Neighbours blocking my builder from parking

[HolmanHunt]

We are in the middle of a big renovation project. (Pretty much knocking house down and rebuilding it). I understand that it's disruptive to the neighbours with the noise and number of works vehicles etc. However, my neighbour has taken to parking his car on the street outside of his house rather than parking on his drive, presumably to stop the works vehicles from parking there. There is room for at least 3 cars on his drive. It's making it difficult for the workmen and my builder, who are now having to park some of their vehicles down the street.

Would I be unreasonable to ask my neighbour to go back to parking on his drive?

@HunterHearstHelmsley That’s awful and so shit.
I can’t believe people think it’s ok to block people in/out of their own driveways. Even only for a few minutes.
I wouldn’t dream of it.

@dutysuite

Exactly. It’s folk parking vans on both sides of your drive making it impossible to see to get out that really grinds my gears.

One occassion is once too much. Yoyr neighbour has the right to enter and leave his house without being inconvenienced - your builders (on 3 admitted) occassions have stopped tgat happening.

You are very lucky he isn’t knocking on your door complaining.

Honestly, having a house being torn down and rebuilt on one side is plenty of disruption without being expected to have the vans (and the traffic to/from them) in front of your house as well. If you're in a normally quiet neighbourhood then having that even for a week or two for a project is a lot, much less what you're describing. I really can't blame them. They've probably realised that if the builders are okay with blocking them in more than once, that they will just carry on doing it as and when they like (because clearly you either haven't mentioned it to the builders or you have and they've disregarded it; either option isn't good enough). I can't see any reason for them to stop.

Your builder shouldn't be blocking access to his home. My next door is having work done and they are constantly blocking my drive. They take their merry time to move when I want to leave as well. I think it's pretty ignorant to park across someone else's drive.

Also, three months! And you're only in the middle of the project! You should be bringing them a case of wine 😄

What? In the same way that the builders have caused him issues by blocking him in?

There's not a chance in hell you're going round there with wine and an apology. You've given so much of your attitude away in your posts and when disagreed with still insisted that the neighbour was being needlessly difficult. Also, how are you still living there if it's practically being knocked down and rebuilt?

Ha ha ha ha - it won’t have been occasionally. I lived next door to a building project like this for nearly a year. That was a year of having to find someone to move their fucking van every single time I wanted to get on or off my drive.

Absolute nightmare.

the problem then as they may think is why should i be kept waiting when im being blocked in,

No, I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying that some neighbours may not be happy to put up with months of work that makes your house nicer, but their enjoyment of theirs worse.

I'm not saying their opinions should take precedence at all, but that's how a lot of them will be thinking - and their level of goodwill will present accordingly.

So he's legally parked, outside his house, but you've decided it's petty, because despite you also not owning the road, you want your builders to park there.........

That's pretty much it @SD1978

I did this when the house next door was being renovated. The drive is shared and multiple vans would turn up early and either block it or make it really tight and difficult to get out. It wasn’t passive aggressive in any way I just wanted to be sure I could get my car out to go to work quickly and easily.

The reality is that no builder is going to want to leave a van containing thousands of £ worth of tools out of eyesight. My neighbour is a roofer and has had his broken into no less than 14 times.

Have you spoken to any of the neighbours prior to this to apologise for the disruption? People are a bit less likely to be pissed off if you acknowledge the frustration of it and maybe give them your number incase there are any immediate issues while you're not there?

I know you're going round to chat to this neighbour tonight but could be worth being proactive with the others! Good neighbours are worth their weight

You don’t own the road either so therefore he can park where he likes

Chances are in the 6 months since this thread was started the builders moved

He may need to get his car out in a hurry for perhaps medical reasons and doesn't want to get blocked in... Perhaps. Might not all be about you... Perhaps

Yup. I took to parking across my drive in order to stop other people doing that. At least that way I can get out when I need to.

As a pedestrian I fully support your neighbours parking. Builders are unbelievably entitled with their parking. Every day when coming home from work a pavement is blocked by numerous vans/trucks parking on pavements. I’ve seen wheelchair users have to use the road because of it.