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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:
GabsAlot · 26/05/2021 11:06

i feel your pain-i bought my house before i couold drive or i never would have bought it without parking space

my neighbours who are nice have 3 cars and i assume couldnt aford anything else

sallyisstarstruck · 26/05/2021 11:06

Parking is limited in my street on a 1980's estate. We all have a garage (in a block) so each house has one guaranteed space, but only myself and one neighbour actually park in them. The rest is all on street but there's only space for 15 vehicles maximum, if everyone parks sensibly. One neighbour, in a rented house if that makes a difference, had 5 vehicles at one point despite only having 2 adults in the house. They had a motorhome, 4x4, suv, estate car and a works van. And they use their garage for storage rather than parking. Thankfully they've got rid of some so now down to just 3. We're moving soon and top of our list is off street parking for 2 cars. I will not be looking at houses that don't have it no matter if they're perfect is every other way.

CheneHetre · 26/05/2021 11:07

I lived in a cul de sac with only one parking space on the road, due to the curved layout.

The house next to this space has a double garage that’s set back so the couple who live there can easily fit their 2 cars on their drive, and even 2 more cars behind theirs, if they had say visitors. They insist on using the only on-street space, and if they move one of their cars from that space immediately park the other one on it. This couple are retired, and barely use their cars anyway so I think their one pleasure in life is stopping others parking outside their house!

It also means if anyone is getting deliveries, then the delivery van has to stop in the road and temporarily block other peoples’ drives, rather than park safely.

Scottishskifun · 26/05/2021 11:11

Parking is extremely limited where I live it's a very idilic old town of a harbour. There is 2 driveways out of a hundred houses.

But as much as parking is a pain in the bum I wouldn't change it. I have fab sea views and a lovely old fishermans cottage.

Everyone is in the same boat and understands so we all are a bit more patient with cars in the middle of the road unloading things!

misspattylacosta · 26/05/2021 11:11

We could probably just about manage with just 1 car.

We have 3 🤷. I am sure we'll have more when my kids start driving!

TheGoogleMum · 26/05/2021 11:11

Yanbu. My neighbours have 1 drive space and 3 vehicles (1 is a van 2 are large cars). So 2 take up half the narrow road and it can be hard to pass. Really annoying. I dont think it makes sense to buy a house without sufficient parking either (affordability isn't likely to be why as they've paid for a new build when they could have gone for a cheaper house with more drive space surely?).
Why such big cars? We live in the city and they don't have kids to ferry around. They're also inconsiderate in other ways

littlepattilou · 26/05/2021 11:12

@minipie

I know people who’ve got a second car simply because their kids’ Saturday am activities clash. There are so many activities within walking distance here, you’d think they’d choose one of those rather than buy a second car which gets used once a week for a child’s activity. Ridiculous

Agree.

I know right. Some families actually don't NEED any more than one car. They are just too entitled and precious to get public transport, or to walk. I know quite a few stay-at-home yummy mummies who have kids at a school within 15 minutes walk.

However, they just HAVE to have a car of their own, so they can get to their coffee meetings, and shopping trips, and gym sessions with their yummy-mummy-pals. And like HELL will they be getting the bus! Shock

Not ONE single family in the area I lived (when I was at school in the 1970s and early 1980s,) had more than one car. Not one.. In fact, some families didn't have a car at all!

And all the kids walked to school, whether their family had a car or not!

Problem is, as I said, people have become far too 'entitled.'

In 30+ years together, me and DH have never had more than one car between us. Never. Even with having a DD (who has grown up and has left home now,) we managed with one car. I know, shocking right?!!! Wink

littlepattilou · 26/05/2021 11:13

@PaperbackRider

It hasn't occurred to you that the cars may have been acquired after the house?

Do you have comprehension problems? Confused

The thread is clearly about people buying a property with no driveway when they already have 3 vehicles! Read the OP!

littlepattilou · 26/05/2021 11:14

@PaperbackRider

Some people will say 'some can't afford a house with a driveway!' So then buy in a cheaper area/buy a cheaper house with a driveway!

No, YOU move somewhere else if you aren't happy. If they are fine with their cars on the road, why should they move to get a driveway so you aren't bothered by their cars?

Oh I am happy ta. I have my 4 car drive and double garage. (Even though we only have one car!) And I live on a fairly wide and spacious road in a rural village. So I personally have no issues. Sorry to disappoint you!

I just feel sorry for people affected by inconsiderate individuals who park their car(s) on the road when they have a driveway, and think people are a bit obtuse if they buy a house with no driveway when they have 3 or 4 cars.

Cheers anyway. Smile

CovidCorvid · 26/05/2021 11:14

@DelBocaVista

Some people will say 'some can't afford a house with a driveway!' So then buy in a cheaper area/buy a cheaper house with a driveway!

But some people would choose location over parking ..... surely that's not difficult to understand?

A friend of ours is always trying to convince us to move as according to him we could afford a huge house with a driveway elsewhere. But I don't want to live elsewhere. I love the village I live in and to stay here we had to compromise on something.

