Bloody neighbours

[figelnarage]

I just need to vent really.

My neighbours moved in around a year ago and had some renovations to do and a small extension so it has been bang bang, drilling since then (semi-detached). Fair enough, the guy did come round and introduce himself and let us know. Sometimes the banging would be at 10pm at night and early on a Sunday morning. Although this was annoying it didn't wake my, now, 2 year old so I said nothing.

At one point we were woken in the middle of the night by a guy in a mask testing for CO as their alarm had gone off. Again, not their fault. It was the wife who had called them as the husband was away and he came round a few days later to apologise. I assured him no need, better to be safe than sorry.

The road we live on is very narrow and it's extremely difficult to get off the drive if someone is parked at the bottom. Someone kept dumping a white car at the bottom of my drive. I had no idea who this was as it didn't seem to be any of my neighbours.

One morning as the car was being left there I went out and asked the person if he could please not park right at the bottom of my drive as it was making it difficult for me to get out. It was a polite request to move just a few feet. He moved his car much further down the street. I then noticed him getting into wife from next door's car. So essentially he was leaving his car there all day and getting a lift from her.

Because the husband had always been really polite I decided to go and speak to him that evening. I asked politely if his visitors could park outside his house rather than at the bottom of my drive as it made it difficult to get out. I was polite, I realise they are doing nothing illegal just inconsiderate (didn't say that to him).

He was a bit standoffish saying if there was nowhere else on the street to park they would park there. I explained that there were never any other cars on the street outside their house, only this white car outside mine at the bottom of the drive. Thought all was okay.

This was a few months ago. Now they ALL park at the bottom of my drive when they are visiting. Even if there is nobody parked outside their house. And if I ever tend to be outside or in a room that faces the road when they do they glare in.

Last night the black car visitor which tends to park at the bottom of my drive in the evenings after the white car has left and all weekend was parked outside their house. Late last night they moved the car to the bottom of my drive where it is still sitting now. There is nothing parked outside their house.

Why are they doing this? AIBU to be wound up by this? WWYD?

Sorry for massive post but didn't want to drip feed.

I’d park at the bottom of THEIR drive!

Someone parked in front of my drive once when I had to go work... I got them towed. Can't remember how but the police recommended it

Can you extend your drop down kerb? Park outside their drive? Knock and ask them to move each and every time?

Although I think it’s better to go round for another chat. Explain you know they have every right to park there BUT it is making things difficult for you. Take round a peace offering if you have to! Sometimes you have to play nice with neighbours, even when they’re arseholes!

Do you know anybody with a motorhome? Ask them if you can borrow it for a few weeks and park it in front of your neighbour's house.

Make sure your neighbours know you've put it there. They'll hate it! As they clearly hate people parking in front of their own house ... and motorhomes are big!

I'd nip this in the bud now. Just go round there and say looks it's quite clear you're doing this on purpose can we have an adult conversation about this and resolve it? We all need to live together and I don't want a petty issue to ruin things. They'll be caught off guard by your bluntness and probably say oh yes ok fair enough. Be direct OP.

Without a diagram I’m not sure if it’s an option but what about getting a white H line painted across the dropped curb of your drive. As wide as permitted. Then nobody could park on that.

“Hi. Look I wanted to chat to you about the parking. I conpletely understand you have the right to park there. I just wanted to ask you to consider parking elsewhere when available, as it really does make it hard for me to get off my drive. I cant force you to, but in the interests of neighbourly relations I wanted to ask if you would show me this kindness.”

And then accept whatever they say.

If they don’t, they are bastards.

Sign their address up for junk mail? Ooo phone the CO2 people and say you can hear their alarm going off through the wall again?!

Why are you perplexed? They are trying to annoy you and they are clearly succeeding. Some people are just like that. The worst thing you can do is show them that you care about what they are doing. If you don't appear to care they will eventually lose interest, as long as it isn't beneficial in some way for them to park there.

Either put up with the inconvenience or park there yourself to thwart them. Do one or the other consistently, don't mix and match. I suggest the former because you can't be sure you will always be able to park there (at the bottom of your drive) yourself.

Thank you for all your replies. Especially the revenge ones as they are making me laugh at least.
I'm not going to speak to them again, I tried the friendly civilized route and it got me nowhere.
They are doing nothing illegal as they are parking across the road from my dropped kerb. It's just that the road is narrow so it makes it very awkward for me to get off the drive. If they parked just 2 feet along I wouldn't have this problem. But they plonk their car right there, which ironically takes up space that two cars would use if it was a busy road and we didn't have drives.
They have now started parking one of their cars outside their house on the road, probably because I parked my car on the road.
This is all just so ridiculous. If I was reading this I'd probably tell the OP to get a life! It's just so horrible to know that people go out of their way to make things difficult for others.

Short term, park your own car there.

Long term, look into extending your dropped kerb so that people can't carry on blocking your driveway.

If i’ve understood correctly, it’s opposite the end if your drive on the other side of the (narrow) road that they are parking. Is it an option to call council/highways and see about getting a parking restriction there? Eg double yellows?