Next door neighbour and they're business

[Psiaspops]

My next door neighbour runs a business from his home. Usually evenings, 3 to 4 a week. Usually between 4pm and 9pm. We have the usual with his clients parking in front of our house and drive way, blocking us in etc and we usually just ask them to politely move or whatever
But last night, a woman was waiting on their child while they were in their lesson. She had two other children with her. They looked to be around 7 and 5. She decided she would let them play in our garden, pick flowers etc. I went out and she just spoke to me like it was normal. I asked could they please not pick our flowers and play in our garden. She was really taken aback but said okay. Then the youngest grabbed stones from the road and threw them onto our grass. I asked her could she please not let her child do that, and she said to me oh it's only some stones and then made a scene of how unreasonable I was being and how he was only a child etc. Now our neighbour has come over and said to leave his clients alone. I explained what happened and he said he already knew and they were doing no harm. Who's being unreasonable here as I just don't understand their logic, but then maybe I'm wrong, I don't know anymore

Wow! OP you are much nicer than me. I thinki I would have been arrested by now. I find that sitting in my car with my hand on the horn until CF's move from in front of my drive usually speeds up the process.

This is incorrect. You don’t need insurance as a music tutor (although it is wise to get professional indemnity insurance) and the council couldn’t care less that you are giving lessons from home, unless you have turned part of your dwelling into a place of business (for example converted a garage into a studio that is used only for the music lessons) in which case you may need to pay business rates. And they don’t need a DBS either.

I'd have said live and let live, but based on the neighbours attitude, maybe check with the council that he's allowed to be doing what he is, and has all the correct insurances, and hmrc, that he's paying all his taxes.

There are rules around running a business from home/client parking.

He has actually converted his garage into a studio for the purpose of music lessons. He has it all up over social media plus we heard the work being done for over 3 weeks

Don't bother checking his DBS as you won't be told anything ..... but speak to the Planning Dept at the council as he's likely to need consent for business use.

@SuperSange no need to be so rude. Yes I read the post but terminally ill has a huge range of level of ability and time frames.

The stress will make anything much worse and clearly getting the.council to intervene will take months. Hence my suggestion.

Op I'm sorry it's rapid and this isn't an option. I suggest you report the noise every day it happens. Report the blocking every time it happens. Everytime someone is in your garden. Write a strong letter to the council and get something from your gp stating.your health and the stress and impact this is causing.

Hopefully with this you can get them to escalate and prioritise helping you.

In that case he probably is (or at least should be) paying business rates on the rateable value of the garage.

Thank you
I know it sounds silly, but I hate to cause trouble, and that's why this has carried on so long but I'm really at the end of my tether now. I just want a quiet life and to be able to get in and out of my own driveway when needed. I don't think that's too much to ask is it? It's just all his clients and himself seem to think I'm the problem and it makes me doubt myself.

Hopefully the council will get back to me soon with the questions I've asked and then I can go from there. Honestly I don't care that he runs a business from his home and I didn't mind putting up with the noise, that's part of life but I think when it comes to my own property being used etc, it's just going too far now.

I'd be mortified if my kids went onto someone else's front garden! You're not unreasonable.

That level of noise at those.hours really isn't part of life op. I'd phone the council and explain your situation in full. You really aren't causing trouble bless you.

It's just all his clients and himself seem to think I'm the problem and it makes me doubt myself
Hopefully the perspective of posters on this thread will show otherwise
A bit of inconvenient parking - sure, let it go.

Being blocked in, people in your garden, people being rude, a neighbour also being noisy during the night, and people not respecting you when you say you are unhappy - no, you are not the problem....

Some people are dicks.

Tell him the next time someone blocks your drive you will be taking photographic evidence and reporting it.

He sounds like a complete arsehole.

