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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Why buy a house with no parking if you have 3 cars

365 replies

Wineisrequired · 26/05/2021 07:11

So parking where I live is awful. Made worse by people buying houses with no driveways or parking. So you now have extra cars and vans being parked on the side road. If you have that many vehicles why buy a house with no parking . Is it me and shall I just shut up. I know it’s not a given right to park near your house but parking miles away because new people moving in have lots of cars parked really grates on my nerves. Anyway rant over 🤣

OP posts:
skodadoda · 27/05/2021 18:42

@Sparklingbrook

No. We have 3 cars and would not buy a house with no parking. I want to be able to park when I get home, and also have somewhere for visitors to park. It could be the perfect house but having no parking would be a dealbreaker for me.
This was the case when we moved house.
Kotatsu · 27/05/2021 18:44

You don't really have a leg to stand on if you have a car and rent a place without a parking space too...

If I had a car, I always rented a place with a parking space. When we had 2 cars, me and next door had an un-written agreement that we'd both park a little over each of our drives so 2 cars could fit where normally only one would.

When I bought, I bought a place with a drive and next door parked their work van in front of my house sigh (on that, I blame the companies, they know that if they get their employees to take the van home they can save on parking spaces)... but at least no-one ever complained and just figured out how to get in and out of road/drive around the tight parking. Cones would have pushed me over the limit too)

caspersmagicaljourney · 27/05/2021 18:44

No off road parking would be a deal breaker for me.

Although, despite some of the comments on here, I'm mindful that in some parts of the country there is probably no choice.🤔

Ireolu · 27/05/2021 18:58

We have a neighbour and they have 4 cars and a drive but 3 -4 cars on the road most days. Not illegal as there are no restrictions but plenty annoying.

We have 2 cars. House didn't have a drive when we bought. Put in planning had drive done and kerb dropped soon after we moved in. No drive was a deal breaker for DH but no drive made the house more affordable and we have hopefully added value.

maddiemookins16mum · 27/05/2021 19:05

We’re looking at present. We will not even consider houses without parking for two cars. It’s proving very hard. In fact we’re popping out soon for a ‘drive by’ of a house we like which is advertised as off road parking for two cars to see how accurate it is (as we know the road and can’t see how it it can have 2 spaces).

maddiemookins16mum · 27/05/2021 19:07

@2Jays

Try my neighbour for size. He and his girlfriend moved here with 5 cars. He has one on his drive, one permanently parked on the street next to the drive, two large cars in the street and his girlfriend also parks her car there. We live in a seaside tourist area. Onstreet parking is limited and all other parking is limited to 2 hours. I asked him loads of times to be considerate but despite his promises to move them he still parks on the street. I wouldn't mind but they never use them. I, on the other hand have to get kids to school, do shopping etc. No we don't have a drive but it wasn't a bit issue until Mr 5 cars arrived. I just don't understand that level of selfishness.
We live opposite a Mr 5 Cars, he’s an arse.
JustABloodyMinute · 27/05/2021 19:13

@DdraigGoch exactly!

Tiffanny · 27/05/2021 19:46

Plenty of people in my road have multiple cars and we don't have driveways because it's all Victorian housing. I often park round the corner. It doesn't bother me that much any more

My neighbours have three cars. A car for her job, van for his job and another for the lodger who is a shift worker.

Some days it's tricky to park but we manage. It's not the end of the world

One day we may be able to afford a driveway it won't be top of the list of requirements

Tiffanny · 27/05/2021 19:50

@CoffeeCakey

I struggle to understand why any family would need three cars tbh. We do fine with just one.

Really? Well if both parents and the eldest could work and can't get a bus or walk then they need a car. Or one of them might need to do a crazy school run, they might have been unfortunate to have been allocated a school miles away from one of their other children and need to do two different school drop offs.

When I was in my late teens/early 20s and living with parents and sibling, we had 4 cars. Four working adults living together. It didn't last long and then we moved out.

A neighbour once collared me and shouted at me for 'all the parking' we did as a family.

Vivianebrookskoviak · 27/05/2021 20:26

Depends on the area. Having lived in a house with no parking after always having had a driveway and the hassle involved having no parking, it's not something we'd do again. Having to find somewhere to park coming home especially in the summer when the street parking was all taken up by people picnicking at the local beauty spot and having to walks three streets away at times, especially, although I do wonder how many people viewing houses get so wowed about a house that the fact that they have 3 cars and there's no driveway goes straight out of their heads. Hmm

Vivianebrookskoviak · 27/05/2021 20:32

We do have a neighbour who has a notice on her gate about nobody parking in front of her house and gets in arguments and leaves notes on the windscreens of people who park in front of her house. She doesn't want to lose her front garden for a dropped kerb and driveway for her car it seems.

