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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To park outside my neighbour's house and refuse to move?

129 replies

Graceful1 · 22/02/2017 01:59

We live on a busy road and as such parking spaces are always at a premium, but we usually take up the same spaces. Anyway when I got home earlier there was nowhere to park as someone had parked right outside my house.
I had to park about 4 houses down as it was the nearest space available.
About an hour later the person who lives in the house (who has never spoken to me before and I have lived here 5 years) knocked on my door and asked me to move my car, I refused as I had just washed my hair and was in my pyjamas.
He walked off calling me ridiculous.
AIBU or would you have moved your car ?

OP posts:
wigglewam · 23/02/2017 18:07

You can get self cleaning ovens???!!! Why did I not know this? I need one!!

Ninjacat · 23/02/2017 18:10

This exact thing happened to me. We live on a road that is notoriously bad for parking. A neighbour about five doors up always puts two bins outside their house to "reserve" a parking space. I came home one wet afternoon with two kids and could find nowhere to park. I moved the bins and thought I'd go back in a bit and move the car when a space became free. Then promptly forgot. Later that evening a knock on my door heralded the arrival of the neighbour (don't know how he knew it was my car but still). Immediately I went in to apology mode and seeing a space now available outside my house offered to move the car. At which point the neighbour gave me a mouthful about moving his bins etc. Ohh red rag to a bull. I shut the door, stomped upstairs and growled at DP that I was going to move the car but was feeling cross etc... when another knock. Apparently the car is not being moved fast enough. This time DP (who looks like a rather large grizzly bear) answers. Neighbour is making a quick exit but shouting as he walks back up the street. I move the car because it feels churlish not to and blow neighbour a kiss and smile and apologies to his wife who is sat in the car looking embarrassed. Next time I see neighbour and his wife I realise she is on crutches Blush. Still no excuse for his behaviour but I do feel a little bit bad.

falange · 23/02/2017 18:11

Why are people so hung up on having to park outside their own house? I don't get it.

WaitrosePigeon · 23/02/2017 18:16

really? you can't possibly think of any reasons why people may want to park outside of their house?

Pigflewpast · 23/02/2017 18:16

Lovely diagram on waterytart thread at the mo. Just passing through, thought I'd mention, not at all a hint to Graceful or anything < whistles>

meganorks · 23/02/2017 18:20

My street is like this. If you dare go out in the evening/cone home late then you are screwed.
Your neighbour is batshit crazy. You park where you can.

marvelmummy13 · 23/02/2017 18:28

When I first met my OH we lived in a terraced house. It was a busy busy street and we had one car for our house whilst others had 3 or 4. We never got to park outside our house at the front because the neighbours either side of us had cars and they took up the spaces between houses. We had a back garden that went into the backstreets and it was pebbled so we took the fence down and used it as a parking spot. Sensible wouldn't you think ?? I did too until one night my partner went out and left the car at his friends and we awoke to find our neighbours van parked on our gravel in our back garden. His excuse .. there was no space in the street ...so he parked on our land ....At the end of the day unless its a designated area you can park where you please. Where were you supposed to bloody park. Unfortunately people think if they own the house they own the street outside ...nope people just the garden and the house. I now live in a detached and only have people out front if they have a party next door or something its a bit of a pain when they stare through the window but I don't own the street

NotYoda · 23/02/2017 18:42

Has this escalated into fisticuffs yet, Graceful?

falange · 23/02/2017 18:46

Really Waitrose pigeon. I live in a busy street with on street parking only and very rarely get to park outside my home. Sometimes I have to make multiple trips back and forth carrying shopping. Inconvenient but not the end of the world.

ShowMePotatoSalad · 23/02/2017 18:49

Who appointed him parking monitor? It's a public road and the home owners don't own the spaces outside of their properties.

WaitrosePigeon · 23/02/2017 18:49

You said it yourself - inconvenience.

People want to park outside of their house for convenience and an easy life.

