AIBU or is my neighbour?

[StrayDoll]

I live on a new build estate where the houses back onto a shared car park. Each house either has a garage and a designated parking space or 2 designated spaces with no garage. I have a garage and one space.

The car park also has a visitor space. In the last few months I've been using this visitor space whenever it's free as my partner has moved in with me and now uses my space (his vehicle is too big to fit in the visitor car port). If the visitor space is being used I use one of my neighbours spare spaces they don't use. This was suggested by them and I'm very grateful however I don't want to take liberties so use the visitor space as much as possible.

There are 8 other houses that share this car park and no one is bothered about me using this space apart from one neighbour. We have had issues in the past which means he is being petty and regularly takes the visitor space if it's free. He has 2 cars, one in the garage and one he keeps on his space. He doesn't need the visitors but does it to wind me up.

As an example I went out earlier for an hour and he jumped straight into the space. When I then went out again he had moved back to his space and luckily I got it back but it made me laugh how petty he was to take it.

AIBU to take it when 7 other households are not bothered and only one is?

At the end of the day OP, it doesn't matter what anyone else does or doesn't do. What matters is you do what you're supposed to do. If other people take spaces as theirs, then they are the ones who will have to deal with the consequences and complaints.
I completely agree that a motorbike parked in the garden will spoil the vibe, no way would I have one in mine, so you know what we did? We didnt get a motorbike.

I wonder if whilst you were out, your 'petty' neighbour was expecting a visitor. So he parked in the visitor space, to ensure his visitor could park on his drive. He obviously can't count on the visitor space being available, because you occupy it most of the time?

@StrayDoll

nancy - that's what I think too. I have no issue with people who are visitors using the space of course. My issue is with my neighbour taking it purely to cause me a problem. If he had a visitor it would be different.

I think if you stop using the visitor space for a couple of weeks then he will stop parking there.

YABVU not to have adequate provision for your needs and by near constantly inconveniencing your neighbours/their visitors.

Your neighbour is being petty but I suspect he is trying to make a point.

Why not rent storage for the bike, or store it at a family members house? Bikes are not that big, our neighbour parks his on the back lane and it doesn't cause any issues at all. Yes your neighbour is being petty, but he's doing so because you are being unreasonable. It's 50/50 here. The bike is your problem.

Many households have to do the parking shuffle when someone has to go out, íts just a part of having more than one vehicle.

OP if your boyfriend had any respect for you he would not have caused this problem. He should park his van on the road, as it is very unsightly for other neighbours to have to look at it. It may even be a breach of a covenant in the lease to have a van in the car park.
He should move his motor bike from your garage. Tough if you think that would cause a bad vibe in the garden but you can't have everything.
Of course the glaringly obvious thing would be to get rid of the selfish boyfriend and then you would have two spaces for your one car.

Either rent the neighbour's space from them, or your DP finds somewhere else off-site to park his bike or van. I can't believe you even had to ask if you were being U about this.

Yabu. It's a visitors space, you are not a visitor.

I'd be 'hoping' for causing an 'accident' to happen to all 4 of your tyres you cheeky bastard.
How dare you!

YABU and are also hilariously entitled. It's like you're joking, but you're being serious. 😂😂😂

YABU - its a vistor's space for visitors - not people who live there.

YABU
Your neighbour is only parking in the visitor space so that you find another solution. You cannot take the visitor space for someone there every day. Park further away.

Also, are you sure there isn't a covenant about work vans? I thought most of those types of communal car parks didn't allow any work vans at all. Maybe he should just park his van on the road. Problem solved.

You have a garage and a space. Your partner uses your space, you use your..... garage. The visitor space is for visitors. It is a visitors space. OP are you OK? Why have you turned a simple thing into a thing. Your the issue not your neighbour you sound crazy. Your neighbours the only one who doesn't feel like he has to put up with your entitledness and neither should he.

This is hilarious. Must be a reverse. Another neighbour using the visitor space is totally unreasonable, but it’s ok if you use it because your boyfriend has a car and a motorbike

Is your bfs van a smaller transit type van or a larger Luton size van. You say it's too big go in your garage so it must fill your drive. As pps have said there is usually a covenant on new builds that works vans aren't permitted to be parked on drives etc. Also even if it doesn't block anyone's view according to you, it still is annoying to look out your window and see the solid side of a large van. Even a 4x4 is preferable at least you can see through the windows.

This would piss me off - you are taking up three spaces for two people YABU

He’s got just as much right to park there as you have! You don’t have an automatic right over the visitors space because you don’t want your boyfriends motorbike parked in your garden - the estate you live in isn’t arranged around your preferences!! And just because everyone says they’re fine with it, doesn’t mean that that is definitely the case.

I think your best options would be for your BF to hire a storage space for his bike (a lockup or something), and then you can utilise your garage and parking space, or offer your neighbour a monthly fee for use of their parking space, so you don’t feel guilty about using it.

At what number of neighbours does it take for you to believe that their opinion matters? 2 to 6? 3 to 4? and so on. You just don't like that they are not letting you have your way. I suspect the neighbour feels very disrespected. I know that I stopped visiting a friend as we would drive a very long distance to find that a neighbour had parked in the visitor spot. It is disrespectful.
If one person says no, they say no. You all have 2 spaces. You really don't know what the neighbours are saying behind your back. I have neighbours that have 5 cars. They never park in their own drive and clog the streets.

Sorry it’s you. It’s a space for visitors. Not you to use on a regular basis. Either make a permanent arrangement with a neighbour or find somewhere else to park your car.

Sounds like your neighbour is sick of it and making a point. If he has 2 vehicles and a visitor where are his visitors supposed to park if you’re always using it? Maybe the other neighbours don’t care because they have a spare spot?

Agree with the majority - you're not a visitor - stop using the visitor space!

sorry but even with each attempt to provide reasoning, explain. You are still being unreasonable. Even if the neighbour is being petty. Just park on the road or find another solution that doesn’t involve taking the piss. Just because only one neighbour has openly said they’re annoyed. It’s the principle. It’s not your space.

Sorry, but YABU. Your partner needs to recognise that the visitor space is for visitors, not for residents who have three vehicles. As the person bringing two vehicles to the house, he needs to remove one of them, by street-parking his car or getting rid of one vehicle. Or you can pay your nice neighbour for regular use of one of their spaces.

Don't assume no one else cares just because they aren't being confrontational about it. Your other five neighbours may well be fuming at your rudeness and silently cheering your mean neighbour on.

How do you know the other neighbours don’t have an issue with it? They might say the don’t to keep the peace - maybe this neighbour just has the balls to piss you off like you’re pissing him off. You say you don’t want to park on the road, but if you’re in a visitors spot then the visitors will have to, you want 3 spaces, you don’t want the motorbike in the garden so you can use the garage because it “kills your vibe”. Sounds a whole lot like me, me, me and I think you’re being unreasonable.

I'm going to go against the grain here and agree with you OP as clearly the neighbour is just doing the same thing as you! They could park on their drive and are instead using the visitors space, whereas you can't use your own space, the rest of the neighbours don't mind, so why shouldn't you use it, if it's ok for him to do so?! I'd have to say something to him, for doing the same thing as you