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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Really shaken up. Did I do anything wrong here?

1000 replies

seventymodules · 10/05/2021 10:24

For past two years I have done the school run, I park on a street near the school. There is a detached house with a driveway and a patch of grass next to the driveway. I park in front of the patch of grass, not blocking the driveway whatsoever.

Once I drop my child at school I get collected by my workmate (we are cleaners so have company car) and then work till 3 until I have to return for school run and car.

This morning as I was getting out of the car the lady in the house came charging out, she said 'can you stop parking your car in front of my house?' I said 'it's a public road' and she said 'you park out here 5 days a week, if you refuse to move it I should make you aware that I will be cutting my grass today and any damage to your car is not my responsibility' said with a sarcastic smile on her face, she then walked back into the house shaking her head.

I've left the car but worried now she is going to damage it.

Am I being unreasonable parking it there? It's a public road and not on her property at all.

OP posts:
Thiscantreallybehappening · 10/05/2021 16:12

@Sidesaladofchips

Yes YABU, presumably you knew that your lawn meets the road when you moved into your house. You can't therefore begrudge people from parking on a public road. What difference does it make if it's the same car everyday. So suck it up.

Charming!!! To be fair the woman probably didn't think it would be Mon - Fri, 9 am - 3 pm for years. I think it is fair to assume that. Yes, cars would be there around school times and maybe at some other times but not that regularly.

Noodella18 · 10/05/2021 16:14

You're not being unreasonable, because you're right that it's a public road. Having said that, I totally get where the owner of the house is coming from - it is SOOOOOO annoying not be be able to park anywhere near your own house, particularly when it's somebody dropping their car to go to work. The fact that it's unreasonable to be annoyed about it doesn't mean it's not annoying as hell! Somebody once parked outside my house and left their car there for 2 months. It drove me mad with rage, when really the person was totally justified in doing it. I'd love to have a driveway and avoid lugging shopping and toddler from several streets away.

eatsleepread · 10/05/2021 16:15

YABVU to park all day on a street you don't even live in.

pizzaobsessed · 10/05/2021 16:16

@Rillington

Legally you haven't done anything wrong. However you are taking the piss not varying where you park. That's really cheeky just to abandon your car there every day.
This
Thiscantreallybehappening · 10/05/2021 16:16

@MiddleParking

I’d say yes, you just have to accept it, and by the way you’re embarrassing yourself with the ‘keyworker’ chat, that was 14 months ago.

No, I'm not embarrassing myself I was just putting a scenario forward, that was all.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 10/05/2021 16:16

@Noodella18

You're not being unreasonable, because you're right that it's a public road. Having said that, I totally get where the owner of the house is coming from - it is SOOOOOO annoying not be be able to park anywhere near your own house, particularly when it's somebody dropping their car to go to work. The fact that it's unreasonable to be annoyed about it doesn't mean it's not annoying as hell! Somebody once parked outside my house and left their car there for 2 months. It drove me mad with rage, when really the person was totally justified in doing it. I'd love to have a driveway and avoid lugging shopping and toddler from several streets away.
The woman in question has a four car drive...
mermaidsariel · 10/05/2021 16:17

If it’s annoying her why not park somewhere else? Be considerate.

SunflowersAndLavender · 10/05/2021 16:19

What if she has visitors, deliveries, work being done on her house. Where are they to park.

Well that's their problem to solve, not the home owner's. Welcome to the world of terraced housing with no off-street parking. Annoying as fuck, but can you do, apart from move?

People really need to get their heads around the fact that if that space doesn't belong to you in law then you don't get to decide who can and cannot park on it.

MrsMcTats · 10/05/2021 16:20

The scenario is irrelevant really, the fact is every single day you are pissing off another person. You can argue whether she has the right to be pissed off or not, but the fact remains that she is. There is no way I would feel comfortable knowing I was upsetting someone everyday, even if my actions were legal. I would simply move the car. Choose another house or different street. You've parked there for 2 years, move on.

bitheby · 10/05/2021 16:21

This just happened to me: got off a train with three bags on my shoulders and the heavens opened. I ducked into a covered alley to a pub garden and two people - presumably customers but possibly staff - yelled at me that it wasn't a shelter.

