Neighbour thread: parking on our drive…

[Livvielo]

For the past few weeks, our next door neighbour has been having work done in their garden. And they’ve taken to parking their work vans on our drive. We didn’t say anything at first, as the workmen were gone by the time we needed the drive ourselves. (We have parking outside our house as well, and we live in a small street with a dead end. We are the end house.) so it would be my car outside on my non work days, and my husbands car on our drive way from 5pm after work.
What has annoyed me, is that they haven’t asked. Today, I was having a visitor. Without using my driveway, the visitor would have to park a couple of streets away as the closest streets to us have limited parking and always seem full no matter the day! That’s ridiculous when we have a drive!! Knowing we had a visitor coming, my husband said we would need them to move the work van.
They said the vans had to park there as there was nowhere else, but the work should be finished in a couple of days.
Well, this made me snap. I went round and told them how rude they were to have even been using our drive without asking. I said ‘a decent person would at least ask to use it, and had you have asked, I would be ok with that providing we weren’t using it!’
He replied ‘if you were a decent person you would be ok with it!’ This ended up in an argument where I said they were entitled and selfish and they said I was ‘petty.’- all whilst they made no attempt to move the van.
(The work men watched silently)
So I did get petty and I reversed my car back and blocked the work van in- hours before my visitor was due to arrive.
Ended up with both the husband and wife on my doorstep telling me I was out of order….. I did move the car once the workmen came to ask me and they said they had been told by the neighbours that the drive was ok for them to use… I would say the neighbourly relationship is pretty much over now- it was only a ‘hello’ civil type relationship before to be fair…
But… what would you have done? Said from day one to move? Not resorted to being ‘petty’ and blocking the work van in? The issue for me was how rude I found the whole situation. I would never have just assumed it was ok if roles were reversed!!
Pic included….

I think you reacted like most of us. Initially accepted a situation assuming it would be temporary then blew your top when they completely took the piss.

They are the arseholes not you.

You should have told them from day 1 not to do it.

YANBU, your neighbours are CFs of the highest order.

Sadly, it's the workmen who are most inconvenienced by this, and they haven't really done anything. They had no idea the NDN was lying CF.

parking in someones drive is trespassing and a civil matter

its also anti social behaviour

if they do not appear to realise that their behaviour is antisocial and believe that your reaction to their anti social behaviour is unjustified then perhaps ask them how they would react to antisocial behaviour?

Its not an opinion that their behaviour is antisocial - it is in UK

I never cease to be amazed how entitled and cheeky some people are these days. I’d be blocking the drive with my car to stop them using it. If they had politely asked before starting to use it, I’d be happy to oblige.

Op I just want to get the update if they park there this morning!!

This is typical entitled behaviour. They KNEW they were being entitled and didnt like it when you pointed it out. Since when has looking after your own property been petty? We could all do that, make use of someone's land/house/possessions.

I've noticed more and more that people take the piss until told not to rather than think how they would like it.

With one of my ex neighbors after I confronted him thought a good defence was that I was rude for pointing out that 10 hours a day of non stop loud music was too much. He knew it he just didnt like being told.

I'd have told them from the start to get off my drive. But you've told them now. Dont worry about having no relationship with them. You dont need to.

You should've told the workmen to shift their vehicles on day one, making it clear permission hadn't been given. It's no wonder the NDN thought it was okay, because you never said anything! Your DH is wrong though, he should be pleased you took a stand by blocking the vehicle in. If they do the same today, tell them to shift it immediately.

My husband said he’s embarrassed that I blocked the work van in as it wasn’t their fault

But it was their fault - they refused to move it when asked nicely.

You were kind and neighbourly until the parking became a problem. At that point, the sensible reaction from neighbours would have been to says thanks, if there’s any time 8n future we could borrow your drive it would be a massive help.

They have no rights over your drive, and they’ve been fools to sour your favour in this way. They should have asked first. You could have complained at the outset, but there’s no changing that now.

I wouldn’t allow the builders to park in future- you were prepared to overlook it to help the neighbours out until they became utterly unreasonable about your access to your own property. The favour is now withdrawn because you can’t trust them to co-operate with you.

You were fine; tolerant and patient with them. You put up with it because you were being neighbourly and you didn't actually need the drive. But when you did politely tell them you need it back, they were rude and ungrateful. So you got annoyed. I can't see much wrong with that.

Today you need to stand your ground until the neighbours (not the workmen) ask politely. And say thank you. Or they park somewhere else.

It's not their parking on your drive that's the issue any more, it's their rudeness and lack of respect for your property.

They are being VU but you should have asked them to move the first time they parked there!

Well those workmen were twats weren't they?

As soon as they realised there was no permission from you they should have moved the van & said thanks that they had been allowed to use it thus far.

Your neighbours are CF to be sure. It will be interesting to see what happens this morning.

Their fault entirely

I think you did a good job OP. The neighbours are idiots.

I wonder what they would have said if you'd planted the stuff delivered to your driveway

Yes, maybe you should’ve said something on day one, but what is done is done. But, where does it stop? When they have friends and relatives over they’ll park on YOUR drive? No chance. The neighbours were cheeky fuckers to assume you were gone about it and should’ve asked. Maybe go speak to the workmen as clearly they didn’t know and smooth it out with them.
Shame you’re stuck with cf for neighbours.

The neighbours at our old house were like that. He had simeine come to service his motorbike abd told them to park on our driveway and do the work there, presumably so any spilt oil wouldn't be on his driveway. I challenged them straightaway. There was a huge row, after I told him to get off our drive. He (childishly) told me all the neighbours hated me and and he said he wished I was dead.

He also had builders park their vans on other people's property and outside their houses. He made a huge muddy mess on the shared accessway between our houses when they were having an extension built, without planning permission (turned out they needed it), and without letting us know we wouldn't be able to use the shared access for weeks.

Truth was, all the neighbours hated him, and we all moved away, one after the other.

Apparently he's still up to his old tricks, and the people who bought our house (in full knowledge of his past behaviour) have now sold up and gone too.

@Livvielo

My husband said he’s embarrassed that I blocked the work van in as it wasn’t their fault. But I was just so bloody annoyed.

regardless of what the neighbour said, the driver of the van have checked himself with you before leaving it, it is actually an offense under the highway code to block someones parking its rule 241

you did exactly what i would have done and blocked them in, if you neighbours parking means that your road becomes obstructed then you can phone the police and they will be asked to move, if they continue then possibly charged aswell, god forbid an emergency services would be needed!

until then i would suggest you block off your driveway with some wood held up with some sand bags or put your wheelie bins across it. at least if the workmen still attempted to park there then it gives you time to see them moving it all and then can get them to shift

the other route would be to put up a sign stating parking charges, if they then continue to park there you send out a bill for doing so, but you would need photo evidence of each time they did it

If you had room to park on the drive and block the van in then there was room for your visitor to park there. The workmen would’ve just knocked and asked to get out if they needed to as they know they are on someone else’s drive. On day one you should have popped around and at least asked how long they would be parking on your drive for and made a point that they hadn’t asked but it would be ok as long as they moved when you needed it. Unfortunately this has the scent of your neighbours turning in to neighbours from hell 😳

Definitely don’t let them park there again today. Stand your ground!

I would be inviting someone with a car over today so they can see that the drive is in use again.

Neighbours are CFs.
Workmen are a little bit as well to be honest by not immediately moving the van when you went round.

Have you a shop near to get your H a backbone? They basically laughed in his face and ignored his request, how embarrassing - then told you YOU were at fault??!

YANBU