BigDaddio · 27/05/2021 21:22

@IrishGirl2020

I live in London - terraced house. Very few houses on our road have off street parking and if they do it’s because they have replaced their front garden with a driveway and there’s usually only room for one car.

But it does sometimes annoy me how many houses have more than one car - living in London means we have amazing public transport so it’s hard to see why 2+ cars per family is necessary. The usual pattern is to have one big 4x4 and then a smaller runaround. Parking is usually a nightmare on our road as a result - not enough spaces for all the cars.

There are far too many cars on the roads in London as it is and I do wonder why people who want to drive everywhere buy a house on our road in the first place.

I used to live (with my parents) in North London- I had my car and my dad had his own, no off street parking. But this was in 2000 - it was relatively doable to find a space - occasionally had to park down the road. I used my car to commute to Kent and my Dad would drive very seldom to visit family/go shopping. When they bought the house in the late 70s they didn't have a car and used public transport. There weren't many other car owners around then either !
DdraigGoch · 27/05/2021 21:38

In my village parking is particularly poor on Friday and Saturday nights (when the second home owners are about). I'd return from a late shift and have to park down at the bottom of the hill.

I bought a bicycle. Never had trouble parking again.

GemCheshire · 27/05/2021 22:31

I have to agree with other comments which point at you may well also be part of the parking problem.
In the case of new homes though, the planners need a good slap. The should allow for visitor parking, ensure the roads are wider and make homes which do have garages and drives big enough to fit a standard car size. Also, people should stop buying these ridiculous 4x4 size cars unless they go off road, tow or similar.

Sweetslumber · 28/05/2021 05:07

Fast forward to 2030 when the government says all cars will be plug in.
Yes, that will be fun.

Sweetslumber · 28/05/2021 05:07

all new cars

nannykatherine · 28/05/2021 07:07

90 per cent of Londoners don’t have driveways
Chelsea fulham Kensington
Balham
To me a few areas
You need to be super rich to get off road parking
It’s normal to have to park streets away

Macncheeseballs · 28/05/2021 07:12

Sweetslumber- or indeed no car at all, not everyone wants/needs a car, electric or not

Macncheeseballs · 28/05/2021 07:13

Nannykatherine - I would also say 90% of londoners don't need a car

phoenixrosehere · 28/05/2021 07:50

In the case of new homes though, the planners need a good slap. The should allow for visitor parking, ensure the roads are wider and make homes which do have garages and drives big enough to fit a standard car size.

Depends on the planners, saying that though even if they did all that there would still be issues because too many don’t care. Our estate has plenty of parking, has garages, visitor parking and other places to park and people still choose to park wherever they feel and even on double yellow. It does annoy us when people park in front of our house despite there being much better places to park because we’re directly on a bus route that opens onto a main road and have to watch the bus driver navigate a turn which would be easy if cars didn’t park there or at least park on the side of our house where there is space. The bus stop is quite visible so no idea why people think that’s a smart idea. If the bus scratches or dings their car that’s on them and not better when they park on the pavement since It means having to navigate around to get inside our home with a pram.

Superchav · 28/05/2021 08:22

You think you have problems. I cannot afford a car so rely on a horse and hansom cab and getting the grazing in SW1 is a bloody nightmare ( actually it's a stallion not a mare but same thing)

Macncheeseballs · 28/05/2021 08:27

Superchav, a bike is even cheaper

JFD0201 · 28/05/2021 09:41

You judge others but you don't have a drive yourself. What if the Council came along and put double yellows all down your street? what if they started charging you for parking? You have absolutely no right whatever to park outside your house as ITS NOT YOUR LAND

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 28/05/2021 10:35

The long-term plans for electric cars are being designed hand-in-hand with the plans for driverless cars. The eventual idea is that nobody will own a vehicle or need to store one on their property.

They'll all be stored in big compounds in each neighbourhood - charging wirelessly - and you'll 'order' and pay for one via an app, possibly having to give reasons to explain/justify what kind of vehicle you need (e.g. you can't have a Land Rover if you're staying within the city/town, can't request a big comfy saloon for just one or two people), or even to justify why your journey is necessary at all and can't otherwise be done on foot/bike/public transport.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/05/2021 10:49

@Sweetslumber

Fast forward to 2030 when the government says all cars will be plug in. Yes, that will be fun.
I plan to buy one last petrol car just before 2030 and keep it as long as possible. Closer to the time I'll be keeping an eye on the manufacturers and if whatever I fancy is going electric before that I'll buy sooner.