Why does neighbour keep blocking driveway?

[time2tork]

We bought a new house a year ago. It's along a road with a few other houses and driveways but a couple of houses have been made into 4 flats.

We made a driveway at the back of our house and turned what was parking at the front into a garden, installed gates on driveway..

Our gates aren't automatic, so we sometimes park in front of them blocking our own driveway if we can't be bothered to swing them open.

A neighbour parked there once, we came home and couldn't get in so asked him politely to move.

Same neighbour has parked there when we needed access to it, again asked to move.

Same neighbour parked there and I mentioned I'm pregnant and ambulance access to our property is essential as I'm high risk pregnancy...

Same neighbour, parked there again, we also have builders in and out, carrying heavy things and they need the use the driveway.

He's the only neighbour who does it, what is the mental reasoning for it?

He and his wife are really nice people and
I genuinely like my neighbours.. but what is with this? they are the only ones who keep doing this? We've only been nice to them.

We paid a lot of money for our house and the luxury of having our own parking. Lots of tourists come and park around our houses, not even they park in front of our driveway and block us in..

As an aside the non automatic gates sound a complete pain. Why don’t you replace with automated gates and so remove the temptation for you to park across the dropped kerb which is sending out the message to the neighbour it’s fair game for parking.

You shouldn’t have to etc but it will make life easier when you are coming home with a baby in the car.

Sounds a bit like you don’t like confrontation.

So in that case, I’d park behind him, everytime do he had to ask me to move my time. I’d then take my sweet time to move the car. I’d use it as an opportunity to ask why he parks there.

Stop being nice about it. You don't have to be rude, but you should get him to move the car every single time you see it, every time ensure your voice doesn't sound friendly, and every time ask him not to do it again. Also put up a No Parking sign. If he still ignores it, have a conversation about how you've tried to sort this out amicably, you really don't want to have a fight, but he will leave you no alternative but to get him towed.

He's not a nice neighbour.

He's a cheeky entitled male neighbour.
Like the school queue thread.

Guys like this don't pay any attention to polite.

I'd have his car towed off and impounded. I bet he won't park across there again.

I may be wrong but, I reckon you aren't being firm enough. I bet when you ask him to move, your first words are "I'm sorry but ........".

You need to be MUCH more firm. Tell him that he cannot park there anymore. Tell him it is against law (if it is). Tell him he is really inconveniencing you and could cause a dangerous outcome.

Get his wife on board too - she may have some conscience, who knows.

But get firm!

Have you actually asked him NOT to park there again or do you just nicely ask him to move?

My neighbour parks slightly across my driveway, not enough to block it but enough that it's a pain to manoeuvre in and out. He has a drive that is empty, he just can't be bothered to drive onto it. It is so annoying. OP, just go round and tell him not too, don't worry how you look, he is in the wrong not you!

Hes a CF.

Be firm with him and just tell him not to park across your driveway under any circumstances.

Please don't let this CF carry on OP, he's really not a nice neighbour, this seems like some kind of twattish behaviour/power play and he wouldn't do it to another man. Great ideas above to go knocking him up in the middle of the night etc, but much better to say it straight, maybe both you and your DH together.

I used to pay a lot of money for a park near my work. It was outside a cathedral - the church was charging me. There was some telephone counselling service that ran out of some underground crypt. I had to go down there so many times to get them to move their cars out of my space. I completely lost my temper one morning and went down into the crypt like an avenging angel. I yelled at the lot of them that I was sick to death of them parking in my carpark and whoever was in my park right now should get out of it. I told them exactly what I thought of their thieving behaviour. Nobody from the counselling service ever nicked my carpark again. They probably told them that their was a madwoman wandering round.

I once had to search the cathedral for the person parking in my carpark - not the counselling service this time. I eventually found a very posh woman for whom the concept of being late for work was obviously foreign. She chirpily told me that she'd being organising flowers for the cathedral. I told her that I didn't care if she was Archangel Gabriel as long as she got of out of my park.

