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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To have complained to neighbour about blocking my drive?

39 replies

anxiouswaiting · 13/08/2018 10:34

We moved house 3 weeks ago, have met lovely neighbours but not the ones directly to my right yet. For context I am 33 weeks pregnant and particularly irritable, but I still think I wasn't being unreasonable.

7.30am I hear lots of noise outside, look out bedroom window and see loads of rubble being dumped outside my driveway. DH goes out and asks what is going on - our driveway was blocked and would not have been able to get my car out.

Told they didn't think it would be an issue as only be there a day or 2, DH asked they why they have blocked our drive and not their own, they say they need access and it also might block the neighbour to their right. DH told them it can;t stay like that as we need to get our car out at 8am. Builder gets grumpy but says fine I will push it up nearer the shrubs and then says oh there is a skip coming soon as well, I have a permit so I can put it there.

When I left what is usually an easy maneuver turned into about an 8 point turn to back my car out.

Got home and could not get in my drive front way like I usually do and had to reverse in with a lot of difficulty.

Then I hear the skip turn up and they put it next to the rubble. I'd have been able to drive my car out but I wouldn't have got back in again front ways or reversing.

Neighbour knocks on the door and says that will be ok won't it. I say no and explain the trouble I already had parking, so builder comes over and tells me I have loads of space and it is fine. I tell him no I don;t have loads of space and I now don;t have access to my drive he has to move it again. He got really shirty and rolled his eyes at me, telling me it is fine and then walks off saying well where am I supposed to put it then.

Diagram attached is how they wanted to leave it. This is my first diagram attempt so not perfect, but honestly the turn in to my drive way made impossibly tight.

What annoys me most is that they have their own driveway and right now the builders van is parked in it. Surely the right thing to do would be to put all their rubble and skip in their own drive and park the van somewhere else. Why is it ok to block my access without any warning and then try and make me feel I am being difficult for saying it is not ok.

I feel sad because the other neighbours are so lovely and we have moved to a nice area where I hoped I would be able to make neighbour friends, but now I am pissed off and clearly so are they because they think I am unreasonable and being difficult and I think they are really inconsiderate. Fine it was the builder who was rude to me, but the neighbour employs them and should be telling them not to block other people in, she could also have had some consideration and spoken to us before hand.

To have complained to neighbour about blocking my drive?

OP posts:

ShatnersWig · 13/08/2018 10:38

Decent neighbour would have arranged with builder for skip to go on their drive, builder to leave his van on the road.

YANBU. Builder is an arsehole, neighbour at least thoughtless.

DingDongDenny · 13/08/2018 10:39

That is annoying. From your diagram it looks like they aren't blocking you by the obstructions being on your property - but on the road. Is that right? In which case are they causing a blockage that would affect emergency vehicles going down the street?

Seeline · 13/08/2018 10:45

Is the skip on the road? Is it a normal sized road? I would have thought you could still get in and out. People often park big vans etc opposite my drive.

But yes - very unreasonable of your NDN not to warn you about it. Can you park across the end of their drive or something rather than having to get into yours?

PETRONELLAS · 13/08/2018 10:48

Bizarre how neighbour could possibly think that’s okay.
But really I wanted to saw I’m in awe of your diagram

Original poster

anxiouswaiting · 13/08/2018 10:52

Sorry my diagram is a bit rubbish haha.

No these things aren't on the road, the green lines are hedges - we all have hedges outside our houses directly, then shared driveway that leads to our individual driveway with another row of hedges, behind that is pavement which is the black line and then there is the road - diagram fail I think.

If I park across their driveway I will then block in lovely neighbour 2 which wouldn't be fair to her as she is in and out a lot.

OP posts:

BuggerLumpsAnnoyed · 13/08/2018 10:52

Hmm I’m not sure. From your description it sounds like it was directly blocking your drive, but from the picture, if it is a normal sized road, then really I think ipthers not much you can do about it if they have a permit

Sunnymeg · 13/08/2018 10:55

Round our way, you have to have a permit from the council to have a skip in the road. I would check if that is the case where you live and if so ask to see it. Anyone decent would have made room for the skip on their own driveway, as has already been said or would have discussed the situation with you before the skip arrived.

ApolloandDaphne · 13/08/2018 10:57

I can see how the set up works. They shouldn't be blocking your access to your drive. You are correct that the skip and rubble should have been put on their drive. Not sure what you can do about it now though given that bit at the front is a shared drive and not your sole property.

Seeline · 13/08/2018 10:59

Following your update then you are definitely NBU!

Who owns the land it is on - surely they would need permission from the landowner?

CigarsofthePharoahs · 13/08/2018 11:00

It's not too easy to tell how restricted your access is from the diagram, it looks like you've still got room.
However, if that's not the case and they're blocking you, then YANBU. Not really sure what you can do though.
Really the neighbor should have put the skip and materials on their own drive. When my parents had some major building work, that's what they did. They had to park a bit of a distance from their house, but it was their building work so their inconvenience.

ReservoirDogs · 13/08/2018 11:01

The builder does not have a permit to block a shared driveway so he is flat out lying. The skip should be on their drive and the builder park elsewhere or park in front of their own house but moving it if neighbour 2 needs to get in/out without him making a fuss about it.

