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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

CF? Would you park on the driveway of a house you were viewing to buy?

358 replies

movingonupps · 05/04/2022 16:31

This happened to us today and DH & I can't quite workout if we were the CF or not lol.

Went to viewing, no where to park, 1 car already on 3 car drive.

We parked on drive and got out of car

Vendor opens door, asks why we have parked on drive.

Explained we had a viewing

Again she said why have you parked on drive, her son will be home shortly

I said if it's a problem, we will just leave; so we did!

Her EA was gobsmacked when I explained why we didn't do the viewing.

Who is BU?

OP posts:
Honeyroar · 05/04/2022 18:25

Was there nowhere else on the street to park?
I wouldn’t park on the drive without asking. I’d also have moved it if she’d said her son was coming home soon.
I think she could’ve been a little nicer, but you guys sound high maintenance too!

ClinkeyMonkey · 05/04/2022 18:26

I wouldn't have parked there myself, but I think the woman was very rude. It would have been helpful if the Estate Agent had informed you that there was difficulty getting parked and suggested somewhere close by. They must have encountered the same problem surely?

Dibdobdoo · 05/04/2022 18:26

I wouldn't assume it was ok to park on someone's driveaway, even if I was a normal visitor not a viewer. I would ask. I think it's rude to just assume it is ok to park on someone's drive.

If it was my house someone was coming to view though, I would never ask them to not park on my driveway. She should want to welcome her viewers surely!

SickAndTiredAgain · 05/04/2022 18:28

I probably wouldn’t park on the driveway, but if someone was coming to view my house and potentially spending hundreds of thousands, I’d let them park wherever they wanted.

chisanunian · 05/04/2022 18:29

@Abitofalark

It's good manners to stop and ask if it is all right to park on the drive. You are expected, fair enough, and if I am expecting visitors I will want to let them know they can park on the drive. But it's about not being presumptuous. You don't start walking around the garden as soon as you arrive, do you? No, you wait to meet the owner first and be shown around. Simple!
I don't think the OP was given the opportunity to ask, to be fair.
Teacupsandtoast · 05/04/2022 18:29

We had a vendor go absolutely batshit on us when we came to view his house when we parked on his drive (cul de sac, no parking elsewhere). His wife still tried to get us to come in

wardrobewarrior · 05/04/2022 18:30

No way. I can't believe this seller !!! She's definitely in the wrong. I always park on drives if there is space when I'm viewing the house. Unbelievable !

LazyJayne · 05/04/2022 18:31

It’s not unreasonable of you to assume it’s fine to park on her drive, and it wouldn’t have been VERY unreasonable of her to say ‘sorry, do you mind parking insert suggestion instead? My son’s coming home and needs to park on the drive’. It would be a bit weird though - can’t get son park round the corner and pull into the drive when you’d gone?

What it’s very unreasonable is her going ‘why did you park on the drive? Why did you park on the drive through?’ that’s weird, rude and aggressive, so if that’s what happened, she was very unreasonable.

ForensicAccountant · 05/04/2022 18:32

I usually try not to let the sellers see that I’m driving a Lamborghini - they try to put up the price 😂

godmum56 · 05/04/2022 18:34

@LazyJayne

It’s not unreasonable of you to assume it’s fine to park on her drive, and it wouldn’t have been VERY unreasonable of her to say ‘sorry, do you mind parking insert suggestion instead? My son’s coming home and needs to park on the drive’. It would be a bit weird though - can’t get son park round the corner and pull into the drive when you’d gone?

What it’s very unreasonable is her going ‘why did you park on the drive? Why did you park on the drive through?’ that’s weird, rude and aggressive, so if that’s what happened, she was very unreasonable.

This....I'd have said to the son that he needed to park elsewhere as there was a viewer coming.
ForeverLooking · 05/04/2022 18:34

@BoredZelda

Presumably you’d expect to see inside the house and view the garden, garage, shed etc.when you’re viewing a property that you’re considering buying?

Would you use their toilet, make yourself a cup of tea, park on their sofa and watch telly? Because that’s the equivalent to taking up a space that the owner might need to use at the same time.

It's not even remotely the same Confused
Foxglovesandlilacs86 · 05/04/2022 18:34

We just had an offer on our house today after two days of viewings, no one parked in the drive, I was suprise tbh as you can fit 3/4 cars on there. It wouldn’t have bothered me at all if they had.

HardbackWriter · 05/04/2022 18:36

People are so madly precious about car parking! Of course it was fine, OP. Most people seem to buy a house primarily to have somewhere to put their car (which I think is entirely bonkers, but that's a different conversation) so even if there had been space it would have been ok to want to test out the parking. As people have said, you definitely dodged a bullet here!

TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 05/04/2022 18:36

At least you now know what bugger parking is with that house and you can calmly write it off.

Phormiumjester2 · 05/04/2022 18:39

I'd like you to pay me hundreds of thousands of pounds please, for a house I no longer want but fuck m-off off my drive.

Erm. No.

LubaLuca · 05/04/2022 18:39

I'd definitely have parked on the drive, as I expect all visitors to my house to. I'd keep the drive clear knowing I was expecting visitors, so would have warned the son to park elsewhere when he got back.

FloBot7 · 05/04/2022 18:40

With a driveway that size and only one car I'd expect potential buyers to park on the drive. I also wouldn't want them to notice a lack of parking elsewhere so would have asked estate agents to mention parking on drive when booking views. Her attitude seems a bit bizarre to me.

Tobacco · 05/04/2022 18:41

Yanbu

Elphame · 05/04/2022 18:41

Crazy!

I've been viewing bungalows recently and have parked on the drive each time if there was room.

I've asked "is my car ok there?" and each time they've said yes.

eurochick · 05/04/2022 18:44

It's absolutely normal to park on the drive. We bought and sold last year. We generally parked on the drive of the house we were viewing and potential buyers and estate agents parked on our drive. Not cheeky at all. If someone is paying me several hundred thousand pounds they can have a parking space for an hour!

Cervinia · 05/04/2022 18:48

I did the same when I bought, but my first words were “am I ok parking here as it’s made on the road at the moment.”

The answer from a sane seller was “of course”.

As a seller I parked elsewhere and left the drive free for viewers.

When DD bought, it was a tiny cul de sac with lots of cars, we drove in and out and parked down the road.

I guess it depends upon the set up as to what is reasonable although your seller sounds weird.

NeedAHoliday2021 · 05/04/2022 18:48

We’ve viewed many houses and I’d never park on the drive. It’s not my house and others live there. That said, I wouldn’t kick off if I was trying to sell but I would be surprised. No one viewing the 2 homes I’ve sold over the years ever parked on the drive either so it’s not a “normal” thing to do in my experience. Owner asked you to move and you stropped off.

Tobacco · 05/04/2022 18:49

I think the EA will have a word and say she's potentially losing out on a great offer if she treats viewers like that

Chloemol · 05/04/2022 18:52

She is

Frazzled2207 · 05/04/2022 18:53

We recently sold a house where the only parking option was on the driveway.
We assumed all viewers would want to park there.
The vendor was an idiot.