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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Parking outside of someone else's house

68 replies

Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 01:23

To give a bit of background I live in a narrow street of detached and semi detached houses. Every house has a driveway for one car. I have lived here for nearly a decade with young children and two cars. When we first moved in some neighbours had clearly been upset by us now using our drive and space directly outside of our house (it had been a single lady before) and two neighbours communicated that this was making it difficult for them to reverse out of their driveway. I acknowledged this but explained that with two cars there were not a lot of places to park and we could only do our best to try and park sensibly ie not restricting each other's drives. All has been fine and we all have worked together to try to be accommodating. Within the last year there has been someone new move into the street who continually had been parking in front of others houses (they are directly across the road from me) I heard some exchanges between neighbours that they were not happy, it had got to the point one neighbour left a note on the window. I only found out about this as the new occupier told me when she was ranting at me. She started to constantly park in front of my house. There is space on their own side to park but they 'choose' not to. This didn't bother me at all in the beginning as I thought it's just a misunderstanding and I actually defended them when my ex partner complained about no parking, saying give them a chance to work out that they can park on their own side (which they do only if someone else is parked in front of my house) . However when any visitors dared to park in front of my house (when I was at work) the female occupier was knocking at my door to confront my ex partner or mum to tell them to move their car (in an aggressive way) despite the fact that this is where they continue to park their car. It got so bad my sister had parked outside my house and the female occupier started gesticulating in the window as if she wanted a fight! I went out to say is there a problem? And she said, yes! And I have been purposefully parking in front of your house. I said well that is antagonistic and it is a difficult street to park on so why don't we all try and be respectful. She stormed off. She is back to parking in front of my house on a Thursday and leaving the car until Monday morning! Despite the fact they have two cars and actually reverse the much bigger car out the drive to run errands rather than move the car in front of my house. I know the law is not on my side and I know it's just down to decency at the end of the day. I was happy to give up the space if I was just unlucky that they happened to have visitors and needed the extra space but this is a different scenario. What do you think?!

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Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 08:40

Minty Grin too funny. I've decided if she throws any more tantrums I am going to tell her how unreasonable she is being.

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Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 08:44

Raffles good option I think. One I will need to look into. I think it would be the only legal way to stop them continually parking there. Crazily it is a bus route so this adds to parking problems as cars need to be even further spaced so I'd probably have a good case for extra parking Smile

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Abraiid2 · 19/07/2016 08:44

Slight sideline, but why don't people reverse into their drives and then drive forward onto the road? it is much easier and safer.

Angelik · 19/07/2016 08:44

op - I am confused by your descriptions which tells me you are over thinking it. And allowing yourself to be intimidated by his woman. just park where you're allowed to park even if in front of her house and if she starts pulling faces through the window smile and wave but move on. if she ever knocks on your door again because she wants to park outside your house and can't you simply say no can do. if she starts getting aggressive tell her you're calling the police and shut the door.

she is trying to intimidate and dominate you. do not let her. do not think about her. don't give her anymore of your precious brain time.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 19/07/2016 08:46

SHe obviously thinks she owns the street and while she can park where she likes, no one else can. Fuck that for a game of soldiers - park in front of her house, or block her in if possible - anything to piss her off, since she doesn't seem to have any compunction in doing the same to you!

Also, get cctv trained on the front of your and her house, so if any damage to your car occurs, you have evidence it's her can see who it is.

Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 08:46

Abraiid I totally agree. It worries me with so many kids on the street. Depending on how the parking is dictates if you can reverse or not. It's not ideal at all.

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PeppaPigTastesLikeBacon · 19/07/2016 08:47

Sounds like you live down my street. People here don't use their driveways too. I just park where I want but then again our neighbours, although frustrated, don't argue as we all have the same issues.
I now move my car to outside when I can due to having a young child so it's easier for me if I'm outside or close to my own house!

When your neighbor is parked somewhere other than outside your house superglue a note to her windscreen although it's probably illegal so don't do that

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 19/07/2016 08:48

Oh and yes to trying to make your parking area a double if possible. It woudl probably cost quite a lot to get the pavement outside your house turned into a long drop down, but oh it would be worth it, just to see her face when she can't park there any more!!

Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 08:50

Angelik you are right I feel that's exactly what she's trying to do, dominate me. She is not a nice character and has fallen out with every neighbour round a it her. You are right as well about too much brain time.

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t4gnut · 19/07/2016 08:51

Time to toughen up and just park where you want without overthinking it.

Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 08:54

Thumb she was constantly parking outside a neighbours further up the street and they left a note on her window, I only know that because she told me while ranting! Rather than thinking we need to be more considerate with parking she moved on to me! Good suggestions Grin my sis said be careful I think she's the type to damage your car so might need cctv

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Farfromtheusual · 19/07/2016 08:59

Just be mindful that if you do end up getting a drop kerb that sheet will probably still park there and could potentially block your car on the drive. Whilst this is wrong, the police so no have power to move the car, and can only issue a ticket. They're less likely to come out if you know who the car belongs to and will probably tell you to go and knock on the door and ask her to move it. And unfortunately, if there is no car on the driveway and she blocks it, there is nothing you can do as you have no right of access, it's just common courtesy not to park there.

Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 09:03

Peppa Grin that's what it was like before we all knew parking was a problem so just accepted that in the main you left spaces free outside each other's houses. There was no games or purposefully parking to be antagonistic.

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Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 09:05

Far from that's good to know as she is the type that would park there anyway! Frustrating!

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KeemaNaanAndCurryOn · 19/07/2016 09:08

She sounds like an arse. Park in front of her house if that space is free. Parking in front of her house is a perfectly reasonable thing to do if she's parked in front of yours.

Yes, people can park where they want, but if they are doing it deliberately to annoy someone else, they're a dick.

Ambroxide · 19/07/2016 09:16

Yes, just park in front of her house. If she says 'you are parked in front of my house' just reply 'well, you're parked in front of mine' and walk off. Either that or do something v messy in your front garden several weekends running and make sure her car gets covered in it. Cut a hedge in stages or something.

blindsider · 19/07/2016 09:32

People like this are best just ignored, you cannot reason with them, they just drag you down to their level of stupid and then beat you due to experience.

ADishBestEatenCold · 19/07/2016 09:32

Is the spot she's parking in directly opposite her drive, Pankhurst?

If so, could it be that she cannot maneuver her large car out of her drive, so ensures that she has a bit of extra room by parking opposite. (She could then feasibly move her own car, if she got stuck).

Doesn't excuse her attitude, though.

wowfudge · 19/07/2016 09:36

Crikey. Park outside her house when you have to - she has no special rights and needs to learn. Take photos of your car as you leave it. You'll then have a record of it's condition when you left it and she'll wonder what's going on. I'd be tempted to say to her, 'you park outside your house and we'll park outside ours and we'll all hear no more about it'. Then leave it at that.

Any more ranting from her either ignore her (which will infuriate her - record her rants on your phone) or tell her to get off your property if she has come banging on the door, shouting the odds. If she doesn't stop then it becomes harassment and I would threaten to go to police with the evidence you have.

DarkBlueEyes · 19/07/2016 10:04

If she is doing it to annoy you, then I think what would peeve her off more than anything is to love bomb her. Wave to her, smile, look cheerful, and when you park in front of HER house, which I absolutely WOULD do by the way, without fail wave and smile, chat to her whenever you can in a breezy fashion, pretend nothing is out of the ordinary, and don't let on that you are annoyed, whatever you do. I find this really annoys aggressive arsey people more than anything, because they are not getting what they want. Do report back! And if she says "I have been parking to annoy you on purpose" again, laugh and say "you'll have to do better than that love, like water off a duck's back! Have a nice day!"

this is incredibly passive aggressive but it's called for I think

Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 10:07

Keema you are right that is what makes her a dick, the deliberate nature of it.

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Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 10:09

Ambroxide Grin never thought of that

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Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 10:10

Blindsider I don't think she's the brightest but certainly very antagonistic so need to try not to get dragged down!

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Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 10:11

A dish it is not directly behind but does make it harder to manuvere when someone is parked there.

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Pankhurst09 · 19/07/2016 10:12

Wowfudge good advice I probably should be recording things.

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