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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

A parking one! Genuine opinions please!

28 replies

bored1602 · 26/06/2017 18:50

AIBU to think that if you have a space available you use it rather than park in front of somebody else's house?

My house and neighbours' house both have two parking spaces (ours is one blocking the other in, theirs is side by side). Both houses have two cars. Am I being unreasonable to be getting frustrated that Ns park one car in front of my house? I'm happy to be told I am!

Bit of context - I just moved in and they've been there every day since I moved, meaning I haven't been able to get a nice picture of it. I know it's silly but it would be nice! They park there every day, and the car moves so it must just be a habit. It's not a dropped curb so I know they're allowed to park where they like, but it seems a little inconsiderate.

OP posts:

SerfTerf · 26/06/2017 18:50

Beautiful diagram!

SerfTerf · 26/06/2017 18:55

It would bug me a bit if I'm honest. Less so in a big city, more so in a quiet town.

What's parked on their drive? One car? Could it be that one of them is a really bad driver who needs a lot of space?

Has it moved at all since you moved in? Could it be waiting for a battery or similar?

If it's nothing like that, it's a territorial pissing

DailyMailReadersAreThick · 26/06/2017 18:58

If there aren't enough spaces on the road for residents then they are being unreasonable. Not okay to take away road-parking spaces with a dropped curve and then not use the drive.

But if it isn't stopping anyone else parking then YABU.

Original poster

bored1602 · 26/06/2017 18:59

@SerfTerf it moves every day, as does the other car. We're on the outskirts of a big city, I wouldn't say the suburbs but not so close so parking spaces aren't an issue.

I was v. close to just moving my own car there today while it was gone, but we've only been here three weeks and it seems early days for petty neighbour drama! It was never there when we've driven past it before (we passed on the way to the shops so once or twice a week!) - I'm wondering if they butted heads over it with the last owners and they're testing the boundaries)

OP posts:

Sedona123 · 26/06/2017 19:04

YANBU. If I were you I would just park where they are parking just to break their habit, or just ask them why they need to park outside your house when they have their own parking spaces?

If they then continue to park outside your house, park in front of theirs so they can see how annoying it is.

SerfTerf · 26/06/2017 19:05

It's not petty drama unless they catch you sprinting out there in pyjama bottoms, bra and curlers to grab the spot. It's just establishing a healthy precedent

MoodyOne · 26/06/2017 19:15

I may be wrong but if he parks I front of his house doesn't he block himself in?

lilydaisyrose · 26/06/2017 19:18

Is there the same space opposite neighbour's house you could park in?

I wonder if it's so they don't have to see their cars directly in front of their house when they look out of the window.

Funnyface1 · 26/06/2017 19:19

I would park there. It's not like they can say anything. Your response would be "you've got a problem with me parking outside my house?" I think the mistake people make is leaving things to see what happens. Dive straight in and get it sorted. The longer it goes on the harder it will be to change it.

Justmadeperfectflapjacks · 26/06/2017 19:22

Is it def the ndn and not their nanny?

youarenotkiddingme · 26/06/2017 19:25

Perk your car out there when they move. Keep doing it until parking on their own drive becomes a habit

Quartz2208 · 26/06/2017 19:27

But arguably it's the closest parking space to their house as parking in front of their parking would block their other car in? It's in that sense as much theirs as it is yours

StealthNinjaMum · 26/06/2017 19:29

I don't really see the problem. I didn't really understand the diagram (althoug it is beautiful) but I think you're saying that you both have two spaces and two cars but they park one of their cars legally in front of your house? You're not blocked in but just annoyed that they don't use their drive? Maybe they want space on the drive for visitors or getting a baby in / out of a car?

If it bothers you then park on the road in front of your house but it seems a bit petty. (Apologies if I've misunderstood.)

ScissorBow · 26/06/2017 19:31

I think the OP is expecting them to park both cars on their side by side drive (explained in OP) rather than only 1 on drive and 1 in front of neighbour's (OP's) house. Especially when neighbour (OP) has a tandem driveway which is an arse when moving cars around so would be easier to park one on the tandem and one in front of the house.

LiveLongAndProspero · 26/06/2017 19:31

It doesn't affect where you park at all though?

Donthate · 26/06/2017 19:34

You can't do anything about it, they can park where they like on the street. My ILs drive themselves mad if anyone parks outside their house so they leave their drive empty and park in front of their house (which is hidden by a large bush so they can't even see if anyone is parked there). Madness.
You can park your car there but you might find they move theirs the minute you go out. Is there anywhere else you can mark your car or can you extend your drive sideways if it bothers you?

Nearlyweddedwoman · 26/06/2017 19:38

This would annoy me and I think is against etiquette at the very least!

I may be influenced by the fact we have similar annoyance with our ndn at the moment! In our case we both have a drive and two cars each. We always park both up the drive, but they can't be arsed so instead park on the road, a car either side of and extremely close to either edge of our drive. It is infuriating!

ManyManyShoes · 26/06/2017 19:40

While legally they can do that but it would annoy me. Our neighbour did the same with their new car and I hate looking at their car everytime I open my front window. YANBU. And I'd park my car there to send a message if I were you.

OoohSmooch · 26/06/2017 19:43

If there is plenty of parking on the road then I think it's ok.

I have two parking spaces but one is hard to get into (angled strangely) and the other is a steep slope of which the wall next to it once hit my car (it was the walls fault 😂) so I park on the road outside my house. However parking is plentiful so i doubt I'm annoying any neighbours.

bridgetreilly · 26/06/2017 19:44

YABU. You both have off-street parking. The on-street parking is free for all. Park there when it's free, if you want, but the neighbour is also entitled to part there when it's free if they want.

rightwhine · 26/06/2017 19:46

Well it's a right pain for you to be swapping your cars around on your tandem drive so I don't think it's unreasonable of you to start parking outside your house because of this - rather than it looking like you are doing it because they park there so to speak. You could even park outside theirs if they are in front of yours and use that as a legitimate excuse.

SerfTerf · 26/06/2017 20:24

Etiquette @Nearlyweddedwoman, exactly!

StealthNinjaMum · 26/06/2017 21:17

I understand now, thanks scissorbow. I can see it's a bit annoying but if it's a pain to have to jiggle cars around in your drive just park on the road in front of another neighbours house. Given that parking isn't generally a problem it doesn't sound like you'll be too far from your house. Compared to recent parking threads your neighbour isn't really impacting on your life too much.

sodablackcurrant · 26/06/2017 21:24

This will not stop. They have territorial rights now!

It is not illegal unless there are double yellows.

But otherwise, it's either you park there or they do. The choice is simple.

bimbobaggins · 26/06/2017 21:25

This is what it's like in the majority of my street, every drive has space for at least 2 cars but 1 always on street because they can't be bothered switching cars

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