AIBU to say sorry but it’s not my problem? (parking thread)

[MotherOfDragons90]

Here is an utterly terrible diagram of the parking situation outside my house.

Basically, we are a long row of terraces coming out straight into a main road and thus we all have garages on a block round the side. There isnt really any parking for us apart from the garage and the space in front (which is obviously ours in the deeds).

Our garage is the blue one. The houses start where the yellow scribble and Red Garage neighbor lives next to his garage, us next to him, and white garage neighbor next to us (there are more houses but their garage blocks are elsewhere).

So as you can see there is a shared driveway entrance that leads up to our three garages and parking spots. It is fairly tight especially for us in the middle, but you can fit 3 cars on.

The issue is that the house to the right is like a bungalow/cottage type thing, bigger, with its own drive and parking spot. However weirdly their front door is round the side, so it opens up onto our shared drive way. They’ve put a picket fence (the brown L shape) around their front door presumably to stop White Garage neighbor from parking right outside their front door. But this makes it quite difficult for WGN to park his car well because he obviously has to manoeuvre around this and then tuck himself in IYSWIM.

He does it if I’m already on our middle drive with my car but if I’m not, he parks really far over on to our drive so I can’t park without encroaching a similar amount onto RGNs drive. And he has a big van so he gets annoyed!

I’ve asked them to move their car a few times now and they always do but then park the same way a few days later, and when I go round they always cite how difficult it is for them to park because of Bungalow neighbors fence.

I get that, but it isn’t really my problem! They own the house so surely they should have thought about that when they bought it, no?

But I’m at a loss of what to do next. Any tips on how to approach this without a mass neighbourly falling out please?

Does the shared drive have anything to do with picket fence neighbour. If not surely they don’t have the right to put the fence there.

Unless bungalow owner owns the shared driveway they need to take the picket fence down. Problem solved!

Does bungalow neighbour own the bit of land where he has installed the fence , if not just remove it or ask them to remove it . If they do own it I don’t see what you can do except carry on as you are asking people to shift over a bit .

I’ve asked them, and apparently they do own that tiny little patch as it is the only way to get out of their house and onto their drive.

It seems very weird but there you go

Unless bungalow person owns the land the picket fence is on, he will have to get rid of it. You can't just stick a fence up on land you don't own because you don't want someone parking near your house. White garage neighbour needs to address it rather than parking too far over your bit.

Unless it’s bungalow’s land they need to take the fence down or indeed white garage can take it down if it’s on his/your land. They knew where the door was when they bought the bungalow!

I wouldn't just take their word for it. My MIL had an issue with a field she owned: there was a little sticky-out bit that had been fenced off by the neighbouring landowner: neighbour said yes, she owned it - but she didn't. I would want proof, as it seems ridiculous to allow that bit in front of the garage and space to be built on.

Worth white garage checking that with the land registery.

Would it help if you three painted lines so white garage can more easily judge when he’s too far over?

I mean once white garage has accidentally clipped that fence a few times I’ll fall down I would have thought

I would look at the deeds. It seems odd they own that area. They may have a right of way but that doesn’t mean they can put up fences.

Another thing - even if the do own it, surely they would need permission to put it up? We were interested in buying a house recently, and wanted to put up iron gates - on our land - at the front. We wouldn't have been allowed, for various reasons. It's like when people want to build extensions: you may own the land, but that doesn't mean you can do what you want with it.

Is it in the deeds that you can park in front of the garages...

Have you been to the council and looked it up on their plans? Don’t take bungalow neighbours word for it..

They may have a right of way but that doesn’t mean they can put up fences.

That's what I would think. We have a right of way through our neighbour's property, as it's the only access from out garden, but it certainly doesn't mean we could put a fence up in their garden. I second looking up deeds / land registery. (Although I think WGN should rightly be the person dealing with this, but if he can't be arsed...)

As above. You can get copy of deeds and info on land even if you don't own it here..
www.gov.uk/get-information-about-property-and-land/copies-of-deeds
They may be being economical with the truth and this will prove if they do own it and if not the fence must be removed

Paint white lines & always ask them to move. They will have to figure out another solution if they don't like you always knocking on their door.

How does he get his ban into space without bashing yours, when yours is already parked in your space?

Bungalow owner is a CF. I'd bet my last pound that they don't own the land and the fence shouldn't be there.

If bungalow owners do own it then its highly likely that wgn has right of access over it so that they are wrong in putting up the fence. still that should be between wgn and the bungalow.

Yes I wouldn't just take the bungalow owner's word for it.

Where I live there are all sort of rules about where you can park and covenants about the type of vehicles that must not be parked here but an awful lot people just completely ignore it.

People often make up their own rules.

I wouldn't get involved with the fence - not your problem as you say. I would insist that they don't park across your drive. Then allow them to sort out the fence issue amongst themselves. By entering into discussions about the fence you're sort of buying into the idea that it's your responsibility when it isn't.

I agree that Bungalow might only have right of way over that area rather than owning it.

Yep, tell them they need to sort out the fence issue with the neighbour and stop causing a problem for you.

“They said”

I’d check it myself right of way does not mean they own the land.

That picket fence would be coming down

Thanks everyone. I’ve just gone back through all the paperwork from when we bought the house and I can see that that little sliver is outside the boundaries of the shared driveway so it must belong to Bungalow neighbors.

How would I find out if they are allowed to put a fence up though?

I like the idea of painting lines though!

Line painting.