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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
Whatsonmymindgrapes · 18/04/2022 12:30

Why does it matter if they drive over your drive?

Erictheavocado · 18/04/2022 12:34

I think I'd not want to start by annoying my new neighbours, so I'd start by having a conversation, probably based around the safety of the children.
How often does your husband have clients visit his business?

StepAwayFromGoogling · 18/04/2022 12:35

Seriously? They reverse onto your drive for, what, 5 seconds, when they are leaving their house? Causes you no inconvenience whatsoever. Not damaging your property or grass or anything. What's the problem?

Ukholidaysaregreat · 18/04/2022 12:35

I think it is an issue. In rainy weather they will be churning up and spoiling your grass whilst leaving their own grass as a nice lawn. I think they are CFs but I would approach this nicely as you have only just moved in and getting on well with neighbours makes everything easier. However keep in mind that they are Cheeky Fuckers as a none Cheeky Fucker would definitely not be using your lawn as a drive extension.

Ikeptgoing · 18/04/2022 12:36

So out a fence up or little pots of flowers or bushes along the edge of your boundary at the top nearest your house or park your cars where they reverse so that no one from NDN can reverse onto your driveway

I would be worried they are starting to see this as right of way and it's your driveway. And also with children who may leave their toys out, I wouldn't want to let it continue

Am sorry to say this OP but your diagram isn't up to usual MN standard Grin as it's still not clear when you started saying house 2 and 3 which aren't labelled and also can't work out where they are reversing over and where your gate is and where is too narrow to park...

Seeline · 18/04/2022 12:37

@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.
Well it's not going to cost the NDN anything when the OP has to pay to have her drive repaired/relayed sooner than she would if they weren't using it regularly.
BeyondMyWits · 18/04/2022 12:41

Would beware unintended consequences.

If they have to keep swapping cars around that could impact noise wise, doors slamming, engines going repeatedly (my otherwise lovely neighbours). They'd probably park one out front instead, is there a dropped kerb in front of your second drive? If not, you know where they'd park. etc.

WalkWithDignityAndPride · 18/04/2022 12:41

@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.
I can't understand why the bastards in house 2 want to cause friction with their new neighbours when parking sensibly costs them nothing.

I also can't understand why you'd defend someone being socially obnoxious instead of someone wanting peaceful usage of their own property. Says a lot about you, I'd suspect.

Hont1986 · 18/04/2022 12:53

I can't understand why the bastards in house 2 want to cause friction with their new neighbours when parking sensibly costs them nothing. I also can't understand why you'd defend someone being socially obnoxious instead of someone wanting peaceful usage of their own property. Says a lot about you, I'd suspect.

ODFOD. I haven't defended House 2, I'm saying I don't think it's a problem worth causing a problem over. House 2 can't 'park sensibly' to avoid this problem, they have a one-car-width drive and they can't pass one car through another. OP's drive is six car lengths so it's going to be obvious if she starts parking in a way that blocks House 2's back car in. I'm saying it costs her nothing to leave it as it is, but could potentially cost a lot to deal with it.

PinkTonic · 18/04/2022 13:08

House 2 can't 'park sensibly' to avoid this problem, they have a one-car-width drive and they can't pass one car through another

The OP has given up a lawn to get the double width. The neighbours haven’t so they have the original one width. They can either adapt their drive similarly or tandem park and shuffle cars. Using the OPs drive to get around their inconvenience isn’t an option. Reasons not needed, but children, doorbell, wear and tear, establishment of an easement and because she thinks it’s cheeky.

Hont1986 · 18/04/2022 13:12

OP hasn't given up anything, the drives were like this when she bought it recently.

Fulmine · 18/04/2022 13:13

@StepAwayFromGoogling

Seriously? They reverse onto your drive for, what, 5 seconds, when they are leaving their house? Causes you no inconvenience whatsoever. Not damaging your property or grass or anything. What's the problem?
Taking 5 seconds to reverse out into a road would be incredibly irresponsible driving.

Ultimately it's inevitable that it will damage OP's property, because it will cause the hard surface to wear and crack. Plus it puts OP's children at risk.

Hont1986 · 18/04/2022 13:13

Ofgs, crossing onto the next door neighbours driveway to get around your car does not fucking 'establish an easement'.

BrightonBunny · 18/04/2022 13:18

So put a fence up or little pots of flowers or bushes along the edge of your boundary at the top nearest your house or park your cars where they reverse so that no one from NDN can reverse onto your driveway

This is the sensible solution. Or nice penguin bollards all the way down Grin

Rachelw84 · 18/04/2022 13:24

This article describes a similar situation

“If no right is apparent, it is still possible for the neighbour to have acquired a right to use part of your driveway in order to move in and out of their driveway.

