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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Driveway annoyance

213 replies

Newjourney2894 · 18/04/2022 09:16

Hi all, just wanted some advice on whether I was being unreasonable or not about my new home which I have waited several months to move into! 😅

My DH and I have just bought a gorgeous semi detached on a lovely quiet street which has long drive way and 2 x grass patches between each houses. Our house was vacant for about a year until we moved in and as a favour to the previous owners next door would park on the drive now and again.

The previous owners cut one of the patches of grass away to widen the drive so you can fit 2 cars next to each other but still left 1 patch of grass between the attaching houses attached.

Now it is the house not attached that would occasionally park on the drive until we moved in that I have the slight issue with. They use the middle part of the drive which is the original part of the drive to reverse their cars off the drive so they don’t have to ask the other one to come out and move the car.

They’ve kept their patches of the grass intact which is up to them but that doesn’t mean they should keep using my drive to reverse out. AIBU to start parking one of my cars further back so they can’t get out or go and speak to them? Or let it go which is what DH thinks 😂

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Fulmine · 18/04/2022 11:36

I'd suggest a conversation along the lines that the children won't be looking out for cars when they are out there so would they mind not reversing onto the driveway.

Fulmine · 18/04/2022 11:36

@Blossomtoes

if your neighbour decided they just fancied walking through your house once a day when you were out, might you object to that? After all, it doesn't impact on you in any way

Ridiculous analogy because obviously it would impact on you. Another car on your drive for a couple of minutes is in no way comparable.

If OP's children can't play on her land safely, obviously there's an impact.
KosherDill · 18/04/2022 11:38

@Blossomtoes

if your neighbour decided they just fancied walking through your house once a day when you were out, might you object to that? After all, it doesn't impact on you in any way

Ridiculous analogy because obviously it would impact on you. Another car on your drive for a couple of minutes is in no way comparable.

It affects her if her small children are out there.
KosherDill · 18/04/2022 11:40

@Toocooltoboogie

Does it really matter if they use your drive for a few seconds to reverse out? Does it impinge on your life in any way at all? So very petty.
It's not petty in the least.
TurquoiseSwirl · 18/04/2022 11:41

No one gives a fuck about matchy matchy fronts.
Put a little chain fence down and for now just move and park your car anywhere on your land that stops them doing it. They’ll soon realise and stop.
If you want to landscape you grass then do it!

iRun2eatCake · 18/04/2022 11:41

I think your idea of parking work car up the top and family car behind is the way forward.

Work car is then hidden a little from view, other driveway is free for DH guests which means you won't need to move for them, plus it stops CFN using your drive.

VerifiedBot2351 · 18/04/2022 11:42

I would park in a manner which means they can’t reverse onto your drive. Problem solved.

LunaAndHerMoonDragons · 18/04/2022 11:45

@Newjourney2894

I think it is familiarity on their part as the previous owners lived here for 30 + years and so have the neighbours however we are new and young and we have young children who I tell not to cross the boundary and to stay on our side and I don’t want to have to tell them to watch out for cars when they are on our land. 😕

My DH is using the front room for his business so i might start parking behind his car as I come and go more and use driveway 2 for getting round each other.. he could use that drive for clients who are coming and going as it leads to the front door which goes straight into the front room

I'd be telling them they can't use your driveway anymore, because it's not safe for your children and very unfair and unreliable for them to be always on the lockout incase of moving vehicles.
FiveShelties · 18/04/2022 11:46

Are you allowed to run a business from the house, sometimes there are covenants to restrict this? If there are restrictive covenants, you neighbours may be aware of them and play tit for tat so to speak.

PuppyMonkey · 18/04/2022 11:49

If your neighbours had asked first I think this would be okay and it might even have given you a chance to chat and get to know each other and become best friends forever and you’d all be sharing drives and cakes and wine and babysitting for each other and being best man and bridesmaid at their wedding etc etc.

Do it without asking? Fuck em - definitely park your car so you’re blocking the exit.Grin

MagneticRubberDucks · 18/04/2022 11:50

The easiest solution is definitely going to be to start parking your cars 1 behind the other on drive 1.

Fulmine · 18/04/2022 11:50

If you don't want to put a fence up, put a couple of planters there.