Was your house empty for a while before you moved in? I bet they thought they could get away with it and then you moved in. I am surprised they haven't come out with -"The old neighbour said it was ok".

Alternatively he should really apply for permit for it to go out on the actual road (but he won't want to do that because it costs him money).

CF builder and CF neighbour!

TSSDNCOP · 13/08/2018 11:02

They need a permit to have the skip on the road, so step 1 is ring the council.

Call the skip company and explain their slip is actually blocking your drive, and that you want it removed sharpish.

Your immediate neighbour is a CF and that won’t change. Assert yourself now or you’ll never have clear access to your property.

TeaStory · 13/08/2018 11:02

So they’ve dumped the stuff on a shared driveway? Presumably that is narrower than a road, so I can see why you’re having difficulty. They’re arseholes!

justilou1 · 13/08/2018 11:03

Builder and neighbour are arseholes and are VERY unreasonable CFs. You can probably report them to the council and even report them to the agent, police, etc.... claim they are intimidating you. The whole eye roll thing is belittling you and very sexist at the very minimum. Jerks.

imnotreally · 13/08/2018 11:06

According to recent posts if they're blocking you in then you can call 101 or 111 or whatever the number is as they aren't allowed to block people inside their houses. Especially as you are pregnant and may need to get to the hospital in an emergency. Also if I'm reading your diagram right how can emergency services get to the house in the corner?

Who owns the land that they've dumped it on OP?

Clutterbugsmum · 13/08/2018 11:07

Phone the council and speak to the planning department and explain that you neighbour is having work done but has put the rubbish and skip in front of your property and are blocking access to your property and you are 33 weeks pregnant and need to be able to have full access to your property in case of emergency.

Your neighbour should put the skip on their drive so they do not cause inconvenience to everyone else.

Original poster

anxiouswaiting · 13/08/2018 11:10

BuggerLumpsAnnoyed it isn't on the road, it is on a shared driveway which is about the width of a single lane on a normal road.

Sunnymeg Not sure who permits come from as our roads are unadopted at the moment, the roads are actually all being surfaced over the next couple of weeks and then the council will adopt them once they are finished as we are on a housing development area and the skip isn't actually on the road its on a shared access driveway.

Seeline No idea who owns the shared access area it as we are renting and I know some houses in our row are rented and others owned.

They've moved the skip now and gone and put it outside a house to the far left of me which is up for sale and I think unoccupied at the moment so all I have to do is negotiate the rubble now which is do-able but difficult. I think my diagram doesn't show just how tight it really is, especially because of the shrubs outside our houses (green lines), would be ok without them there, but I can't drive over those, they are about 2ft high.

The diagram is after we asked them to move the rubble as well, initially it left a gap of less than a meter in front of our drive.

OP posts:

asphodelus · 13/08/2018 11:12

Ring the council and it will be sorted

bluerunningshoes · 13/08/2018 11:12

so the builder is fly tipping...
call the council.
arses

Xenia · 13/08/2018 11:13

Is that a private road where the rubbish is or on the public road? If public they can't put rubbish on the road. They need to put it on their land and also only put a skip on the road with a permit (I think they have a permit for the skip element). It defintely looks like it would block you in as well

mumsastudent · 13/08/2018 11:15

if you have a shared driveway & own your own home I would be very surprised if your deeds don't say specifically that no parking is allowed on shared driveways -or blockage (all in negatives - hope that doesn't make comment unclear!) we have shared driveway & it categorically states that this is forbidden. full access is essentially for things like ambulances etc - either they get permission & park on road or in the neighbour concerned driveway

Original poster

anxiouswaiting · 13/08/2018 11:19

ReservoirDogs I did think that might be a lie but I don;t know much about permits. When he said he had one I got the impression it was for the road but then thought that was odd considering the roads are all being resurfaced over the next 2 weeks. I think our place was empty 2 weeks before we moved in. The neighbour claimed she hadn't spoken to us because she had no idea it was coming today until 10 minutes before it arrived

TeaStory Yes exactly, it is about the width of a single lane on a normal road.

justilou1 yes I felt like he was trying to make me feel stupid and it was just my parking skill that is the issue, but really it isn't.

imnotreally Emergency wouldn't be able to get to the end house, they would have to stop by mine and walk the rest of the way, no way there was enough room for an ambulance to get down there.

OP posts:

greendale17 · 13/08/2018 11:19

Round our way, you have to have a permit from the council to have a skip in the road.

^This is correct for every council. Report the skip ASAP to the council.

AornisHades · 13/08/2018 11:26

If it's a private shared driveway and the roads are unadopted then the council aren't going to help.
Unless they block you in I don't think there's much you can do. Shared driveways are a bit of a minefield.

BrokenWing · 13/08/2018 11:30

If its on the shared drive way so not on a busy road and you have time and space to manoeuvre past it and could manoeuvre past, although annoying I would have put up with it for a day or 2 to let my neighbour get their work done. I would have also have considered parking next door if necessary to help out. They have been a bit inconsiderate, but it could have been unintentional/mislead by their builder and not really worth kicking up a fuss for just a day or 2.

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