ShowMePotatoSalad · 23/02/2017 18:49

NotYoda lol at fisticuffs 😂

Autumnchill · 23/02/2017 18:51

I'm with browneyedlady, in the time it took him to walk to your house, knock, have a conversation, get wound up, he could have been home!

erchissick · 23/02/2017 18:51

If the space outside your house was free then why not move your car? Live and let live. Some things are just not worth the argument.

RaspberryOverloadTheFirst · 23/02/2017 18:54

Thing is, if the OP had been nice enough to move her car, there's no guarantee that the space outside of her house would still be free once she began the manouvre to shift the car.

On my old street, I went to move my car closer to home more than once only to find that the space that was empty when I left the house had been filled before I'd managed to get the car back. Even though it was only moments in time.

No, I'd not have moved the car.

NotYoda · 23/02/2017 18:56

erchissick

I agree, You could create goodwill, but instead create ill-will

I totally take that back if his approach was really rude

But I'd like to hear what the OP says

Eminybob · 23/02/2017 18:58

I had this when I lived on a busy terraced road.
You basically had to park wherever there was a space, I would mostly get a spot outside my house but often had to park outside someone else's house or even on another road altogether.

All was fine, no issues until a complete tit moved in next door but one. If I ever had to park in front of his house because there were no spaces anywhere else he would come and knock on and ask me to move when he got back. To be fair it was usually when a space had opened up near my house that I could move into, but why the hell couldnt he park there to save me dropping what I was doing to move my car? I'll tell you why "because I didn't pay £xxxx for this car (a BMW) to not be able to park it outside my house" Hmm wtaf? If you paid £xxxx for your fucking car and want to park it outside your house, buy a house with a fucking driveway!
He was such an entitled twat, luckily we moved not long after he moved in. Still makes me cross though thinking about it now Angry

BeMorePanda · 23/02/2017 18:59

Draw a diagram on a piece of paper and take a photo of it!

Your neighbour is a dick.

Tapandgo · 23/02/2017 19:13

If people are so hung up about parking outside their own house they need to buy a house with a private driveway. Car tax doesn't give you a license to own a bit of the road!
I once got a person sticking a note firmly to the windscreen of my car in another city telling me I shouldn't park outside her house ( a huge wide road with vast empty parking spaces on both sides). The person I was visiting contacted the police - and to all our amazement they turned up and told the women off, explained the law to her, and warned her I could press charges for vandalising my property. The irony............she didn't even have a car, but wanted the 'space' saving for her very able bodied son who was due home in 4 hours!

TheSnorkMaidenReturns · 23/02/2017 19:19

I live in a terrace where there are more residents' cars than actual space. The only people who get worked up about parking are the baby boomer down-sizers, who are used to drives and garages.

It's perfectly easy to live without parking outside your house. It's nice when you get the spot but you can live without it.

Mind you, about 90% of my street, including me, do get their groceries delivered!

OrangePeels · 23/02/2017 19:19

I actually think you are being pedantic. Couldn't you have just said you couldn't park outside your house so parked there and if he wanted to
Move your car just chuck him your keys?

Yes he doesn't have the right. No one has the right. You didn't want to
Move yourself so compromise and give him your keys and let him park yours outside your house and his outside his? He wasn't being nasty ffs.

DoJo · 23/02/2017 19:31
OrangePeels · 23/02/2017 19:33

So maybe I am in a minority but I grew up on a street where all the parking was public. Many times my parents couldn't park outside their own house. The street was 2/3 houses so plenty of space to park. When I got my own car I parked outside a neighbors house and the bitch put a note on my windscreen threatening me and she parked an inch from my bumper. She had another car do the same to me. No one had a right to the public road. I got out of the space because I am a good driver. It took ages but I did it. Did I deserve it? No. If they had come round and asked me to move I would have. Or I would have said there could move my car themselves. I wasn't being nasty parking there. Communication is the key. There are bigger things in life.

WaitrosePigeon · 23/02/2017 19:37

If people are so hung up about parking outside their own house they need to buy a house with a private driveway

But some people can't afford to do that Confused

ElvishArchdruid · 23/02/2017 19:42

Calling Miss Jolly, your services are needed!

Did you at least say, '... and good day to you?' I'm disappointed if not. That is the standard parking wars reply!