Neighbours family blocking my drive.

[Whatdoyouthink65]

So I know this is a first world problem,
there’s much worse things happening but I can’t stop being annoyed non the less.

i live on a ‘ normal 1930 residential street. The house has a dropped kurb a in front of the garage side of the frontage, and we have a small driveway. I have an EV vehicle which lives on the drive ( when not being driven) so that
a) I can get the 2 under 3 year olds out/in easily and
b) it can charge when not being used. We have solar panels on the house and all the time they’re producing and the car is plugged in- it charges the car - essentially for free.

Our next door neighbour is elderly, and her daughter in law comes in a few times a day to care for her. If the space directly outside her house is taken by someone else she parks across my drive whether I am in or out.

usually there is a space outside my house ( not blocking the drop curb) as although literally anyone can use it, when my DH goes out to work it typically doesn’t get filled until evening when he may or may not be able to park there. We 10000% accept that on the on road parking it’s pot luck but I really really think I should be able to park on or get off my drive whenever I want.

i have asked them lots of times to stop doing it, but it falls on deaf ears. The final straw was that yesterday I was 35 minutes late picking DD up from nursery because I had to walk there unexpectedly after not being able to get my car off the drive… and today I’ve come
home with both kids and a full car of shopping and had to park about 800m away because she has parked half in the space outside the house and across the drop curb.

ive tried knocking on to ask them to move , but on both occasions they haven’t answered the door. They stay 90-120 mins per visit ( not a few minutes like just dropping off).

AIBU to be absolutely fuming?

Oh god, that is so annoying. I think I'd honestly call a tow truck the next time it happens.

The second dropped kerb AIBU this week! Are you the other OP’s neighbour 🤣

Rules are that you need to give us a diagram. Just saying. 😊😬

But yes I'd be mad as hell.

Report to council parking attendant with pics (my DH has them on speed dial 😂😂😂).

Stick a rude note on the windscreen as well. (Pref with pva or wallpaper paste that is a right pain in the arse to get off, but not permanent).

Put a note though the door saying you will get it towed next time and will charge them £200 for the privilege. Obviously you can't but they might not know that.

Ignorant bastards.

If she has blocked your car in call the non emergency police number and report it.

I’d start taking photos.

Maybe accidentally spill a bag of poo filled nappies because you tripped?

I think I'd be leaning on their door bell until they moved the car

Surely your car doesn’t need to be on charge constantly? Park across your own driveway to piss her off.

Daft comment, sorry. Blocking is a totally different matter. We have done it a few times when visiting a relative, but always asked for permission first, and gave our mobile number so the person could call and ask for immediate removal if necessary.

Take pictures and keep reporting to the council. Leave notes on the car asking her not to obstruct the driveway. If she's ignoring you then I might even consider boxing her in occasionally so that she has to speak to you if she wants to get her car out.

No, it doesn’t have to be, but the solar is obviously only made during the day. By having it trickle charge it means I run my car for free.

It’s not daft - the other OP was blocking her neighbours in for pettiness..

I had this in last property and they were equally unbothered by my verbalbrequest not to block the drive. So I resorted to glueing letters not to block my drive to the side windows on the car. Just kids glue it would clean off just a pain to so. I still had to do it 3 times but they got the message!!

Slash a tire!

I would keep ringing on the doorbell until you get a reply, photograph and report to the council and non emergency police. Finally I would get a solicitor to send a letter if needs be.

Have you got a friend nearby with a car. Might not be easy to organise I realise but I would be tempted to park either side of her, one at the front and one at the back blocking her in and do not open the door. Do it a few times and inconvenience her and she might stop.

Other than a tow truck, could you get a car jack on a trolley and lift up the rear to push it out the way? Or are there other cars in the way?

She didn't say it was on charge constantly. You don't have a driveway to not use it.

Break the side window, let yourself in & release the handbrake to push it out of your way - preferably when your car is on the driveway and can't get off. Take a photo first so you can prove she was blocking you in.

So, even if there is space outside your house she still encroaches on the drive/dropped kerb?

Does neighbour have a drive? Normally space for two cars per house.

I have seen this when one or both parties have very different ideas of how much space is needed. Sometimes when I go out I think OH has blocked me in and is half way across, but often he's not, it's just perspective, but I have to reverse out in a certain direction to avoid his car.

I always thought it was illegal to block someone in on a driveway. If it’s not in use then you can block a dropped curb but if there’s a car parked there then you can’t. I might just remind them of that

Buy / borrow a wheel clamp (I have one for my caravan) then they will have to talk to you,maybe even just "pop out" fir a few Hours ???

I would keep knocking and get louder and louder until the ignorant idiot answers and moves her car. She is deliberately being a twat.

Also, leaving a large message written in lipstick on car windows often works wonders. If she knows she'll have a clean up job to do every time she parks and blocks your drive, she will magically stop doing it.

Go over and speak to them.

failing that leave a note on the car asking her to knock so you can discuss OR simply please dont park here i need access.

If its ignored phone your local parking enforcement team when your drive is blocked.
it toom us a while to find the right number but ours issue tickets on under 20 mins.
Once it was within 5!*

*for whatever reason when parking is scarce on our road people tend to park ON our drive or block our drive despite almost all the neighbours having drives our dropped curb is is the bay of choice apparently...
We put up with it for 2 years but one day i came home to find 2 men having an argument - one had parked ON my drive and was pretending he lived in my house... the other had blocked him in 🙄 after that we reported to PE every time.

Stand on their doorstep either ringing the doorbell or knocking on their door, constantly until they come out. Every time she parks, go out and do it again, even if you have to drive your car off the drive, go round the block and come back.

@Whatdoyouthink65 you can check with your council whether your kerb is registered with them, and if it is, you can phone up and get a parking ticket issued to the car parking across. Where I live, the dropped kerb was already there when we moved in, so we just had to get the reference number for it. It used to be they'd send someone out on a bike to ticket the car that was parked across, and even threaten to tow, but with cuts to services, it's now a ticket only Monday to Friday. I'm not suggesting you do that immediately, but it's helpful as last resort, to make the neighbours aware you can do that. I have done it a few times, and it then deters randoms from parking across. But sometimes it's just worth saying, I can report you, you know, and you will get an £80 fine....

Having said that, I got to know the local district nurse who visited the two elderly ladies on our street (now died) and she'd knock to check she'd be OK to park for 20 mins, which I guess is a bit like your neighbour's DIL.