To ask the neighbour’s guest to move their car

[PregnantAndKnackered1]

I live on a row of terraced houses where everyone parks in front of their house without issue usually. It’s very civil, we all just stick to our own bit of road, sometimes guests from other houses do occasionally park in front of our house for a day or so. This is fine and to be expected, we don’t own the road.

There is a small carpark at the end of the road at the opposite end to my house. Our guests always use this and walk or if someone is blocking ‘our space’ we park there.

We don’t know our neighbours on the next street over but their guests have parked in front of our house for 2 weeks now without moving. This is assuming they haven’t moved whilst I’ve been at work. I am due to give birth soon (32 weeks) and I am having some issues with the pregnancy where we are at heightened risk of still birth / pre-term labour and walking the 7 minute walk to the end of the road if I need to load/unload the car is becoming very difficult for me.

Again, I am aware I don’t own the road but AIBU to think if their car is going to be parked there for weeks they can use the carpark at the end of the road and it would be okay to politely request this? They’ve watched me struggle multiple times now when they are leaving the house with the homeowners/getting into the car with them and haven’t offered to move yet.

I think it might depend a bit on the custom where you live... in London you just can't ask something like this really, but I know it can be culturally different elsewhere. Is there anything stopping you parking in front of a neighbours house also, does it have to be right outside or the car park?

If you see these neighbours drive off, go get your car and park in ‘their’ space.

I don’t think it would be unreasonable to appeal to their better nature. Just because something’s legal doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. I wouldn’t be hopeful though as you’d think they would have realised already. Maybe they’re just oblivious though? Does your (albeit next street) neighbour know do you think?

They are visiting another street but have watched you struggle multiple times ?

Kindly, its not their fault you don't have off street parking you'll just need to rearrange what you're doing so you have more help.

I don’t want to park in front of the neighbour’s house as they have young kids (3 and 5yo) so I don’t want to inconvenience them. We usually all just stick to in front of our own houses.

It's fine to politely ask if they could move it - and point out the car park. If you explain why, they'll probably be happy to oblige. But if they say no, you'd have to accept that.

Yes @DDivaStar we are end of the road and their road is perpendicular and they use the back of their house which is across from
ours. Hard to explain

I don’t think it would hurt to ask, just be polite and explain the problem. They probably are just unaware of the situation, I know you say they’ve seen you struggling but it’s highly possible they just didn’t register the fact

It’s just very much not the done thing around here to park in front of someone else’s house. Next door did it to 3 doors down once and they came and knocked on our door (got the wrong house) within an hour to have the car moved. This has been over 2 weeks now and I don’t know how much longer it will be. I am going to have to start getting lifts if I need any shopping etc

Are they new neighbours? I’d suggest going round and saying nicely what you told us, that if they can’t park outside the house they are visiting would they mind parking in the car park as that’s what we do here thank you so much.

If it works fine. If not at least you tried. I’d be parking in front of other peoples houses and making sure they know why. Then they will be inconvenienced and may also trot round to the neighbour whose friends are buggering things up and tell them to move. The more that do that the more likely they will cave and move.

Well more than likely they come from an area similar to where I live, where it is very much first come first served. There is only parking on one side of the street so we couldn't all park outside our houses.

Does this other street have a similar parking understanding?

Ask. If you don't ask they won't move. If you ask they might. If you ask and they don't move, feel free to use "their" space.

Then be inconvenienced yourself and suffer through the last days of your pregnancy/first weeks with a newborn 🤷🏼‍♀️

You get no prizes in life for martyring yourself for the sake of people who don't give a fig about you. It's a shame but it's the truth.

Since it’s not being used and is just sitting there I would politely ask it is moved. if they are nervous someone is going to make off with their car, this is not your problem.
if everyone ignores you. Then take the same approach and park in your neighbours space as soon as they leave. They can’t have it both ways. I suspect with two small children they will wise up quickly.

You have nothing to lose by politely asking. They probably just have not registered, although you think they have seen you struggling. They may want the car nearer to the house they are visiting though, but you won't know without speaking to them.

They most likely don't realise you are pregnant. Just knock on the door, point it out and ask them to move the car given you are getting closer to due date and are struggling to carry/lift things.

This sums it up perfectly

You don’t own the space in front of your house. Park in the space closest to your house.

no one has the right to tell you to move.

You can’t really ask them, it’s a public road. So if you do ask them make sure it’s super polite and nice and apologetic type of tone and not arsey because they have done nothing wrong at all, and you’re asking for a favour

No, not new neighbours but known to be quite inconsiderate with parking. On their road they have 4 cars and park them all on double yellows making it dangerous as to pull out of the road you’re on the wrong side and the corners are difficult to see around.

I did think about parking in front of other neighbours but it will only be a short solution as I’m working and having to attend the hospital twice a day so would be back in the carpark as soon as I move the car. I also just don’t want to piss people off

It’s my next door neighbour that has the kids. The neighbours across the road/perpendicular don’t have kids but have 4 cars which they park on the double yellows on the road to the side of their house.

You could politely ask but dont expect them to accommodate you.
People are AHs, your neighbour probably knows you're pregnant tgeur visitor is unlikely to know this.

I know no one has the right to tell me to move but they absolutely will. If I manage to get a space in front of someone else’s house they will absolutely knock immediately and ask that I move. Even when neighbours are on holiday nobody parks in ‘their space’ usually. It’s just how to village has always been.

My other option would be to park in the back lane which nobody really does (except a few from the row behind). But the house behind us keeps a few pick ups on their drive and I don’t want to make it inconvenient for them. It wouldn’t block them but would make it more fiddly as he likes to drive the wrong way around the one way system to save driving the whole length of the road.

I don't understand how people are driving the wrong way round a one way system and parking on double yellow lines and no one is challenging it.