Another parking one (again!)

[TwittleBee]

Just saw the other AIBU parking thread and it twigged me thinking about my parking situation I am in currently.

We rent a ground floor flat with a garage and allocated parking which is opposite our garage. Our neighbours also have a garage with allocated parking opposite their garage. There are 3 other spaces in the car parking port, without garages, for the 3 other flats. Visitor parking is on the street.

Our neighbourhood as been increasingly getting busier with car parking on the grassed areas on the streets and blind bends but now people seems to be parking in spaces that aren't theirs.

I have managed to explain to one guy about how he is parking in my space and he totally understood and apologised and he hasn't been parking there since.

But there is another person who parks in my spot. I left notes but they got ignored and a few times I have just blocked the car in (by parking in front of my garage) but I always leave early for work so I guess it never annoys them. I never seem to actually catch them parking or leaving so haven't managed to speak in person!

Shall I just keep blocking them in? I won't be needing my car all bank holiday weekend as going away so tempted to just leave it there blocking them in if they do park there (which they probably will). Or is that too mean?

Our neighbour has suggested I just get it taken away to a scrap yard (he has a mate that owns one) and another neighbour said I could just vandalise it as it is technically on my property. But these seem very wrong and a bit extreme?

Just bloody pisses me off as I have a baby so it isn't ideal getting back late with baby after work anyway let alone having parking issues too.

Any suggestions welcome

Well it’ll be a pain in the neck but I think blocking it off somehow with bollards or chains will be your only real solution. You’ve left notes so they obviously don’t give a shit, blocking in really may result in damage to your car.

Op from the other thread. People aren't saying that morally she shouldn't block them in just legally.

You were still very rude.hth.

I can't believe people lack the self awareness to think, oh here's someone's garage, I'm blocking them in, it's ok because I have a toddler in tow though so I'm exempt. To do it and not even leave a note is

I used to get people blocking me in daily and when you're constantly late for things it does make you irate.

Just to clarify they aren't blocking my garage, they are just parking in my space (which doesn't block the garage). I don't park in the garage my OH does.

Leave a note on the car tonight saying that you are going away for the bank holiday weekend and you will be leaving your car blocking them in. If they don't mind being blocked in then by all means they may continue to park in your space.

Thereisnoprivateparking in answer to your question - I would block somebody in if they were using a space I owned or rented. But I would not be rude to them when they knocked on the door. If they kept doing it, I would not hesitate to be rude.
What you did was really inconsiderate and it was very obvious you should not have done it, so maybe they were justified in being cross with you the first time too.

Just like the private parking companies do you can request keeper information from dvla. There's a form and a small fee, but then you can write (or get a solicitor to write) to the keeper cease and desist. I wonder if you could hold them liable for your costs? Probably not without suitable signage on the parking space. Something to explore though.

AnnieOH1 thank you that is an option certainly worth exploring!

I think my first option is I am going to set up camp by the back window (with my car parked not in the space) and lay in wait for the culprit to pull in

This happens regularly where I work, and we always block the cars, If it is private land(not up kept by the local council) then this is not illegal at all, as there should be a sign somewhere which says, "private parking..." giving your flat number/business name. Also where you will block them form your diagram you will not disturb anyone else so.

The easiest thing to do would be drop a note through all of the doors of the flats in the complex and give the details of the car and say that it is parked on your private space and you will have no choice but to block them in if they don't move.

Have you contacted your Landlord to tell them you can't use the space that you're renting with your property?

anxious2017 yeah I have and they haven't been any help, just said "oh really? we haven't had this issue before"

I have an allocated space with my flat. The bays aren’t marked but everyone sticks to there little area. I came home yesterday to a car I’d not seen before in my space. There was absolutely nowhere for me to park on the street which is unusual for our area. A neighbour told me where the car owner was so I knocked and politely asked for the car to be moved. The car owner was a visitor and although they moved the car straight away they were clearly pissed off at me for having the cheek to ask! I was very polite and smiled and said thank you. When we went to go out later they had left a flyer from local conservative counciler on our car with a note saying “vote for me I’ll protect your parking space”

A bit of me found it funny but also it was so petty and childish. At the end of the day I bought the space with my flat, I want to use it and couldn’t. Why should I drive round looking for a space when I own one right next to my flat? If it was a house no one would dream of parking on your driveway so what’s the difference with a parking space?

I’ve noticed other flats in our development have painted bays on the ground themselves with either private or the door number on the ground. I don’t really want to do that as I’ve only had the problem a couple times but more than anything I’m upset at the attitude of the car owner. If isn’t had done what she did I’d have apologised but she seemed to think somehow I’m unreasonable!