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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to report neighbour for running a business?

137 replies

bookstearocknroll · 09/11/2020 13:55

It's lockdown, everyone's having a hard time in one way or another and the last thing I want to do is add to anyone's struggles...but my neighbour is pissing me right off.

He's some kind of handyman/mechanic and for years, has had at least five cars parked along our street, often so close to my drive that it makes it almost impossible to get out.

For the past couple of weeks, the number of cars has gone up, he's out on his driveway working on them all through the day and it's fairly obvious he's running a business from home. Right now, there's a windscreen repair van literally parked right across my driveway with two men fixing a windscreen with the table set up at next to their van. I've asked them to move as my partner's due home any minute with a week's worth of shopping and the neighbour's cars are parked all along the road taking up the rest of the room and they say they'll be done in 20 minutes but have made no effort to move despite me saying they have to.

My partner asked the neighbour directly if he was running a business, told him that we didn't mind him messing on with cars a few days a week as a hobby but if it was going to be banging and drilling throughout the day every day as it has been, it's a business and it's not fair on us with regards to noise (we have babies and both work from home, so it's not like we can easily escape it). Neighbour said he wasn't running a business, his garage had closed and he was just finishing a few MOTs - he got pretty arsey about it.

This latest escalation has been going on for a few weeks - would you report it or cut him some slack given the lockdown situation?

To avoid drip feeds, he's got form for being a bit of a cheeky fucker in other respects too so I'm not convinced of his explanation.

OP posts:
ScienceSensibility · 09/11/2020 16:02

I think Trading Standards at your local authority would be a good start, OP.

This happened a few years ago on a road I used to live on, and the oil/petrol/chemicals run off was going into the domestic drainage system causing issues.
You’d think he would be a little more considerate and avoid pissing off his neighbours. I wouldn’t hesitate to report him, such a ‘business’ causing nuisance would definite affect trying to sell your house.
I would drive up for a viewing, see what was going on and drive off!

WhereYouLeftIt · 09/11/2020 16:02

YANBU. I'd report him.

MinnieMountain · 09/11/2020 16:04

If we want to get technical, running a garage is in one use class under planning law, a residential property is a different use class. You need planning permission to change between the two use classes. (Which has clearly not been applied for before anyone starts, because OP would have been notified).

reenon · 09/11/2020 16:06

Having installed and set up a MOT station at my work (car sales and mechanics) I can 100% confirm he will not be carrying out any MOTs from home. It just wouldn't pass

Crazzzycat · 09/11/2020 16:06

I’m starting to wonder if we live in the street! 🙈

I too have someone nearby, who quite clearly is running a car repair/ maintenance business from his garage. He’s even blocked off parking on the street for some of his customers 😒

I’ve been torn for years about whether to report him or not. My main concern is not so much about him making a bit of money from home, but what else he might be doing that is not above board. Clearly he won’t be paying taxes, but what exactly is he doing with any oil and other chemicals?

In my case, I’ve been wondering about it for almost a decade and have still not done anything about it. I guess I’m a bit of a chicken ☹️

justconcedealready · 09/11/2020 16:14

I'd report him. There are laws against it for a reason.

BeaMends · 09/11/2020 16:15

@Lovemusic33

Report to who? I don’t understand.

He’s fixing cars outside his house, pretty sure there is no law against it. Yes it’s a pain if he blocks your house but I’m sure you can come to some agreement. Maybe stop curtain twitching and find something else to worry yourself about?

Most people on my road run a business from home, yes there are extra vans/cars and sometimes some noise but that’s pretty normal?

Report to the council.

And yes, there are often local bye-laws that prohibit this sort of thing, especially if it is causing a public nuisance.

wheretonow123 · 09/11/2020 16:24

Can you buy some bollards for outside your house and put them there.

If he gets arsey tell him that you need the spaces kept for visitors. I know that strictly speaking it is public property but I am sure that he is fully aware that it is not available for parlking as part of a business - which is the case with him.

If he is ok to del with I would be also ok about it but, considering he has form, I would be reasserting myself a bit.

wildraisins · 09/11/2020 16:29

If he's not being considerate then just report him.

You have the upper hand/ power here as he is doing something he shouldn't really be doing. If he wants you on his side he should be open and considerate to your requests.

Definitely talk to him first (it sounds like you've tried) and give him warning that you will report if things don't change. That is only fair. If he still doesn't change, is rude or ignores your requests then just report him - you don't have to live with it.

Kazzyhoward · 09/11/2020 16:57

@wildraisins

If he's not being considerate then just report him.

You have the upper hand/ power here as he is doing something he shouldn't really be doing. If he wants you on his side he should be open and considerate to your requests.

Definitely talk to him first (it sounds like you've tried) and give him warning that you will report if things don't change. That is only fair. If he still doesn't change, is rude or ignores your requests then just report him - you don't have to live with it.

Fully agree. If he's being an arse about causing disruption/inconvenience, I'd have no hesitation in reporting his breach of planning regulations to the local council (change of use).

