To report car dealer neighbour for taking 5 parking spaces

[itswhatsinsidethatcounts]

Hi all.

A neighbour who's moved into the estate recently is taking the utter piss with 'stealing' every available parking space in the area for his cars. I am almost certain he is dealing illegally and selling from home. As of this evening 5 bays are occupied by his cars, which I find ridiculously unfair and inconsiderate.

I'm annoyed as he's taken my space that I've been parking in for the last 9 years. I'm kind of forced to park in the unassigned bay next to it which I hate as it's so tight and awkward to get into. A few weeks ago, I was looking out of the window and I could see him really struggling to get his car in which is smaller than mine, so he just went and parked elsewhere. This was before he conveniently stole my space.

Would I be unreasonable for reporting him to the council?

Wr have a neighbour doing this with delivery vans. He's got some sort of delivery business and has parked three big vans on our narrow road. Completely legal but really selfish and inconsiderate for the neighbours.

Slightly off topic but fuck me its irritating when someone on your street decides to park their (or one of several) vehicle in a way that makes it hard for others Tobias the road or park just to save them walking a few extra meters to a more considerate and safe parking spot.

And you can't even name and shame on Nextdoor or the like as you get everyone jumping on you screeching "You know nothing about their lives!/they are just trying to go out and make an honest living " and such.

Inconsiderate twats

To use the road, that should say

I had a neighbour a few years back doing the same thing in the same situation. Allocated parking of one space per household, a few visitor lay-bys for others.
I took to monitoring the MOT and tax status of every car that I'd seen him be associated with. And the DAY it went over, I'd report it to the DVLA. I could do it because these lay-bys could be argued as being "on the road".
He did seem to stop eventually.

Now I have a different neighbour with umpteen transit vans. They all belong to big businesses, so I'm not sure why they have to come home with him. There's one in his parking bay, and often at least 2 others taking up visitor spots.

This! Most councils would require change of use planning permission to run that kind of business from a residential property.

Trouble is, evidence!

Can you take photos of the cars and record the dates etc., which you can provide to the council to prove that there's a succession of different cars over a period of say a couple of months, rather than them being the same cars?

Can you go on ebay and auto trader to randomly search for some of the cars to see if you can spot them being advertised? If so, take screen shots.

The more actual evidence you can supply the council, the more likely they are to take action. Realistically, they're not going to do that kind of investigative work themselves, so they'd just fob you off if you can't provide evidence of a succession of different cars and a few adverts matching the photos you take.

But do you pay a management fee at all?

If so what they're doing is a bit like a shop referring you to the manufacturer when goods are faulty...
Which as I'm sure many know is so out dated and a no no now.

Check if the cars are taxed and mot's
The cars may belong to him and or his family.
A few people on our roads own an extra car, EG a couple with 4 cars, one for the weekend, a classic that is rarely driven and their daily drivers but thankfully we all have drives and the smallest drives on our road can take two avg sized cars their drive can take 8/10

Once you check with the council = possibly try checking facebook etc inc ebays etc for those cars if being sold etc - then send the info to the Trading standards if they still exist

you may want to report them to the HMRC.
Also, ascertain if they are on benefits and if so report them

However, don't give you name as people know people and they talk even when not allowed

The council may refuse to help if you don't give your name - then you have to decide what next

We have someone who lives on the main road and runs a mechanic business from home he parks the customers cars all along the entrance to our road and a road opposite. Was also using the local shops car park as well, lots of people have complained and at one point they were clamped and ticketed, he stopped for a while but they are creeping back again. It's a pain as he parks them right near the turning and there's a island with bollards so makes it narrow as well.

I'm guessing he paid the fines and it's worth the money as doesn't pay overheads for premises but he is the most disliked person around here

Many years ago I owned a flat with undercover parking, I kept having people park cars in my allocated space. I came home one day to fine once again a car in my space and it turned out one of the other residents was running a car valeted business from home and using not only our parking spaces to store the cars while they were waiting to be collected...but the communal water supply and power to jet wash and hoover them! Needless to say the rest of the residents soon put a stop to it by informing the management company.

Sorry that should say useless.

Yes, we do pay a fee. They're rubbish all around though!

There was an incident once where a neighbour went abroad but left his car parked in a bay that belonged to (at the time) an unoccupied property. 2 months after his departure, a couple moved in and had nowhere to park. Management referred them to the police. Nothing was done. The said neighbour eventually came back from Europe and moved his car.

They had to wait over 6 months to recuperate their bay.

Thank you. I don't like the idea of giving my name to the council or HMRC.😥

All 5 of his cars are gone this evening even his daily. He had a customer in last night revving the engine of what seemed like a sports car so loud, I think this may have lead some neighbours to complain or call the police.

Then I'd be telling them you pay a management fee to them on the understanding that they actually manage the area.

That's what my DD did when her management team were charging but not doing the actual managing, she was found to be correct and had the management fee for her and a neighbour lowered.

Do you live on my street?!

Are you in Northamptonshire?

when i bought my house i had to agree not to run that type of business from home,a neighbour does similar everyones fed up with him blocking 5 or6 spaces, cars are usually accident victims all bashed up, council came out to him,

Does he own the house or is it rented?

It is illegal to act as a car dealer unless licensed. Try reporting to DVLA.

Yes it is. Section 22a of the 1988 Road Traffic Act.