Yep. That's why it's called Location Location Location not Parking Parking Parking!
CounsellorTroi · 26/05/2021 11:16

Where a relative lives is the trendy part of town, big old Victorian terraces some 3 storey. But no off-road parking, and when cars are parked both sides of the street (always) there’s room for two cars to pass. I wouldn’t live there.

CovidCorvid · 26/05/2021 11:16

If people are parked legally on the public highway I don't see why other people are affected or why the car owner is being inconsiderate.

Unless the person "affected" is a pearl clutching NIMBY who can't stand seeing a car parked on the road outside their house.

dottiedaisee · 26/05/2021 11:18

We are a five car family so when everyone is at home...very rarely now ,I insist that the children park their cars at the bottom of our road ...it’s not a parking issue there and keeps our neighbours happy.

minipie · 26/05/2021 11:18

If people are parked legally on the public highway I don't see why other people are affected or why the car owner is being inconsiderate.

Can you honestly not see that a household with three cars parked on street is taking up three parking spaces, meaning other people living there may struggle to park near their house?

Cadburyflakeicecream · 26/05/2021 11:19

I had to get a car when my then husband and I divorced as we couldn’t share a car being as how we were split up.

My kids need separate cars because they work miles apart and need to get to and from work.

DelBocaVista · 26/05/2021 11:20

Yep. That's why it's called Location Location Location not Parking Parking Parking!

Exactly!!

Ginuwine · 26/05/2021 11:22

@minipie

If people are parked legally on the public highway I don't see why other people are affected or why the car owner is being inconsiderate.

Can you honestly not see that a household with three cars parked on street is taking up three parking spaces, meaning other people living there may struggle to park near their house?

@minipie

I wholeheartedly agree with you but how do you get that person with three or more cars to care

British society is never good with "free" and "unallocated". If everyone did what is fair, and used one space each, then fine. But people don't do that.

A lot of people act according to THEIR needs. And if that person has three cars, they won't change their lifestyle choice unless incentivised or forced to change

Which is why CPZs with very costly second or third parking permits per house is the only solution to getting people's behaviour to change. If it's first come first served, then the person with the most cars who can occupy the most spaces always wins.

Cadburyflakeicecream · 26/05/2021 11:22

My kids park in the car park when they’re here although sometimes (eg with shopping or DIY goods) that isn’t possible.

The car park is too small for the number of cars in the estate (two roads really) and there’s nowhere to put in a bigger car park.

I don’t know what we will do when it’s all electric cars.

RickiTarr · 26/05/2021 11:23

@Frazzled2207

I struggle to understand why any family would need three cars tbh. We do fine with just one. There is a house nearby with three range rovers. Who on Earth needs three range rovers. Tbf they are all in the drive. I get why it’s annoying but not enough british houses have drives. I used to live on a terraced street where parking was a nightmare. The houses were a similar width to the lengths of the cars. So the families with two cars (there weren’t many) struggled and tended to piss off everyone else.
How old are your children?

So far two of mine have passed their tests. One has moved away for postgrad and hasn’t bought a car. One is living at home and is planning to buy a car soon, which will give her access to a better range of work opportunities. I will contribute to the car, as I did to to the MSc. Twenty somethings who are living at home are more likely to have a car than those living independently. It’s their slice of adulthood.

If they were both still at home, they might easily both have cars. I rely on mine. So that’s three, potentially. If STBXH were still here it would be four. Luckily we have a garage and a drive, but not parking for 3 or 4 cars.

minipie · 26/05/2021 11:23

Which is why CPZs with very costly second or third parking permits per house is the only solution to getting people's behaviour to change.

Agree - I believe our area does this, as well as more expensive permits for larger cars.

Cadburyflakeicecream · 26/05/2021 11:23

Each of us has one car. As a household I suppose it’s two when dd is home.

But as a person I have one car.

OldTurtleNewShell · 26/05/2021 11:24

When I moved into my current place, I chose it because it was close to the train station and I didn't have a car.
In the end, the only job I was able to get locally required driving out into the countryside so I got a car and park on the street.
I can't afford to buy a place with parking, although I would love it!
It's all about affordability. I'm sure most people would prefer to park on their own driveway if they could afford one rather than constantly battle everyone else for the few spots on the road.

Ginuwine · 26/05/2021 11:25

@misspattylacosta

We could probably just about manage with just 1 car.

We have 3 🤷. I am sure we'll have more when my kids start driving!

You can have as many as you want , the law doesn't limit number of cars owned per household!

Do you park them all on a driveway or allocated bays though?

Cadburyflakeicecream · 26/05/2021 11:25

My car is small, as is DDs but when the work is getting done on the house DS has to go get stuff in his car sometimes as it doesn’t fit in mine or dds and the cost of delivery here (coz we are rural) is prohibitively expensive. It’s heaps cheaper to get DS to go and pick up whatever wood etc is needed in his car and trailer.

IgglePiggleHater · 26/05/2021 11:26

Like @Cadburyflakeicecream, I dread what is going to happen when cars go electric. It needs to be made illegal to leave charging cables lying across the pavement. There are a few where we live and children often trip up on them and face-plant on the pavement. They're a hazard.