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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:
Chasingaftermidnight · 14/12/2021 07:34

Given you plan only to use the house occasionally and there’s a free car park close by I’d say it probably isn’t that big a deal - although it might put off buyers in the future.

evilharpy · 14/12/2021 07:42

Never, ever, ever again will we buy a house with no driveway.

dementedma · 14/12/2021 07:48

Wow. Having never lived in a house with private parking, I didnt realise this was such a thing. On street parking is fine.

Charliesgotachocolatefactory · 14/12/2021 07:50

It can be done. Family members had one, it had a public car park in the same street. Things to consider are

  • how far away is the nearest parking - both free and paying
  • is the nearest car park a busy car park - relative’s one was busy 9-5
  • are there residents permits available - if not it will cost you loads.
-is there road access to the house, for deliveries/‘hovering’ to dump shopping etc

In our case, they were able to park free virtually opposite the house and if no spaces there, in a large pay car park 3 mins away on a residents permit. They just got used to it, but it wasn’t ideal, but the house and garden and location was worth the bother. It’s also probably relevant to note that they were retired, so the extra time spent looking for parking wasn’t a problem and they often timed their trips around the ebb and flow of the car park. The biggest issue was for us an other guests, as we hardly ever got in the free car park so had to pay to visit them.

Lalliella · 14/12/2021 08:00

Can you buy a reserved space in the car park? If not aren’t you running the risk of not being able to park at all because people are using the car park for the beach?

daisypond · 14/12/2021 08:03

I’ve never lived anywhere where there was off-street parking. As long as there is somewhere close by to park, it wouldn’t bother me.

LetsHearIt · 14/12/2021 08:04

We did this. Bought a house we absolutely love and thought that the no parking wouldn't be too bad because we loved the house so much.
It's been a nightmare. DP is now desperate to move and is looking at houses that are nowhere near as nice as ours but has parking. I'm absolutely gutted as I don't want to move. But the parking situation can be really bloody tough.

Ellen888 · 14/12/2021 08:06

Unless you have designated parking spaces needing council permits I wouldn't do it.

buddhasbelly · 14/12/2021 08:12

@asnugglysnerd I v weirdly started a thread in property about this at tthe same time last night 😂

There was a mixed response with majority saying they wouldn't buy but also depends on the road and how busy it gets.

We're looking at seeing if a front driveway could be squeezed in

NeedAHoliday2021 · 14/12/2021 08:19

We have a garage and driveway for 1 car but have 2 cars and garage is full of bikes etc. We park the second car on the road, sometimes round the corner (much to my mil’s horror). It doesn’t bother me at all as I’m perfectly able to walk. I do however know that I can always park on the road.

user1471538283 · 14/12/2021 08:24

We currently park on the street and it can be a bit of a pain but it is very common in this sub division. I've also rented holiday lets without parking and it's been fine for short periods of time.

But our next move is going to be somewhere with private parking.

DumplingsAndStew · 14/12/2021 08:25

I'm disabled and wouldn't rent a holiday stay without designated or easily available parking.

newname12345 · 14/12/2021 08:25

@GreenLunchBox

Do you mean there's double yellows on the road? Don't most people live in houses that don't have a designated parking spot?
No. According to a RAC survey, the majority of British households (65%) do have access to offroad parking, its only mainly in London where they don't.

Actually in Wales 75% of households have or could have off-street parking and EV charging. I personally would think twice about buying a house especially in Wales without off-street parking.

BarbaraofSeville · 14/12/2021 08:28

What is the likelihood that you'll be able to use the free parking when you need to and what about security? Can you stop immediately outside the property if you want to unload shopping or anything else bulky? Are you sure part of the garden can't be converted to a driveway?

If you can stop to unload and will always be able to use the free parking, it will be a lot less of a downside than if the free car park is always used by walkers/shoppers/the local factory overflow or whatever.