Where I used to live, the neighbour opposite did motor repairs from his home. We didn't report because it really didn't affect us at all. He was always very considerate, no loud working early mornings nor night, and he'd keep parking on the street to a minimum. He and his wife would often play dancing moves with the cars so that as many as possible were kept on his drive most of the time. After a few years, he'd built up his business enough to do it from a workshop on the local industrial estate, and never did anything from home after that.

Yohoheaveho · 09/11/2020 17:22

@BrumBoo

If you report him (not sure to who) and something comes of it, he'll know it was you. Is it worth any fall out that will come from that?
this^ (shoulda kept that powder dry)
Cornishclio · 09/11/2020 17:28

It is not normal to run a garage business from home so yes report him to the council. We had one up our road a few years back but the neighbour opposite reported him and he had to lease a lockup somewhere to work on his cars. It is annoying to have to put up with the noise in a residential street and I am betting his home insurance does not cover him for working on cars there.

WillSantaBeComingToTown · 09/11/2020 17:30

@Tiltheend

1. I thought garages were allowed to stay open during this lockdown
  1. Could this not count as working from home
No, you usually can't run a car repair business from a residential premises.
GabsAlot · 09/11/2020 17:36

i dont kn ow what he means b his garage is closed-theyre allowed to stay open

id definitely be phoning the council for advice

HumanFemale1 · 09/11/2020 17:41

Leave him alone, this might be the only way he can put food on the table. I'm so bloody sick of mumsnet stasis

Ferrari458 · 09/11/2020 17:47

Everyone fretting about him doing MOT's - it's quite common for mechanics to have an arrangement with a local garage to take customers cars there to get the MOT's done. The garage will charge them a bit less, they charge their customer the usual rate, and they then have the car in their hands to pick up any work needed.

LauraBassi · 09/11/2020 17:48

A neighbour in my grandmothers square did this. He used to have about four cars at one time. One time he had a jacked up so the front wheels were off the ground. A neighbour complained as it was clearly very dangerous, especially as there unsupervised for days. The council went round it it was stopped. Not sure if anything happened to him though.

I wonder if your neighbour has public liability insurance..

jessstan1 · 09/11/2020 17:59

@Bluntness100

I’d give him a pass during lock down, he’s told you that’s what’s causes it. And as the first poster said, he will know it’s you and that could cause a lot of long term aggro.
I go with that. However nobody should be parking over your driveway so please insist that stops.
Puzzledandpissedoff · 09/11/2020 18:14

I'm wondering if you live next to my cousin's son - he too tried to do this, surrounded by knuckle-dragging mates and bangers with roaring engines at all hours, and wouldn't listen to anyone who mentioned the council, taxes, permits, mortgage lender's rules, neighbours or anything else

He was forced to listen when someone reported it though, and now he can't do it any more

Spannwr1971 · 09/11/2020 18:17

Your not allowed to do anything on a vehicle on the public highway anymore. You can just about get away with changing the tyres. But environment agency would come down on him hard.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 09/11/2020 18:20

If we want to get technical, running a garage is in one use class under planning law, a residential property is a different use class. You need planning permission to change between the two use classes. (Which has clearly not been applied for before anyone starts, because OP would have been notified)

Exactly

LolaSmiles · 09/11/2020 18:23

Leave him alone, this might be the only way he can put food on the table. I'm so bloody sick of mumsnet stasis

How terrible expecting the normal law of the land to be followed.

I'm getting sick of people who seem to think since covid arrives even laws that have been in place for years are now somehow optional and expecting those laws to be followed is so unreasonable and stasi-like.

🙄

Shesellsseashellsontheseashore · 09/11/2020 18:23

He definitely won't be carrying out MOTs from his home. We have an MOT garage in the family. It requires a lot of equipment and computers etc. Equipment also needs checking and the MOT tester needs to be observed carrying out an MOT and passed before they can continue to do MOTs on people's cars.

Nanny0gg · 09/11/2020 18:24

@PenguinIce

Op, I have exactly the same problem although I don’t think I would call what my neighbour is doing a business. Not sure how spending approx 10 hours a week fixing cars (all that are worth £200 max each) can equate to a profitable business. Cars are parked all over the street and don’t move for months at a time. My car that was parked on my own drive was damaged as they were using a grinder on a car parked on their drive which is adjacent to mine. My drive is constantly blocked and even when it is not they park so close to the edge of my drive that it is still a nightmare to get out. Oh and to top it all off my house is now unsellable due to all the scrap cars parked everywhere so I am stuck living here. I don’t know what the solution is, but if you find one op please let me know.
Report to the council. For numerous reasons
Nanny0gg · 09/11/2020 18:28

@Spannwr1971

Your not allowed to do anything on a vehicle on the public highway anymore. You can just about get away with changing the tyres. But environment agency would come down on him hard.
Really? So the bloke up the road to me (who doesn't have a drive) shouldn't have replaced his engine??