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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:
lockdownalli · 14/12/2021 11:02

No, I wouldn't buy a house if you cannot park on the road outside.

BarkminsterBlue · 14/12/2021 11:06

Who owns and manages the free car park? Are there really no restrictions on parking there night and day for as long as you wish?

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 14/12/2021 11:08

Just have a look at what your Plan B is in case the council start charging for parking though. A number of free car parks round our way have recently started charging as the council gets their financial belt tightened (East Mids).

Indeed. They can have everybody over a barrel - I'm sure that most local councils are greedily eyeing up all the free car parks and just biding their time until they think they can get away with charging. Councils tend to go from the assumption that people not paying to park is really quite unsporting and to be frowned on/discouraged.

They are often also not averse to painting double yellows on long stretches of apparently safe-for-parking roads near car parks where you have to pay.

You have no guarantees at any time that your road won't suddenly be subject to parking charges, time/vehicle restrictions (especially as electric car charging becomes more widespread), or parking completely banned. It could happen at any time, whereas your drive is yours in perpetuity and nobody can take it away from you.

I lived in a house without parking for 20 years. I think people are weirdly obsessed with parking!

I agree when it's a case of people insisting they have to be outside their own house rather than 20 feet down the road; but just because you and many others manage, doesn't mean that lots of us consider it an essential. People's families, circumstances, needs and lifestyles differ vastly. It's an amenity/facility like anything else, which will have more priority to some than others.

Do you have an inside toilet and fitted bathroom? People in the UK managed perfectly well for centuries with an outside privy (many people elsewhere in the world still do), but I presume you wouldn't call somebody 'obsessed' if they instantly discount a house with only a shed in the garden with a bucket and a tin bath in it! A lot of folk will instantly discount a house with 'only' a family bathroom(s) and no en-suite. That doesn't bother me personally, but I wouldn't call it obsessive to value/insist on that.

WhoopsWhatsMyNameAgain · 14/12/2021 11:09

Our drive is the best part of our house.

I wouldn't buy one without parking. Food shops etc would be a right faff without one.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 14/12/2021 11:09

doesn't mean that lots of us consider it an essential

that lots of us DON'T consider it an essential.

Allywill · 14/12/2021 11:18

sounds like it could cause issues. what do you do if you are having work done on the house? we had a new bolier fitted which took around 3 days of a van parked on our drive, decorating took best part of a week. not to mention a skip etc outside if you having new kitchen etc. it’s the double yellow lines that would do it for me.

daisypond · 14/12/2021 11:33

@WhoopsWhatsMyNameAgain

Our drive is the best part of our house.

I wouldn't buy one without parking. Food shops etc would be a right faff without one.

As someone who has never lived anywhere with a drive since I was a child, and I’m now mid-50s, I’ve never found not having a drive being a faff for a food shop.
lockdownalli · 14/12/2021 11:47

I don't think a drive is essential, but certainly when my DC were young, being able to park within reasonable distance of the house was essential.

Otherwise, what do you do if you are out shopping and need to get stuff into house along with baby? You either leave baby in car whilst you walk to house from wherever you parked car, along with shopping, or you leave baby in house alone and go back for shopping.

20 feet down the road is fine. 200 feet, not so much.

I am probably overly anxious but that would have freaked me out when mine were small.

Roselilly36 · 14/12/2021 12:01

No, I wouldn’t buy a property without parking or rent one for a holiday, just too inconvenient, also would be a negative should you decide to sell in future.

Fomofo · 14/12/2021 12:17

Food can be delivered. How do you think the millions of people without cars and drives live?

Fomofo · 14/12/2021 12:23

Some of the loveliest holiday let's I've stayed in have no parking

BarbaraofSeville · 14/12/2021 12:23

If there genuinely is no parking and its not safe and/or legal to park on the road, eg narrow and double yellow lines, where will the delivery drivers park?

Genuine question - they won't want to be lugging crates from the car park for several trips it takes to unload a weekly shop.

AryaStarkWolf · 14/12/2021 12:26

@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.

If you love the house that much then I'd go for it with that free car park nearby. I doubt you'll have beach goers taking that up in the summer if it's a 10 minute drive from there to the beach
Sparklingbrook · 14/12/2021 12:30

@Fomofo

Some of the loveliest holiday let's I've stayed in have no parking
I have stayed in some nice ones without parking too but I didn't drive to them and a car wasn't required once there.
Tinythumbelina · 14/12/2021 12:34

Don't buy. Double yellow are a nightmare. And the free parking who does that belong too.

BeanyBops · 14/12/2021 12:38

Inner city Victorian terrace here. No parking was our big compromise when we bought. It's actually fine because we always get a space, and usually near our house. Parking itself can be tight. It depends how busy your street is. Also we only have one car to park.

Fomofo · 14/12/2021 15:50

I'm happy to park somewhere else and walk

RadioSixMusicLover · 14/12/2021 15:52

Never again. It’s on my definite ‘no’ list.

Newpandrawer · 14/12/2021 16:06

How the bloody hell should we know? It depends on whether there's alternative parking, whether you have the use of your legs, and how lazy you are!

garlictwist · 14/12/2021 16:21

We have no parking. Sometimes we can park outside or house, sometimes we park down the road. It's really not an issue.

BarkminsterBlue · 14/12/2021 16:30

@Fomofo

Food can be delivered. How do you think the millions of people without cars and drives live?
Where is the delivery vehicle going to park if the whole road is double yellows?
Tricked2003 · 14/12/2021 17:08

Double yellow lines outside and no off-road parking ............nightmare!!!

You would find it much harder to let it for holidays. What's to say there is always going to be space in the free car park or that it will remain free.

I'm in South Wales.........some areas are a lot better than others!

Rockbird · 14/12/2021 17:16

We have no off road parking and although we don't have parking wars, 9 time out of 10 we have to park three streets away and, with shopping or in bad weather that gets old very very quickly. I will never buy another property without parking.

ProfYaffle · 14/12/2021 17:23

I'd suggest finding a facebook community site for the area you're looking at and see how many parking threads are on it!

Imtryingveryhard · 14/12/2021 17:25

Is there absolutely no way you can create a parking space if there is a large garden? A diagram
Of the immediate area may help. Also, maybe make enquiries with the council to see if you can buy a designated spot/a in the car park to help?

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