Your neighbour is being cheeky. Find your inner avenging angel. Or send your husband. Render unto Caesar and all that - it's your dropped curb driveway and he shouldn't be parking there. If he was nice he wouldn't do it. So you don't need to be nice back telling him to move his car.

Why does neighbour keep blocking driveway?

Because you have not told him clearly and unambiguously to fucking pack it in.

And because, as PP has said, he is an entitled male twat.

@Silvershroud
"I know all about parking wars. We and a neighour had a driveway each (link detached houses). Previous owners of our house had no car so had allowed neighbours to park on their (now our) driveway for 10 years. Neighbours had four cars (two adults, two adult children) they moved in grans old banger when she went into a home, and used to phone friends to block our driveway when we went to work. So we had 5 sometimes 6 cars crowding our drive! After months of rows, they forced us to move house. They didn't torment the new owners, they were just angry with us. I have read OP's posts, I thought she was only using her new drive infrequently."

not relevant. I have got a bathroom I only use infequently (I use the shower in the shower room) should other people be able to use it?

@Blinky21

My neighbour parks slightly across my driveway, not enough to block it but enough that it's a pain to manoeuvre in and out. He has a drive that is empty, he just can't be bothered to drive onto it. It is so annoying. OP, just go round and tell him not too, don't worry how you look, he is in the wrong not you!

Have you ever had a conversation with him about it?

Just tell him he can’t park in front of your gates ever

So is it the case that the property that is owned here has a gate and the gate is the end of their land. there is then a driveway they do not own across a public curb with a dropped curb to the street? Have we had a diagram? Does the neighbour park in effect on the pavement?
Or is the driveway part of the owner's land?

In your position OP, I would be losing my shit with the neighbour. He’d be getting all barrels and if he continued I would be putting broken glass and nails behind his tyres so when he reversed out they’d be getting burst. This is probably illegal but if he behaves like a twat then he has to expect consequences.

I like the idea of calling him up in the early hours to move the car as well.

What a prick he is!

For all those who think my DM ridiculous for calling out the police, she didn’t ! Read my posts before you post 🙄

I agree. If OP isn't actually using the driveway they are just being dog in the manger.

My neighbours don’t use their garden, it doesn’t mean I can use it.

@Nix2020

In the grand scheme of things does it matter? If your not using the space as a drive way because you've built a new one, what's the issue. If you've got builders in ok ask him to move. I honestly don't see the issue of parking spaces. Of you need to walk further to your home then walk.

What is it about MNetters and their inability to read posts incorrectly?!

Our neighbour used to do this. And walk his cat across our drive, directly in front of our windows. I think it was some kind of power play. I don't know. We moved in a year before them so it's not as though he'd "always done it".

Anyway, he's dead now so that put an end to it.

Parking in front of someone's gates where the driveway is Not currently in use perfectly legal, Its annoying and not very neighbourly but its legal. From that view nobody has any right to go 'apocalyptic' or put glass behind their tyres to damage the car.

If the OP needs an Ambulance then they'll just park around the front and block the road as they would for anyone else and other road users will have to wait or reverse / turn on to another road.

I'd se d DH round personally. Is there anywhere else for this person to park close y that's 'legal/legit ' parking?

We could do with a diagram 😋

Put a sign up stating No Parking, access required at all times.

He’s a CF and I agree that he isn’t nice at all! He’s an arse!

@HoseMeDownWithHollyWater

Our neighbour used to do this. And walk his cat across our drive, directly in front of our windows. I think it was some kind of power play. I don't know. We moved in a year before them so it's not as though he'd "always done it".

Anyway, he's dead now so that put an end to it.

Are you enjoying using your new patio? Not really the time of year for it, I suppose, but the weather's been mild.

@ASeriesOfTubes
"Are you enjoying using your new patio? Not really the time of year for it, I suppose, but the weather's been mild."