Original poster
Newjourney2894 · 18/04/2022 11:54

@FiveShelties- it’s not a business as such, it’s just that we use the front room as his hobby space where he can host guests to play his game and record his podcasts. He is hoping to do start doing commission work for painting the hobby figures from home in this studio but clients definitely would not be coming by, they’d probably post their figures and then he would return them in the post once finished. The only “clients” that his business would bring to the house would be people playing the game with him and if anyone chose to record the podcast live with him one evening instead of over video chat

OP posts:
Rocketroe · 18/04/2022 11:59

Just start parking your car in the way that suits you, side by side.
No need to announce it to them or anything.
They’ve had a good run of it but no need for it to continue .

Original poster
Newjourney2894 · 18/04/2022 12:01

I think the other slightly annoying thing about it is that it sets my doorbell off every time because even though I’ve tailored the motion to not cover their house or the house on the other side them driving over the line sets my doorbell motion off

OP posts:
gwanwyn · 18/04/2022 12:02

I'd park to stop it - try and break them of the habit.

Last house neigbours few doors down got us to parking on road outside our house - not an issue till we had visitors who sometimed foudn it easier to do that than use our steep drive. Few times they came stroming trying to insit they move once when I was in car with our new baby though they back off quickly. The also parked over the pavement so much wheelchars and pushcairs struggled to get pass which adversley affect us most days - they were aware.

Our direct neigbour parked so they and their frequent vistors found it easier to walk up our drive - again fine till DH was bring up his motorbike or we were gardening and had our side opening garage blocking the route - they got quite nasty with us as they saw it as their right to use our drive.

However that's based on our previous house and I'd probbaly be more relaxed with current ones.

FiveShelties · 18/04/2022 12:03

@Newjourney2894 in that case, I would park in a way that would prevent them from using your drive. I would first ask them to stop though and hope it could be sorted amicably.

AnneElliott · 18/04/2022 12:04

I'd park in such a way so they can't do it and then put up a small fence. I'd tell them that you don't want your kids playing on their drive as it's dangerous so you're putting the fence up to keep them on your side.

I agree it's massively annoying. I'd never buy a house with a shared drive so I'd be really pissed off if a neighbour used my drive as a shared one!

KosherDill · 18/04/2022 12:08

@Rocketroe

Just start parking your car in the way that suits you, side by side. No need to announce it to them or anything. They’ve had a good run of it but no need for it to continue .
Right, no need to announce. They will soon get used to the new circumstances.
TempName01 · 18/04/2022 12:09

It wouldn’t bother me if my neighbours did this, if you make a fuss about it they might start to complain about kids noise in the garden or balls going over etc.

I don’t think it would affect the safety of your DC, they are either old enough to play on the street or younger where they need supervision, you wouldn’t let toddlers play on an open driveway on their own.

That said, I don’t think you would be unreasonable to park your car in the way.

aprofoundhistoricalnovalty · 18/04/2022 12:09

As with most of these situations, good fences make good neighbours.

A fence is the answer here. You don't need their permission, it doesn't need to be high. Make sure it is on your land- posts with some decorative chain would be a quick and not too expensive solution.

WillowKnicks · 18/04/2022 12:18

Newjourney2894
What is your current relationship like with them, are you on friendly terms?
Personally, I wouldn't like it, especially setting your door bell off & that would be enough of a reason to ask them not to do it.

RitaFires · 18/04/2022 12:20

I'd just park to block them doing it. They've gotten used to it and being unable to do it should break the habit for them.

Being kind and neighbourly about these things can backfire spectacularly. Save yourself the hassle and nip it in the bud now.

Hont1986 · 18/04/2022 12:22

Just park your car on that drive further forward so they can't reverse out. That's if it actually bothers you enough to do that. I can't understand why you would want to cause friction with your neighbours when their shortcut costs you nothing.

Badbadbunny · 18/04/2022 12:28

@Hont1986

Just park your car on that drive further forward so they can't reverse out. That's if it actually bothers you enough to do that. I can't understand why you would want to cause friction with your neighbours when their shortcut costs you nothing.
Because they're already showing themselves to be potential problem neighbours by driving over the OP's drive. When it comes to entitled people, one thing nearly always leads to another, so "boundaries" need to be set. The longer they do it, the more potential problems when the time comes to challenge them or put up a fence.
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