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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To investigate my neighbours or should I keep out of it?

43 replies

Carscarseverywhere · 05/03/2017 10:44

We live in a "quiet" cul de sac, that should have ample parking for visitors and residents as there are driveways, garages and visitor spaces.

Most of these visitor spaces are taken up by one specific neighbour. On top of this, they park several cars along the end of the cul de sac and directly outside our house. They've occasionally blocked us in and as soon as a space on the road becomes free they move their cars off the drive to take the space before anyone else does.

I can count 11 cars on the road belonging to this neighbour. We see new ones appear every week! They seem to sell and buy cars all the time and I'm starting to wonder if he's running a business from home.

We have our own driveway so parking is rarely an issue for us, it's just blimming annoying! Do I just leave them to it? Is there anything we can do? We get on ok with them despite this so am loathe to cause any arguments.

OP posts:
2cats2many · 05/03/2017 12:16

Call your local trading standards team at the council. People are always getting done for this where I live.

MongerTruffle · 05/03/2017 12:16

You can report it to pretty much everyone!

Council - not paying business rates
HMRC - not declaring income
Trading Standards - trying to get out of protections which you need to offer as a dealer (by posing as a private seller)
DVLA - not registering cars properly
DVSA - not MOTing the cars properly

etc

Sunnyshores · 05/03/2017 12:19

Thank you for your diagram OP Im inclined to read the thread now!

Original poster
Carscarseverywhere · 05/03/2017 12:20

Aw ontherise, gutted! That means they have 12 cars on the road at the moment though!

herschell there are 5-6 adults living there at the moment.

Apparently where cars 2, 3 and 4 are parked should just be a turning point so no one should park there, but if these neighbours don't then other people on the street do instead! Free spaces are like gold dust to everyone so I get the feeling that we're not the only ones annoyed by this.

We've spoken to the council before but this was when there were 6-7 cars, not 11-12, so maybe we'll try again.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

OP posts:
RachelRagged · 05/03/2017 12:37

You aren't in Lincolnshire are you OP ?

Sounds much like my arsehole ex and his shinanigans . In his case its old Rovers.

ADishBestEatenCold · 05/03/2017 12:41

They park in front of your car? Meaning your DH has to move his car, every time you want to come off your drive?

That bit would annoy me, and if that is the case (and you wanted to annoy back) your DH could park where he is on your drive, you could park where your neighbour has parked car 4, and you could leave the rest of your drive clear (for bins and things Smile).

Joey7t8 · 05/03/2017 12:44

If he's selling the cars then you should have no problems finding the cars on the popular selling sites, like auto trader or eBay motors. For example: if one of the cars is a silver VW Golf TDI, put in a search on Autotrader for such a vehicle within 10 miles of your postcode. When you see that there's one for sale 0.1 miles from your house (what a coincidence!), you have some proof, and can then look into the legalities helpfully described above, as well as covenants on the use of the property as a business premises.

nicp123 · 05/03/2017 12:59

I had similar problems with one of my neighbours whom even had the gut to paint the slogan 'PRIVATE' on the road outside their house & surrounded a large area with orange cones every day after their cars were driven away!
I informed the Local Council by phone & was told I wasn't the first person to complain that day (some people complained in writing and some over the phone).
Within 6 hours of our complains, we saw a police car arriving at the house in question asking for the 'graffiti' to be removed.
Within 3 minutes a van from our Local Council also arrived asking them to remove the cones and pay for the removal of graffiti.
After arguing with the police they refused to pay for the removal of graffiti saying it will be removed by themselves.
They actually scribbled and smudged over the graffiti with black paint after the police left but the ground looks very scruffy now. However, ever since only two of their family cars are parked in front of their house.
You should inform your Local Council (email?) but you will need some photos as proof with your complain. Good luck!

Original poster
Carscarseverywhere · 05/03/2017 13:10

adish - we actually do that quite a lot! If car 4 moves then DH tends to park there and we then have space on our drive for visitors. I can wiggle out between DHs car and car 4 (getting quite skilled at that!) so they don't block me in completely.

I've found 2 so far on autotrader. One had pictures taken outside their house and interestingly the other had pictures taken in a public place nearby rather than also outside the house where it is now. Wonder if that was done on purpose?

OP posts:
AwaywiththePixies27 · 05/03/2017 13:35

They park in front of your car? Meaning your DH has to move his car, every time you want to come off your drive?

Ours are even more brazen than this.
Me & NDN one side dong have drives. Both spaces outside currently occupied by their vans. I've just watched his wife park her car across other NDNs drive and complain about there being no room. Confused

One had pictures taken outside their house and interestingly the other had pictures taken in a public place nearby rather than also outside the house where it is now. Wonder if that was done on purpose?

More than likely. So they can say it isn't 'for sale' at their home address. Would highways be someone worth contacting? I've no idea as i dont drive. Must be worth a shot though that along with trading standards and everything else you can think of.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 05/03/2017 13:37

*dont not dong. Sorry. Blush

LakieLady · 05/03/2017 13:38

I feel guilty we have 3 vehicles and 2 drivers (ones a work vehicle)

We've got 7 vehicles between 2 of us Blush but 4 of them are motorbikes and all but one fit in the garage or on the drive.

I still feel slightly embarrassed about it though.

womanwithoutasong · 05/03/2017 13:48

Oh god, my ex used to do this. He'd put them in my name though to avoid any comeback. I was young and naive.

InformalRoman · 05/03/2017 14:14

I've found 2 so far on autotrader.

If he is buying expressly to sell on then he is classed as trading, even if t is only 1 or 2 vehicles per year. I'm sure the VAT man will be interested too ...

TheSnorkMaidenReturns · 05/03/2017 14:29

2 so far?
You've got enough to go on according to that legal extract above. Report all of it to all the authorities.

Mermaidinthesea · 05/03/2017 14:35

Definitely speak to the council. One of our neighbours decided to run a garage from a terraced house with a one car driveway and cars all over the place.
i didn't report him but lots of other neighbours did as what he was doing was highly dangerous and needed special premises with various safety certificates. You don't mess about with petrol tanks in a terraced home.
People in private houses have to have a business licence to sell cars from home and I'm betting they don't have one.
I'd report them as they are a bloody nuisance.

bionicant · 05/03/2017 14:39

this is an interesting thread, we have similar here except the bloke lives around the corner in another road but leaves the cars for sale outside our houses. Parking is a premium here so it is ultra annoying!

PossumInAPearTree · 05/03/2017 15:05

Yes, my report remained anonymous.

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