I turned around to ask what harm I was doing and they said it was for customers only and it was a fire exit. I said if there's a fire, I'll move. After a minute or two the shower passed and I moved on.

It made me think of you.

Evolutionarily, we are a territorial species so I'm sure these attitudes are deep rooted and primordial and won't be easily shifted.

KitKat1985 · 10/05/2021 16:21

Technically you've done nothing wrong and have parked perfectly legally. But yes if I was the home owner I'd probably also get a bit irrationally fed up with you parking there from 9am-3pm for two years, and have to look at your car all the time I look out my window.

IntermittentParps · 10/05/2021 16:23

Your the sort of annoying person who parks outside my house all the time.
We live on a street that is residents only parking
Then she isn't the sort of annoying person who parks outside your house all the time, is she? It's not residents only.

NutNutmum · 10/05/2021 16:24

[quote crazymicrowave123]@NutNutmum what if she has a dash cam? She would have all the evidence she needs.[/quote]
If she has a dash cam and if she has it set to motion detection in parking mode, G-Force detection with a pre-record set. She may just be able to record the home owner walking towards the vehicle in front of her house or away. The only evidence this produces is that at some point the owner of the house walked past the ca\r car in front of their house and is not proof of any thing, even if the car is later have been found to be keyed or scratched.

To be able to prove any damage with a dash cam it will have to be recording 360 degrees around the vehicle and catch the home owner actually commuting a crime. Just proving the home owner walked past the car at some point in the day, is insufficient evidence.

sunglassesonthetable · 10/05/2021 16:25

Yes, I'd move the car on to somewhere else ( if it was available) to stop winding this pissy woman up but once I'd been given the veiled lawn mower threats I'd probably feel pretty annoyed in return. And maybe I wouldn't be bullied away.

Lessthanaballpark · 10/05/2021 16:26

I would say she's being unreasonable but it would piss me off if someone parked in front of my house everyday

MiddleParking · 10/05/2021 16:26

[quote Thiscantreallybehappening]**@MiddleParking

I’d say yes, you just have to accept it, and by the way you’re embarrassing yourself with the ‘keyworker’ chat, that was 14 months ago.

No, I'm not embarrassing myself I was just putting a scenario forward, that was all.[/quote]
I didn’t say you were. I said that would be my response to the hypothetical post you dreamed up.

Crocidura · 10/05/2021 16:28

Not much help if there are 4 cars on it.

I think it's ok for the OP to put her desire to park her one car perfectly legally ahead of the house owner's need to have five spaces available at all times.

iminthegarden · 10/05/2021 16:28

You're not doing anything wrong but it would also piss me off if I lived there

Firkinhavinalaugh · 10/05/2021 16:29

Are you parked on the verge or have on the verge op?

bitheby · 10/05/2021 16:29

Key workers are key workers all year round, pandemic or no pandemic Confused

Doris86 · 10/05/2021 16:30

I’d be buying a road legal old banger, and leaving it parked there for months.

Thiscantreallybehappening · 10/05/2021 16:30

@MiddleParking

Apologies, I got the wrong end of the stick there. However, I do feel that would be a rude response to the scenario. The woman could well have work commitments and why shouldn't she cut her lawn when she wants to.

Oilpyii · 10/05/2021 16:31

Anyone who has a problem with you legally parking near their house is batshit crazy.
The problem is though a lot of people out there are batshit crazy.

TheWatersofMarch · 10/05/2021 16:31

I park on a public road outside my house when I can. I have no drive. Anyone is entitled to park on they road whenever they like. It irks me when someone else parks there for days on end but it is not my space or my road and I accept this. I hate entitled people with drives who think they also control the public road. She has threatened to damage your car. If you have a choice is would be neighbourly to go elsewhere but if you don't then you have every right to park there day in, day out.

UmteenthUser · 10/05/2021 16:33

@bitheby

Key workers are key workers all year round, pandemic or no pandemic Confused
And obviously from the post above think they are superior.
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