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AIBU?

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Original poster

Parking and Neighbour

116 replies

PeaceGoodMercutio · 07/11/2023 11:18

Who is being unreasonable, me or my neighbour?
The space in blue is a "shared access driveway" but part of it outlined in red is owned by us.
We park in our parking bay (23). Our neighbour (24)keeps parking where the yellow box is on my picture, which blocks access to our drive and stops us being able to get out.
She says so does this because she says she should be able to get into her drive without doing any manoeuvres (no idea what she means) and she has to be able to get up close to our back gate.
She has two spaces, and if she has a visitor she parks in the yellow rectangle. Sometimes she parks there anyway. (Sometimes her visitor parks on our drive) .
Is she allowed to park in the yellow rectangle when it blocks our private parking spaces?
Also, am I allowed to park where the pink car is or does it block her parking spaces?

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 08/11/2023 08:31

HaveSomeIntrospect · 08/11/2023 08:22

Do you really own a part of the shared access?

you should paint the part of the land that you own so she can clearly see where she is not allowed to oark

She already knows where she isn't allowed to park though. She doesn't care. She knows she can only park in her actual parking spots.

Daffodilsandtuplips · 08/11/2023 08:49

Your neighbour needs driving lessons if she can’t manoeuvre around another vehicle. No one should be parked on the pink bit but I can understand why you do.
I would try to discuss it with her one more time and then send her a solicitors letter if she continues.

We have similar to this kind of shared access with our neighbour, it is a different lay out to yours, it’s at right angles to the diagram and within our boundary line on our deeds but we have to allow next door to ‘pass and re-pass’ and the same applies to us, we have the same rights as they do. It’s to allow reversing to exit the cul de sac in our case.

The neighbour we had then ran a business from home, buying and selling on eBay, and constant visitors which caused no end of problems over this shared access. They seemed think they had adverse possession over it.
It’s a long story.
They moved last year and our new neighbours great.

Daffodilsandtuplips · 08/11/2023 09:00

Op can’t fence any of it off nor can she paint lines or put planters on the shared part.

Imagwine · 08/11/2023 09:00

I’d start parking in the spot behind her and knock on the door every time she parks there. I think I’d be popping to the shop regularly until she gets the message - at some inconvenient times too.
Then I’d send the expensive solicitors letter. But I’d try the free nuisance to her route first.

user1492757084 · 08/11/2023 09:11

Imagwine · 08/11/2023 09:00

I’d start parking in the spot behind her and knock on the door every time she parks there. I think I’d be popping to the shop regularly until she gets the message - at some inconvenient times too.
Then I’d send the expensive solicitors letter. But I’d try the free nuisance to her route first.

This... and sort it promptly.
A solicitors letter with a copy of the map, a copy of the council laws and a request for her to stop parking in the shared access zone.

The sooner she knows you are someone to not take advantage of - the better.

wibdib · 08/11/2023 10:35

It sounds like she has bought the wrong house - if she doesn’t want to manoeuvre her car into her parking space, she shouldn’t have bought a house that has a parking space that can only be used by manoeuvring into it.
Doesn’t matter how hard she screws her eyes up, crossed all her fingers and wishes she could just drive straight into it or plonk it where she wants, access rights can’t be changed like that.

ChiefWiggumsBoy · 08/11/2023 10:54

I think you need to speak to her again, when she says she 'shouldn't have to do maneouvres' do a head tilt and a little sad smile and ask her if she means she can't manage to park in her space? Would she like you to help her learn? Because she's clearly not the type of neighbour who would block you in because they're too lazy to park in their own space is she?

Also tell her to communicate her spare spaces to her visitors as it's a PITA when someone uses yours.

JudgeJ · 08/11/2023 11:33

xILikeJamx · 07/11/2023 12:43

I was so excited to see a diagram when I clicked the thread. Gutted

I can't even see a diagram!!!

aswarmofmidges · 08/11/2023 11:34

Filter op posts to see the diagram

JudgeJ · 08/11/2023 11:36

aswarmofmidges · 08/11/2023 11:34

Filter op posts to see the diagram

I saw the hand drawn one later. One of the reasons that 'no shared access' and 'no right of access' were to of our main criteria when looking to move!

EnjoyingTheSilence · 08/11/2023 12:02

I can only see the 2nd picture but no she shouldn’t park there, she needs to park in her spaces no matter how many manoeuvres it’s takes. If her car’s too big, she needs to park on the street, not black you in or out.

Corkscrewcurls · 08/11/2023 12:36

Not sure how well you get on with your neighbour but looking at the drawing (very Clear one too) there is a very simple solution that would help both of you. Why don't you 'unofficially' swap your parking spaces. That way she could just go straight in and out and you'd have two useable spaces. She could even reverse in by using 'your' spaces on the now right.

Kissmystarfish · 08/11/2023 13:08

PeaceGoodMercutio · 07/11/2023 11:18

Who is being unreasonable, me or my neighbour?
The space in blue is a "shared access driveway" but part of it outlined in red is owned by us.
We park in our parking bay (23). Our neighbour (24)keeps parking where the yellow box is on my picture, which blocks access to our drive and stops us being able to get out.
She says so does this because she says she should be able to get into her drive without doing any manoeuvres (no idea what she means) and she has to be able to get up close to our back gate.
She has two spaces, and if she has a visitor she parks in the yellow rectangle. Sometimes she parks there anyway. (Sometimes her visitor parks on our drive) .
Is she allowed to park in the yellow rectangle when it blocks our private parking spaces?
Also, am I allowed to park where the pink car is or does it block her parking spaces?