BarbaraofSeville · 14/12/2021 08:31

No. According to a RAC survey, the majority of British households (65%) do have access to offroad parking, its only mainly in London where they don't

This seems reasonable to me and I'm always amazed how Londoners and other city centre residents can't think outside their own norm. It's like when there was the debate about whether it was OK to meet people in gardens and Matt Hancock refused to accept that most people had gardens and that people should go to the park instead.

If you're not in London, a garden and quite often a driveway is perfectly normal, even with smaller houses and/or less desirable areas and in no way aspirational beyond the majority.

Beamur · 14/12/2021 08:32

I think it's a reasonable compromise. It might be slightly less desirable for a holiday let, but if the house is otherwise nice, good location, etc, I would imagine that some people would still rent it. I don't think it would put me off. I've stayed places before where parking wasn't free.

godmum56 · 14/12/2021 08:33

I wouldn't do it unless i was prepared to live a carless life while I was there and could find storage parking. SimiarIy wouldn't rent a holiday let without parking unless I wanted to have a carless holiday.

AngelinaFibres · 14/12/2021 08:37

I would never ,ever again live somewhere without off street parking. I would look at a holiday let without paring BUT only if it was within walking distance of a large carpark with the option to park safely overnight for the duration of my stay.

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 14/12/2021 08:38

@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
Newsflash - not all roads are the same Grin

My first flat only had on street parking, it was a nightmare to get parked anywhere near. I'd do anything not to be in that situation again.

Redsquirrel5 · 14/12/2021 08:46

We bought one. Mostly park outside our house but occasionally have to park across the road because people park and go to the pub nearby.

Can you visit at the weekend? That is when it is busier here.

AngelinaFibres · 14/12/2021 09:14

@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.

So everyone who lives in or visits your house or the other houses has to use the free carpark ? Is it huge and where can you park if it is full ? If the beach is a 10 minute drive away will you have parking stress everytime you get back from visiting it and will that ultimately mean that you stop visiting it because of the hassle when you get back ? Especially during the summer months when you should be able to enjoy it the most.
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 14/12/2021 09:23

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

Millions and millions of households don't have parking of their own, so it's not like you'd be the one house stuck between a rock and a hard place!

I'd possibly consider it if it was one of those big wide streets where there are consistently dozens of spaces available (mainly because most people do have drives), but I'd still rather have the guarantee. When we bought our house, our budget allowed for a house with either a drive or a back garden and we went for the drive without a moment's hesitation.

Also, don't just think of arriving back from a stroll on a warm Summer afternoon; think about getting back with a boot full of shopping in the pouring rain, even snow, possibly with young children in tow (you or potential guests).

We aren't so fussy about parking when we rent holiday lets, but the big, big drawback is when you first arrive there - often late on a Saturday - and need to unpack all of your luggage. Leaving day isn't so bad, as long as you grab a space the day before and make sure that you stay local and don't vacate the space.

Nevertheless, these are all hassles that you simply don't need to bother about with a drive. Being able to know that you can come and go at any time (the actual idea of having a car), however hoaching the streets are, and still have somewhere to park, without having to temporarily use your car as a space-saver rather than a functional vehicle is so much better in very way.

Pinkdelight3 · 14/12/2021 09:29

I wouldn't rent it as a holiday let without off-road parking, sorry. (also be aware some communities aren't keen on people buying big family homes just as weekend away places for Londoners. One friend ended up selling as she felt so unwelcome and she had local connections).

CrimbleCrumble1 · 14/12/2021 09:33

My DM has a home with no parking and yellow lines outside her house, it’s a real pain. I think it will be a difficult property to sell.

CounsellorTroi · 14/12/2021 09:43

A relative lives in a house with no off street parking other than the doctor’s surgery next door which they can obviously only use evenings and weekends, but parking is competitive and other people use it too. It’s a PITA when visiting them as we often have to park miles away. Also there are cars parked both sides of the road and no room to pass if you meet someone coming the other way. It’s a beautiful house but I wouldn’t live there for anything.

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