YANBU to complain to him about people parking over your drive and people letting kids play in your garden and throw stones. He should have sent a group mail out to all his pupils to ask them to be considerate of the neighbours.
I had to do this when a neighbour complained to me that a parent had parked in "his" parking space in the communal car park. There are no allocated spaces out the front - it's a communal visitor car park - which I did tell him at the time, and there were plenty of other spaces available where he could have parked but he wanted "his".... But I still sent a message out to parents asking them to avoid "his" parking space even though he has no rights to that parking space because I wanted to avoid any further trouble from him
Your neighbour is a massive selfish knob. He should be aware of inconveniencing neighbours and send out messages to his clients if there are any signs of people behaving in an inconsiderate way, even before a neighbour has to complain.

The rest of it is even worse. He shouldn't be playing instruments between 12 and 5 am. I would complain to the council about that. That has to stop. It is no way normal noise.

He sounds like a complete arse. Hope the council get back to you soon

I think contacting your community policeman is a good idea. That can be done online here, perhaps your area is the same? I would mention 2 sets of parents now being rude to you and blocking your drive.

So I've found out that because this is a private road, people are only allowed to park on it with your permission and, due to that we actually own the pavement and half the road outside our house, so people can only park outside our house if we give permission, so honestly I feel like moving everyone now who parks there for his lessons, especially as I found out on Thursdays now he is running group sessions of ten people at a time from 6pm to 9pm. It's going to be bedlam and I have the hospital every Thursday night so trying to get to and from is going to be hell. Honestly, I'm so fed up. Still waiting on hearing back about noise etc and business rates. Will keep you all updated. Thank you to everyone who has helped me as honestly I have cried way too much over this all.

Good news to hear some 'official rules' are on your side. Does that means it's officially trespass if they park there?

Less good to hear about the sessions for ten people. However this does look 'good' on a nuisance log. Again, under impact put worry prior, as well as the actual impact at the time.

You are in our thoughts.

Yes it's counted as trespass for them to park there, as we have not give them permission. So we have every right to move them along and by law they have to move, not give my cheek like they have been. Yes, I stupidly looked up his social media page just to see what's happening with his business and found out about the group sessions. I actually sobbed like a baby, which I'm not proud of. But I really do appreciate everyone's support. Friday night was awful again here with people using our driveway as a turning space, parking on it, over it etc and one woman told me I couldn't tell her what to do, I politely told her I could as it was my driveway. She shouted some expletives and then moved. Honestly I'm just sick and tired of it all

I think it is time to write on his social media pages that he does not have permission to allow parking on the street or in front of driveways etc, and police and towtrucks are going to be called EVERY time at the expense of the drivers causing the delays to the person they are inconveniencing. Fuck him!

Oooh and signs on the road stating that it is a private road. No parking at any time. Trespassers will be towed at their own cost. This includes clients of wanker drum teacher.

@Psiaspops Can you find a local firm that either clamps or tows away cars parked illegally on private land?
Then put a sign up and leave them to do their job.
Also, check on companies house and report him to HMRC if you haven't.
Did he have planning permission and building regs to convert his garage into a business premises? The BRegs side would be different to a normal domestic conversion.
Good Luck.

The law has changed and trespassers can now be prosecuted. However, it seems there is a 24 hour rule, which wouldn’t apply To you op. Except it’s a repeat offence by the same people weekly and they are causing you a lot of distress as you can’t get to your appointment. Idk if the police would help at all in this situation. I would stress it is abnormal in nature due to you needing to get to appointments. https://conventuslaw.com/report/uk-trespassers-can-now-be-prosecuted/

As for the rest, if your oh has the energy, I’d be contacting HMRC and doing all of the above. I’m sorry about your diagnosis.

Can you start parking on the road at the bottom of your driveway for now?

The only problem with that is, the last time I tried that, the cheeky fuckers parked on my driveway. Told me I had taken 'their' spot. And I saw my neighbour last night, asked him if before the lessons start this week, could he let his clients know they couldn't park either outside my house, over driveway, on driveway or use our garden as a playpark.he laughed in my face. So honestly, it was at that point I went online and sent all his details to HMRC just to make sure he's paying all the correct taxes etc as I'm at the end of my tether