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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to buy a house with terrible parking?

309 replies

Seaandsand83 · 13/01/2020 12:37

We currently live in a 2 bed terraced and have found a fantastic 4 bed semi with big beautiful rooms, well within our price range. We'd have enough money to build an extension on the back for a really spacious Kitchen diner. However, the parking situation is terrible. There is only parking on one side of the road and it is always full. There are a few spaces about a 1 or 2 min walk way, round the corner. I know that doesn't sound far but if I have done a food shop it would mean a few trips back and forth

We are in a position to put an offer on but AIBU to buy a house which is perfect for us but with such bad parking?

OP posts:
FlamingoAndJohn · 14/01/2020 13:15

Those who would never consider a house without dedicated parking - I presume you’re all rural and/or have no option but to drive to work/school. At least I hope so.

I hated not having parking in my last house.
Both of us walked to work and we only used the car occasionally. It still left me so stressed that I wouldn’t ever consider a house without parking.

AnnPerkins · 14/01/2020 13:17

It’s not just the general convenience of having your car nearby. Not far in the future more people will own electric cars and their first priority is going to be how they can charge it at home. That’s another challenge you’ll be up against if you want to sell in 5-10 years time.

TheHumansAreDefinitelyDead · 14/01/2020 13:20

Those who would never consider a house without dedicated parking - I presume you’re all rural and/or have no option but to drive to work/school. At least I hope so.

Why? Are you the eco police?

Fwiw yes, not everyone lives in a city Confused hth

Feelingpoorlysick · 14/01/2020 13:25

Is there any possibility of adding a driveway?

Sounds very similar to our situation,after 3 years we're just used to it now. Doesn't really bother us having to park round the corner.

This isn't our forever home though and we would like to buy somewhere with a driveway in the future.

user1493494961 · 14/01/2020 13:35

I would buy it, sometimes compromises have to be made when buying property.

Incrediblehulky · 14/01/2020 13:53

I can see how you are struggling with this one but I'm afraid I'd say really don't do it! It's so easy to think you'll get used to problems parking when the house ticks all other boxes but the reality of it will prob end up being very annoying. I've lived in my current house for 12 years now and the parking is horrendous. I knew that when we moved but thought I'd get used to it and it wouldn't be so bad but I was so wrong! It's a problem anytime a tradesperson needs to come to the house or anything needs to be delivered, it's a massive problem for guests and visitors, even something like taking the cats to the vets becomes so much more of an issue because of where the car is and the fact I probably won't be able to park on getting home. Parents of my children's friends have problems dropping their children off or picking them up. My parents dread coming over to visit because there are no spaces! So it really becomes very annoying! We can't afford to move but definitely would otherwise and I'd never move anywhere with such issues again. We are a Victorian terrace with resident only bays but they are always full. Really good luck with deciding!

CurbsideProphet · 14/01/2020 14:01

@minipie we have 3 buses a day through the village and are 6 miles to a train station. We would only count ourselves as living semi rurally. It's very normal to be reliant on a car Confused

longestlurkerever · 14/01/2020 14:10

But the point is you can be reliant on a car and still park it one minute away and it's still more convenient than public transport because it's there when you want it - and being dependent on public transport, when it works well, is not the massive stress and hardship being painted here, even with a longer than one minute walk in poor weather. It's one thing saying you need a car, it's a wholly different thing to say it has to be right outside your door at all times.

LolaSmiles · 14/01/2020 14:10

Those who would never consider a house without dedicated parking - I presume you’re all rural and/or have no option but to drive to work/school. At least I hope so.
Or we want to be able to store our car on our own property when it's not in use, have lower insurance premiums for it being on a drive rather than the road, have the convenience of not having to battle for parking spaces every time we go out, being able to unload children and heavy goods close to the house, finding it much easier for guests staying and deliveries.

Having a drive was also really useful when we needed a skip for renovations too. Without the drive (our parking space) we would have needed a permit from the council to have it in the street.

KellyHall · 14/01/2020 14:11

It's not worth it!

Look at all of the threads on here about parking - you'd slowly but surely lose your mind.

longestlurkerever · 14/01/2020 14:12

I really can't envisage needing to buy a pernit on the once in a blue moon you need to hire a skip being a major factor in choosing where to live. I'm not denying those are advantages, just trying to quantify how much you'd actually pay for them if it came down to it.

okiedokieme · 14/01/2020 14:12

Personally a no, I need 3 spaces minimum and a double garage as well ... my extensive requirements will make house shopping interesting!

Boredbumhead · 14/01/2020 14:20

I lived in a desirable place with no parking.
Lowlights in 1 year included:
3 notes on my car with several degrees of aggression and nastiness including calling me selfish, asking me to move my car from faux residential parking (the cone brigade).
Several parking tickets for parking in shitty places because I had no other choice - you have to leave your car somewhere!
Having to pay for parking so I could go home to my own home.
Jumping up at 7 am to quickly move my car off a double yellow.
Feeling to ill with flu to move my car and getting a ticket.
Circling the neighborhood in the rain with screaming, tired kids and then dragging them 1/3 mile back which they refused to walk.

Unless it is the Ritz, I wouldn't bother!

WriteronaMission · 14/01/2020 14:23

Those who would never consider a house without dedicated parking - I presume you’re all rural and/or have no option but to drive to work/school. At least I hope so.

FWIW, I'm not in the UK butninna country with terrible public transport and medical appointments that take me to another town. If I need to get there, the car is necessary until public transport is made a priority. However, I work at home and have the grocery store across the road from me, making things a lot easier on a daily basis. I still wouldn't have a place without some sort of parking, even if it's the paid private parking I currently have.

Herts6789 · 14/01/2020 14:28

Is there enough space in front of the house to convert to a parking space and drop the curb?

minipie · 14/01/2020 14:49

Ha, lots of responses to my (admittedly a bit goady) post.

Quite a few misunderstandings though. I wasn’t saying why do you need a car or why do you need parking of some kind. I was saying why do you need dedicated parking ie right outside your house, rather than having to find a space somewhere nearby. I can only see that being a “need” if you have a daily car commute to work or school or medical needs.

Sure, dedicated parking is always going to be a nice to have, but not so much that it outweighs everything else surely? OP has said this house has a lovely view, within budget and is a good size, shops nearby etc.

longestlurkerever · 14/01/2020 14:50

Far too invested in this thread but it seems to me there's a difference between no guaranteed parking right outside your house but pretty much guaranteed parking around the corner, which imo would be fine, and areas where you have to circulate for ages and leave your car abandoned on a traffic island or similar, which would be v annoying, i agree, though i have lived on a street a bit like this (albeit pre kids) and didn't spend all day stressing about it, or not going out, like some posters.

safariboot · 14/01/2020 14:52

I live in a place with no off-street parking in our house, some houses do have it. There's a decent stretch of "extra" spaces further down the road where there's no houses, and there's always spaces in the next road over. I've had no notes. One obnoxious complaint and one reasonable request to not park somewhere. Unlike a lot of people in the area I don't feel the need to park like a prick just to save myself a bit of extra walking, which is why I've not had any tickets.

Some areas are worse, so do your research. But for a rental or a cheaper purchase, no parking wouldn't be a dealbreaker for me. (For the kind of house OP is looking at it would - when you pay more for a house you expect more in all aspects IYSWIM.)

It has got worse over the last few years, precisely because of people getting driveways put in - on my street, every time someone does that, they effectively take away a parking space that anyone could use and replace it with a parking space that's reserved specially for them. But we're not at crisis point.

LolaSmiles · 14/01/2020 14:56

longestlurkerever
Obviously having a skip wasn't a major factor, but there are benefits to having off road parking.

What I didn't get was the "I hope those of you who wouldn't buy a house without parking are rural or have no option" side of things.

It's entirely normal to have a car and use it. It's also much easier to park and unload having off road parking. It's also good for having guests because they can also park on our drive.

Our street having off road parking means it's quiet and safe in roads, children can play out as well.

We didn't pay more for off road parking, but we did choose a different house because if you're living somewhere for the next 10 years it's a long time to deal with a daily inconvenience.

SisterAgatha · 14/01/2020 15:03

Yes when we moved in to our flat it was fine. And then everyone got 2 or three cars, two men with enormous van and one with a little tow truck. Eventually I was leaving the car in town and getting the bus back to my house and this is no lie. Otherwise I’d have no where to leave it overnight that wasn’t safe. If I didn’t have 3 small children to lug about back and forth, of course I wouldn’t give a crap. Oh I’ve left the dummy in the car, let me just nip out and get it. Puts on several layers. Umbrella. Boots. Walks for 15 minutes.

bellabelly · 14/01/2020 16:10

We lived in a gorgeous house with no parking. You could park on the road directly outside but only after 6pm (I usually got back from work earlier than this) and you had to move car before 8am.

To be honest, it didn't bother me much while we lived there (this was pre kids and I didn't have to struggle with buggies etc) but when we decided to move house, I couldn't believe how many people were put off by the lack of parking. Feedback was always the same, great house, great location but not putting an offer in because of no parking. I was relieved when we eventually sold.

If you think that this place might be your "forever" home, then go for it. If there's a chance you may need /want to move again, I wouldn't.

FlamingoAndJohn · 14/01/2020 17:31

I wasn’t saying why do you need a car or why do you need parking of some kind. I was saying why do you need dedicated parking ie right outside your house, rather than having to find a space somewhere nearby.

There is a huge difference between not being able to park right outside the door every time but being able to park in the street and having to drive around for ages trying to find somewhere you can park.

MrsBadcrumble123 · 14/01/2020 17:31

I wouldn’t buy unless you can put a drive in - it will otherwise be the Bain of your and any future visitors lives!

Vivianebrookskoviak · 14/01/2020 17:37

Unless you can have a drive put in I'd say no way.
Been there, done that.
Having to park streets away if you can't get a space and/or worrying when you come back where you'll park will get annoying very quickly.
If it's at a really good price that's probably the reason why.

maureen17 · 14/01/2020 17:48

you need a house with parking ...otherwise you wouldn't be asking this question.