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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Considering a house with no parking - more of a wwyd!

139 replies

asnugglysnerd · 13/12/2021 22:08

I'm in a position where, after the break up of my relationship, I have enough money to buy a gorgeous house in South Wales - the house is ideal... lovely big garden for my dogs, close to the beach, 3 good size bedrooms, great kitchen etc etc... the only downside is that there is no off street parking, and no scope to create a parking area either.

My girlfriend owns a house where we live (about 3hrs from South Wales) and she believes that the no parking would be a huge problem as I plan to use the house occasionally (as I work in London it'll be more of a weekend away type place, not somewhere I live as that's where I work) and then use it as a holiday let at other times...

Has anyone bought a house with no parking? I've never lived in a house without a drive way, not even as a student, so I don't feel like I have a fair opinion!

Thanks :)

OP posts:
ZenNudist · 13/12/2021 23:24

Don't do it. Not only will it be a pain for you but people tick for parking in holiday let's to screen out no parking houses. Plus it's a downside when you come to sell.

Backtomyoldname · 13/12/2021 23:43

It may be a problem when you get an electric car - or when you want to sell the house and potential buyers want off road parking to charge their cars?

sbhydrogen · 13/12/2021 23:46

I like parking on the road. I've never had a problem finding a space in the 17 years I've owned a car. I would rather look out of my windows at a garden

DdraigGoch · 13/12/2021 23:56

@Sparklingbrook they've just got to take their chances on the street with everyone else. A feat easier to achieve with one fewer car on the street (mine). It wasn't too bad midweek during the daytime but if I came home late on a Friday night after a shift it was a pain as all of the second home mob would be in and I'd end up parking at the bottom of the hill and walking home. Now that I use a bike, I never have trouble parking it anywhere (home/work/shops).

Tulips21 · 13/12/2021 23:57

I would never buy/rent a house without a drive.
Ive lived at one house with on road parking- Nightmare, it is really annoying trying to find a spot near your house and worse when your car gets a bump from other drivers- either trying to park too close or getting a knock/scrape to your car!

BurntO · 13/12/2021 23:58

If you have a car, don’t do it. Will put people off buying in future too

Sparklingbrook · 13/12/2021 23:59

@sbhydrogen

I like parking on the road. I've never had a problem finding a space in the 17 years I've owned a car. I would rather look out of my windows at a garden
You can have a garden and a drive though.
DdraigGoch · 13/12/2021 23:59

A significant proportion of the UK don’t have off street parking and cope fine.

@Frazzled2207 can't be all that fine, otherwise AIBU would be devoid of parking threads. Wasn't there a double-murder recently over parking?

GutsInMay · 14/12/2021 00:38

Since I moved from my parents’ house I have never lived in a house with off street parking.

I have never lived in a road where anyone has off street parking. We never had parking wars. London. No one imagines they have rights over the bit outside their house, and no one has a drive to semi- block etc. LOL, most of the parking war diagrams on MN are about people who do have a drive or an allocated space etc!

If by near the beach you mean an area that will be rammed in summer, I would think twice. Otherwise, fine.

Original poster
asnugglysnerd · 14/12/2021 06:56

Thanks for your replies!

So there are double yellow lines on the road outside the house but a free car park 1 minute walk away from the house.

With regard to being near the beach, it's about a 10 minute drive.

OP posts:
DragonMamma · 14/12/2021 07:02

It would all depend on what town or village you’re looking at to be honest (South Wales here too!) some are notorious for terrible parking, others, not so much.

CovidCorvid · 14/12/2021 07:07

The double yellow lines might be a pita. I can only park on the road outside my house for 20 mins but I’m glad I can for unloading and loading, etc. Then I move my car a minute away which is fine. But if I couldn’t ever have it outside my house I’m not sure that would be ok.

Howshouldibehave · 14/12/2021 07:07

So you want to buy a holiday home with no parking? No, I probably wouldn’t want to let it.

HangingDitch · 14/12/2021 07:08

We live in a Victorian terrace on a road with no off-street parking. The only parking is on-street. In our case it’s absolutely fine. You rarely get directly outside your own house but there’s always a space. I suspect other similar streets may be more difficult depending on how they’re set up but in our case it’s not a problem.

Emelene · 14/12/2021 07:10

I lived in a cul de sac with no parking, steps down to the road etc and it was okay. Even with the pram. It was the house we could afford.

Is the car park 24 hour? The only thing that would put me off that plan is if you had to move you car every 12/20 hours.

Girlintheframe · 14/12/2021 07:12

We live in a terraced house with no off street parking and tbh it's a high PITA.

ohreallynotreally · 14/12/2021 07:13

Depends on the road . We don’t have off rd parking but it’s very rarely that parking is a problem .

ohreallynotreally · 14/12/2021 07:15

No if double yellow lines.

Aprilx · 14/12/2021 07:19

I have only once lived somewhere with no parking, well only once since I owned a car. That was 25 years ago and I swore I will never live anywhere without parking again and I never have. I also would not book a holiday let with no parking, unless it was a city centre holiday let and I wasn’t bringing a car of course.

JenniferAllisonPhillipaSue · 14/12/2021 07:20

Is the car park genuinely only one minute away? Or is that your way of saying "it's close but not adjacent"? One minute can turn into a pain when you are trying to carry a tired toddler whilst dragging two suitcases all at the end of a long car journey ... As others have said, even if it is adjacent, are there any restrictions regarding duration of stay? How busy does it get during the high season? What are the alternatives if the car park closes?

I live in a house with no drive; there is ample street parking, which we assessed before deciding to buy. But I'd probably scroll past the advert for a holiday cottage with no parking.

GrumpyLivesInMyHouseNow · 14/12/2021 07:27

If it's close to the beach what's it like in summer when the tourists descend? My Dad lives in South Wales, near the sea and you can't move for cars and tourists in the summer breaks, this might mean you struggle to park on the road. If it's not a tourist hot spot, and the house rocks all bar this box, I'd seriously consider it

Namenic · 14/12/2021 07:27

Won’t it be a pain when people start getting electric cars and needing a place to charge them?

SpiderinaWingMirror · 14/12/2021 07:28

Nah. I'd skip it.

newname12345 · 14/12/2021 07:30

@asnugglysnerd

Thanks for your replies!

So there are double yellow lines on the road outside the house but a free car park 1 minute walk away from the house.

With regard to being near the beach, it's about a 10 minute drive.

A 10 minute drive isn't really that near to the beach - I was expecting walking distance. Assuming there is plenty of parking for the residents and nothing else near the house (shops, church, school, etc) that means it could be busy at certain times then at least you haven't got to worry about parking.

As already mentioned though not being able to have your own EV charging point could at some point be a big negative both for yourselves and letting the house.

ApolloandDaphne · 14/12/2021 07:31

We have booked a holiday home on Norfolk with no parking right outside but a free car park nearby. It's not a big deal for us as we don't have young family anymore. We are happy to walk a bit.