Wait. Where is the picture?

PepeLePugh · 08/11/2023 13:41

Corkscrewcurls · 08/11/2023 12:36

Not sure how well you get on with your neighbour but looking at the drawing (very Clear one too) there is a very simple solution that would help both of you. Why don't you 'unofficially' swap your parking spaces. That way she could just go straight in and out and you'd have two useable spaces. She could even reverse in by using 'your' spaces on the now right.

That is a very good suggestion.

Trakand01 · 08/11/2023 13:54

We have a shared access and it is a contravention to block it. Check your deeds, they should make it clear what she can and can’t do.

Readingallnight · 08/11/2023 14:10

She’s parking on your property
She’s blocking your access aswell.
Her inability to manoeuvre her car does not give her any rights over your property.
Give her a copy of your deeds, ask her to stop blocking your access and your. If that doesn’t work get a solicitor to right a letter confirming your rights and hers. ( obviously that will cost you )

gotmychristmasmiracle · 08/11/2023 14:14

As far as I am aware shared driveway anyone can park on, that is why my other half who is a solicitor will never buy a property with a shared driveway.

PepeLePugh · 08/11/2023 14:24

gotmychristmasmiracle · 08/11/2023 14:14

As far as I am aware shared driveway anyone can park on, that is why my other half who is a solicitor will never buy a property with a shared driveway.

This is nonsense. You are not allowed to park on shared access and if your other half thinks this then they are not a very good solicitor.

I suspect the actual reason your other half avoids buying anywhere with shared access is that enforcing the no parking on shared access driveways can be timely and expensive if you have to go down the legal route to enforce your rights.

Daffodilsandtuplips · 08/11/2023 14:31

gotmychristmasmiracle · 08/11/2023 14:14

As far as I am aware shared driveway anyone can park on, that is why my other half who is a solicitor will never buy a property with a shared driveway.

This isn’t a shared driveway though, it’s shared ingress and egress. No one should be using it to park on except for the driveways allocated to each property.
Im in agreement with your DH though, We will never buy another property on a private road with this kind of set up. It’s been great Since our new neighbour moved in but it could have gone the other way.
Our road has three houses on it, we are in the middle. Our council won’t adopt a road with less than four houses on it each property owner has to maintain the road, the house on the end nearest the main road, (house No. 1) would pay less than us, )we are No 2,) we pay less than no. 3 at the head of the cul de sac but more than no 1,. No 3 pays the mist because he uses more of the road than we do.

gotmychristmasmiracle · 08/11/2023 14:39

@PepeLePugh

Probs this, he went into a massive scenario about what happens when/if- unfortunately most new builds now have shared driveways.

I suspect the actual reason your other half avoids buying anywhere with shared access is that enforcing the no parking on shared access driveways can be timely and expensive if you have to go down the legal route to enforce your rights.

Readingallnight · 08/11/2023 14:47

PepeLePugh · 08/11/2023 14:24

This is nonsense. You are not allowed to park on shared access and if your other half thinks this then they are not a very good solicitor.

I suspect the actual reason your other half avoids buying anywhere with shared access is that enforcing the no parking on shared access driveways can be timely and expensive if you have to go down the legal route to enforce your rights.

Show quote history

Absolutely @PepeLePugh
You can only stop on an access route if you’re dropping off / picking up etc for a short period of time. A matter of minutes or whatever is determined reasonable.
If the neighbour was moving house and needed longer, for example, they would have to ask the owner of the land permission.

PepeLePugh · 08/11/2023 14:50

gotmychristmasmiracle · 08/11/2023 14:39

@PepeLePugh

Probs this, he went into a massive scenario about what happens when/if- unfortunately most new builds now have shared driveways.

I suspect the actual reason your other half avoids buying anywhere with shared access is that enforcing the no parking on shared access driveways can be timely and expensive if you have to go down the legal route to enforce your rights.

They can work if everyone respects the shared access but all it takes is the wrong neighbour and it can be incredibly stressful and time-consuming to resolve. I haven't ever had a shared access driveway but I have lived in a terrace house with a right of access through my neighbours garden before and some people think they can just do what they like and block access because they don't like it. People need to really understand what they are taking on when they buy properties with rights of way.

Noseyoldcow · 08/11/2023 15:53

If you share a driveway with your neighbour(s), no one should park in such a way that access is obstructed. The suggestion up thread that you have an informal agreement to swap spaces isn't a bad one provided her rotten parking won't obstruct you getting in and out of those spaces - you don't really want to fall out over this, as after all you do have to carry on living next door to each other at least for now. The fact she can't/doesn't want to manoeuvre is pretty typical of the driving you see these days, and is quite scary. If they "park" like that, how safe are they on the open road? One of our neighbours is so bad, we call her "the Parker". She's not averse to manoeuvring at all. She's not capable of driving straight into her space from a plenty wide enough road, she goes in and out like a fiddlers elbow, and even then she never leaves the car straight or even neatly within her space. Don't know how the neighbouring space holders put up with it, I wouldn't.

saffy2 · 08/11/2023 17:05

PeaceGoodMercutio · 07/11/2023 13:17

Hand drawn, not an artist.

That’s total insanity for her to park there. I imagine why she means by no manoeuvres is that in that place she can drive straight in and not turn again. But she’s being completely unreasonable.

gotmychristmasmiracle · 08/11/2023 18:34

Just seen your drawing , think I would just have a chat with her about it and explain you can't get on your driveway was she aware it's obstruction. If she's still being a funny bugger then I think I would just park next to her car instead as you can't get on the drive. Park really close to annoy her.