The neighbour would have to prove that they had used your driveway in that way continuously for at least 20 years.”

www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/property-news/right-of-way-can-my-neighbour-reverse-over-my-driveway-if-they-ve-been-doing-it-for-years-a134036.html

I would strategically park your cars to gentle remind them not to do it especially if it sets off your doorbells - they need to realise you are not like their former neighbours and want to maintain your property boundaries

MeridianB · 18/04/2022 13:28

Have you met them yet, OP?

That’s the first step. Explain the arrangement they had with previous tenant won’t be continuing. Then park in the drive nearest them, further towards the road.

Abitofalark · 18/04/2022 13:28

A neighbour is driving over your drive to get out. But not to get in?
But do you also use that drive? It's important that you do, to show that it is yours and is regularly used by you.

When you move into your property, take charge, fully occupy it, make visible and actual your occupation of your own land, impose yourself, as is your right. You don't have to justify it. You just do it. You park on your drive.

They will probably still do it when your car is not there. A wall or fence in that case. A lockable parking bollard could also do it.
Depending on covenants, there might be limits on fence height or agreements re a boundary fence, unless you put it within your own land, which would narrow it slightly.

You don't want people getting into a habit of use and assuming a right to use, asserting that the owner didn't use it, which is why it is important that you do use it. So start parking on it to stop this. If they don't like it, too bad; they've been trespassing and you're not having that.

Hairybaker · 18/04/2022 13:33

If you don’t put a fence up they will still reverse out if one or both of your cars are not home. Which would still be annoying!

KosherDill · 18/04/2022 13:34

@Hairybaker

If you don’t put a fence up they will still reverse out if one or both of your cars are not home. Which would still be annoying!
This is a good point.
Beelezebub · 18/04/2022 13:46

Put up a fence.
You need to prevent a right of way becoming established/being perceived to have become established, which could cause problems when either you or they come to sell.

Original poster
Newjourney2894 · 18/04/2022 13:47

They drive on and off via my drive way.

One of the reasons why I just worry about letting it go and that be it is that my old house lost parking due to actions of previous owners and I don’t want it to happen here. My old house did not come with a drive way as it was ex council and the road had 2 spaces allocated on the road as the houses were at the end of the cul-de-sac.

The previous owners of my house built a driveway at the back of the property which led onto a different street and the house next to mine built a drive on the corner of their house and dropped the curb straight onto these 2 allocated spaces which meant when they reversed off their drive they needed the space of both the spaces.

We knew that even with the drive at the back we might of wanted to pull up at the front of the house occasionally but the 1st time we let a guest pull into the space the neighbour came out shouting and saying that they couldn’t get their car out if cars were parked in that corner and because we had a good relationship before that we didn’t want to sour it so we stopped doing that again.

I am not having that happen here because some previous owner allowed it to happen..

OP posts:
Original poster
Newjourney2894 · 18/04/2022 13:48

The way we would stop them reversing on and off would be too leave the family car slightly pushed back on the drive. My other half works at home full time and now he has the hobby space at home he won’t need to religiously go out

OP posts:
apricotlane · 18/04/2022 14:05

Be nice unless you need to use the part of your drive in which case give a polite 'just a headsup we're going to start using that space from now'. If it really bothers you get a fence up but do it in a very 'we're just improving the garden' way. I think good relations between neighbours is a big deal. I bet there's a way to sort it without causing any upset, it just needs a bit of tact and delicacy even though it's your place.

I actually understand you feeling a bit edgy about it but you're going to be next to them for a long time. A bit of generosity goes a long way...if they're nice people just relax a bit.

JaffavsCookie · 18/04/2022 14:51

Op which of the two contrasting statements you have made about husbands on/off business is actually true?
You replied to me saying it was a business, but your comment to “@FiveShelties- it’s not a business as such” because if you can’t tell the truth about this is it more of a problem than you wish to admit? And this could be crucial if you decide to get arsey with your neighbours

Original poster
Newjourney2894 · 18/04/2022 15:03

@JaffavsCookie- wow that comment was a bit off. Basically we are using the living room as a studio/hobby space for my other half to do a little side gig from.. he does a podcast every 2 weeks where he has a host join via video link the future plan is that his friend can come round to the house and host live with him. There is a 6 x 4 foot table so they can play live games in order to release on his channel for his followers so basically when I say clients I mean people coming and going for a specific reason and it would be a point of entry for non household guests rather than clients…

He does commission paintings for people but they tend to deliver their figures rather than drop them off so that wouldn’t matter.

Also my other half is a web designer by day and wants to kind of do it on the side of his day job so might possibly be some clients then that would park on the drive to access the studio and work with him to design their website

OP posts: