarnishing · 04/06/2016 18:14

OneMagnum are you the neighbour? You seem rather over invested in this thread.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 04/06/2016 18:17

Nope I'm not the neighbour and what's it to you? I just don't like being told I'm an idiot by people who can't even use google before opening their gobs.

And I didn't like the way that the neighbours feeling about her home and her use of it seemed to be trumped by some lazy arse who can't park his van somewhere more appropriate for a few weeks.

Chippednailvarnishing · 04/06/2016 18:20

Nope not the neighbour and what's it to you?

Grin

Yep, I'm betting you're the neighbour!

OneMagnumisneverenough · 04/06/2016 18:23

I'd have a hard job being a neighbour of someone in Manchester while simultaneously not living in England Hmm

If I was the neighbour then by now I'd be so pissed off that I would be inclined to report the OPs DH for illegal parking rather than just asking politely.

Bluewombler2k · 04/06/2016 18:24

onemagnum why are you assuming these tradespeople do not have the correct tax etc? Don't worry, I won't keep pestering you but it does seem a little presumptuous to assume

tinyterrors · 04/06/2016 18:27

She's being ridiculous. I know little things can get annoying but seriously six inches of the van over a 6 foot fence that she know is temporary? If that's all the neighbour has to worry about they should be thankful.

My dh has a company van, he works in construction so is off site and has to pick up/drop off his team every day, the main yard is open 8am to 6pm and my dh has to be on site by 8am so brings the van home, as do the other foremen/drivers. We've had someone complain that the van was parked in the marked space in front of our own house, the pcso told them to stop being ridiculous as it's taxed, insured and legally parked.

You don't have to pay extra tax on a van as a company vehicle as long as it's primarily used for business with the occasional use for personal trips. It's also not classed as running a business from home.

Original poster
KinkyAfro · 04/06/2016 18:29

It's a work van, he works for a company but has to go to various sites, as do I? Where do you suggest he leaves his van, how do you suggest he get to /from there to get his van to go to work?

OP posts:
TennesseeMountainPointOfView · 04/06/2016 18:30

If you are a tradesman/woman with an office at home, but you work in other people's propery, you do not need to pay any business rates or council tax. You might need to take tools (if you use them) out of a van at night to comply with insurance coverage requirements, but that's about it. The council only start to care if you are having customers visit you at home, or are working in the motor trade or something like that. Painters, plumbers, electricians etc are of no concern.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 04/06/2016 18:30

I didn't say I presumed they didn't but I said they should and that running a business from home would entitle the rest of residents to contact the council if they felt the running of the business was affecting the residential nature of their area. It obviously depends a lot on where you live, you'd have a hard time arguing that if you lived in a busy area with shopping centres/small business premises but if you lived on a suburban residential estate then you could cause problems for the person running the business. So it would be both polite and clever to not piss people off by parking your (possibly illegally parked) business vehicle where it doesn't bother anyone or at least vary it so that no-one gets pissed off enough to make a formal complaint.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 04/06/2016 18:32

It's a work van, he works for a company but has to go to various sites, as do I? Where do you suggest he leaves his van, how do you suggest he get to /from there to get his van to go to work?

He could travel to his place of work like the majority of the population and collect his van. Presumably he is taxed on it's use for commuting so maybe he could save money by not using it for that or alternatively he could just park it legally and somewhere where it wasn't annoying people?

paniniswapx3 · 04/06/2016 18:33

Why are people being rude to OneMagnum? Absolutely no need for that at all. Op just needs to show a bit of courtesy.

ThoraGruntwhistle · 04/06/2016 18:35

How's it illegally parked? Because someone doesn't like it being next to their house? I had no idea that was illegal.
Apart from maybe tutting occasionally, I can't imagine being this concerned over a parked van. Especially not to the point of writing furious little notes to people.

Original poster
KinkyAfro · 04/06/2016 18:36

But where have you got working from home from, he doesn't work from home. His work supply him with a company vehicle, he uses that to get to and from work. My work supply me with a car, I use that to get to and from work, am I also working from home?

OP posts:
OneMagnumisneverenough · 04/06/2016 18:37

See post above Thora it's potentially illegally parked as it should be displaying lights at night and be at least 32 feet from a junction if it is over 2500kg.

MagicalMrsMistoffelees · 04/06/2016 18:38

But he's not parking illegally so why would the woman report him? He's parking on a public road!

To the SIDE of her house.

Behind a six foot fence.

So only a tiny part of the van is showing.

Only overnight.

For a few weeks only!!

People have suggested apologising; taking flowers round; moving the van; that vans should be kept somewhere else and trades people should find another way to travel between home and their van in the morning then back from their van to home in the evening.

Just so someone doesn't have to abide the ghastly site of 15cm of van behind a fence to the side of her garden.

No wonder the world is so crazy when some people think this woman's request is reasonable.

OP - it's not reasonable, it's barely credible.