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AIBU?

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Original poster

Parking thread with diagram

118 replies

RubyReigns · 10/08/2021 17:18

Bit of background. New build houses. We moved in about 6 weeks after the neighbours. Our house is has driveway parking for 2 cars, theirs only has one space. We only have one car and only use the extra space for visitors.
We get on ok with the neighbours, not overly friendly but say hi, take in each other’s parcels etc if needed.
When we first moved in their visitors would block our drive whether we were on it or not. DH is very calm and amenable and he didn’t mind knocking on their door daily to ask to be let out. Meanwhile I decided we could get round this by parking sticking out on to the pavement for a few days to stop them fitting over our drive iyswim? DH agreed to do this to appease me haha.
This seemed to work and they stopped parking over the drive even when we went back to parking on it normally.
For the last week they’ve been parking over our empty drive space as in the diagram. It means when we have visitors they have to park elsewhere (no parking spaces anywhere near by apart from driveways or blocking your own cars in). If our visitor parks over our other driveway space it blocks the junction for anyone coming on to or out of the street.
How can I sort this without speaking to them directly? There’s quite a few of them there at all times and they are quite loud so I don’t want to approach this on my own and DH doesn’t think they’re being unreasonable.
I think they should be blocking in their own car with their own visitors because that’s just the done thing isn’t it?
Am I being unreasonable? Do I just need to calm down and be more DH?

Parking thread with diagram
OP posts:
TwoLeftElbows · 10/08/2021 22:05

I just wanted to say excellent diagram. Both clear and artistic.

HippeePrincess · 10/08/2021 22:09

I would (and have) just park in front of their drive and block them in or out. They’ll soon get the message.

Butterflymosaic · 10/08/2021 22:16

@Yesitsbess

Oh, and hire a Ford Ranger and park it over their drive for 3 days.
Grin
Yesitsbess · 10/08/2021 22:26

@Butterflymosaic I miss that thread(s)

WallaceinAnderland · 10/08/2021 22:27

YANBU OP but this is going nowhere without your DH getting on board.
The choices as I see them:

  1. knock on their door everytime and ask them to move
  2. get your visitors to park over neighbours drive
  3. get your dh to park on the side nearest neighbours (but looks like he's not up for those sort of shenanigans) c) best of all, get your dh to park where visitor parks (see above)
Brusselsprouts21 · 10/08/2021 22:54

I am with your DH in which this wouldn't really bother me. When you are due visitors then just knock on their door and let them know or park on the right side of your drive. The only thing i don't get is why their visitors aren't parking and blocking the drive of the house they are visiting.

Original poster
RubyReigns · 10/08/2021 22:59

@Brusselsprouts21

I am with your DH in which this wouldn't really bother me. When you are due visitors then just knock on their door and let them know or park on the right side of your drive. The only thing i don't get is why their visitors aren't parking and blocking the drive of the house they are visiting.
That’s why it annoys me. Even if their drive is empty they still tend to park over ours. I honestly am one of life’s most unreasonable people but I’m starting to think I’m not over this.

Anyone want to loan me a Ford ranger?Grin

OP posts:
mommydragonn · 10/08/2021 23:02

As their visitor's car is not in front of their driveway, play dumb and call the council that someone has blocked your driveway. They will send a warden to issue a ticket. As far as I know, wardens usually check neighbors if they know who the vehicle belongs to. But I don't think all of them do. If they ask you why you didn't knock, just say that you would think their visitors would block their own driveway and you thought someone had abandoned a car.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 10/08/2021 23:17

I think they only park in front of your space because it's empty

People genuinely think that, if you aren't using your drive at the moment you arrive, it's fair game. Never mind if you're out and wanting to come back in or are expecting your own visitors. Nobody would decide to just use/block off your garden if they saw you weren't using it at that time, but for some reason, they consider drives fair game. Madness and extreme CFery.

When you are due visitors then just knock on their door and let them know or park on the right side of your drive.

You seriously think it's fair to own a facility but then have to (effectively) ask permission from somebody else who decided to deprive you of it, every time before you use it, and also have to give advance notice?

The whole point of having a drive (and paying extra to buy/rent the house with it and often a higher council tax band too) is that you and your visitors have guaranteed parking available at all times. If you don't have a private drive for your own household that's available to use 24/7, there's no actual point in having a drive in the first place. Would you want to have to notify your neighbours every time you wanted to get something from your shed, hang washing out, mow your lawn or whatever?

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 10/08/2021 23:18

*at the moment you arrive

at the moment THEY arrive

WeeM · 10/08/2021 23:19

Absolute CF! I cannot believe people think this is Ok. If moving the car doesn’t help you could have a visitor come round and sit with their hand on the horn until someone appears out to move it so they can get in space.

Blossomtoes · 10/08/2021 23:22

@WeeM

Absolute CF! I cannot believe people think this is Ok. If moving the car doesn’t help you could have a visitor come round and sit with their hand on the horn until someone appears out to move it so they can get in space.
It’s not about thinking it’s OK. It’s about not sweating the small stuff.
Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 10/08/2021 23:33

Honestly this would have me raging. I would be round there every single time. Infact, I would probably learn to drive just so everytime they parked there I could tell them to move because I need out.

NoNotYou · 10/08/2021 23:40

Just park across both spaces

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 10/08/2021 23:43

It’s not about thinking it’s OK. It’s about not sweating the small stuff.

Or alternatively, being a doormat and curtailing your own life and property use to suit somebody else's selfish desires.

Blossomtoes · 10/08/2021 23:53

I find the older I get, the more of a “doormat” I become. I’ll have Welcome stamped across my back soon. I just can’t be arsed with drama. Life’s too short.

trappistkepler · 10/08/2021 23:56

your husband is an absolute doormat. Fix that then your parking problem is solved.

StepawayfromtheBiscuittin · 11/08/2021 00:00

Ask the car from next door to move every single time. If it's the same person as before say you need to move again as you are parked across my driveway and I need out.
Go out for 10 mins. Bet they are back in your spot on your return. Ask them to move again. Repeat until message has been received.

lastcall · 11/08/2021 00:06

Parking on new build estates royally sucks ... ask me how I know.

that being said, it's irrelevant. They bought a house with insufficient parking for their cars; not your problem. Ask them to start blocking your drive. You bought a home with 2 parking spaces that should be available for your and your guests' use at all times. They should be parking elsewhere or blocking their own car in.

NoProblem123 · 11/08/2021 00:11

I can’t make head nor tail of the diagram without an angry stick figure if OP Sad

Frazzled2207 · 11/08/2021 00:15

I think your dh is massively unreasonable in his passiveness. Def start parking in the closet space and force them to let you out every time.

Frazzled2207 · 11/08/2021 00:16

@NoNotYou

Just park across both spaces
Ah yes at 90 degrees. Perfect.
Dasher789 · 11/08/2021 00:30

What the heck are the visitors thinking?!

Applesandpears23 · 11/08/2021 00:36

We have 2 spaces, the neighbours have 1. They moved in a long time after us. Right from the start they or their visitors would park in our 2nd space. Every time we would knock on their door and ask them to move it as we had visitors coming (even if we didn’t). We only had to do it 4-5 times and they stopped doing it.

Wheresmrpenguin · 11/08/2021 00:43

Wierd, You have the exact same set up as me (but the opposite way, even down to the grass patch in between, its spooky, are you my neighbour?) my neighbours visitor does the exact thing it drives me crazy. And theyre here daily too.
I was polite at first, but I've started kicking off without shame. Since I last shouted, my neighbours have been avoiding me but the visitor has started parking more towards my neighbours side for now.