Driveway wars - awkward petty neighbour

[Tarytino]

We live on a shared drive way (shared with 3 houses). We’re in the middle. Yesterday we had a friend over and I told him to park just outside of our house (on the shared driveway) as house 3 was out. An hour or so later house 3 arrives home - instead of simply asking him to move the car they sat there honking on the horn. It’s a short driveway, they could have parked at the end and walked down to their house (plenty of parking on street at end of driveway) but no. Friend went out and moved his car - no thanks, no acknowledgment. Once they had got passed friend moved his car back where it was.

10 mins later - horn honking outside. House 3 had decided to go out again. Friend goes out to move car. 20 minutes later more honking outside. I went out and approached neighbour asking why she is honking her horn rather than using her words. She said “I need to get to my house and there is a car in the way” 🙄 I said “yes, but you don’t need to honk the horn, just knock”. She said “can’t be arsed getting in and out of car”. I left her to it and friend moved car. Needless to say, 20 mins later, more honking outside.

now it was very obvious that neighbour was deliberately going in and out of driveway to make some kind of point. So we played her game and this went on for about 2 hours before she eventually got bored.

Today, we are having gravel delivered and they will be parking on the shared driveway. Normally I’d warn neighbour to let her know to get her car out of driveway so she doesn’t get stuck but because of yesterdays performance - I’m not going to bother. This isn’t the first time we have had issues with this neighbour btw. AIBU to let her get her car stuck? Chances are she won’t be going out anyway but no doubt as soon as she sees someone parked there she’ll suddenly develop an urgent need to go out 🙄

So if she’s blocked and not able to gain access to the highway that’s illegal and she could call the police on you….

I can’t believe you are deliberately blocking your neighbours access to her driveway/home and think she’s the “awkward” one?!? Stop blocking her access.

And comparing a Tesco delivery, which takes all of 5/10 minutes, to having your friend park there for hours is not a valid comparison.

Oh dear OP
You were definitely the cheeky/rude one.

This isn’t the first time we have had issues with this neighbour btw
I'd love to know what the other issues were and if you were also the rude one there 🤣

You’re being unbelievably selfish. Your neighbour should be able to access her own property. Why couldn’t your friend park where there is plenty of parking at the end of the street? They’re a visitor, you park where it is convenient for all. I do agree your neighbour was rude but you’re in the wrong. And now you’re suggesting to knowingly block her in all day! Can you hear yourself?

oh I intend to!

Wow you are 100% in the wrong here even to block it once. For your friend to then repeatedly block them in and then out for 2 hours?! Is so unbelievably rude and childish. Why should your neighbour have to get out and knock? It shouldn’t be blocked in the first place. Blocking someone IN to their driveway so that they cannot get to the public highway is a criminal offense. You are lucky they didn’t call the police

He was finding it hilarious!

Your level of entitlement is actually astonishing. Your guest should have parked on the road in the first place. Would you be happy to come home and find your neighbour had guests and they were parked in your spot? I doubt it

You would annoy me as a neighbour - your letting guests park on a shared area blocking access so the owner has to be inconvenienced. Inconvenienced your guests asks them to park on the street.
i’ve got a weak bladder might wet myself thinking I’m almost home only to find my neighbour thinks it’s ok for me to walk up my drive of wait for their guests to move their 🚗

OP deliveries are a different matter. If a delivery van is loading or unloading and stays near the vehicle that fine. It’s usually accepted 5 mins is reasonable but as they are with their vehicle they can move it off the shared driveway if someone needs to get past. They shouldn’t, of course park in someone else’s parking space. Apart from that everyone should keep off the driveway and if you have visitors and no visitors parking and your parking space is taken they should go elsewhere.

OP, the problem here is you.
Whether your friend parks on her driveway or across her driveway, it is blocking her right to park on her own drive.
And for your friend to do this repeatedly, because they...and presumably you...find it "hilarious" is such an entitled, immature attitude.

So, you blocked her drive? Im not surprised she was upset.

Please don’t. This is a really mean thing to do to the Tesco driver, who will be doing their job as best as they can.

A 5 minute delivery and an hours-long visitor aren’t the same thing.

You and your friend sound like twats with too much time on your hands.

Ugh you and your friend are totally disgusting. If I were her I’d have just called the council to ticket your friend or get your car towed. You’re totally out of order

Today, we are having gravel delivered and they will be parking on the shared driveway. Normally I’d warn neighbour to let her know to get her car out of driveway so she doesn’t get stuck but because of yesterdays performance - I’m not going to bother.

You're being massively unreasonable OP. If you did this to me, I'd bury you in your fecking gravel! 😂

Without a diagram, it sounds like you are trying to make second parking space outside your house which isn't a space but is actually an access road into house three's drive? So you block them in.

Why didn’t your visitor park at the end and walk down?

Blocking your neighbour is really entitled behaviour. Wind your neck in

Don’t block her access.

well thanks for all the replies! Jesus neighbour wars really bring out emotion in people! 😂

I went around and told her we were having gravel delivered so the driveway will be blocked. She said she can’t get out anyway as her car is knackered, something to do with her brakes 😬 must be all the coming and going yesterday 😂 so all’s good.

Issues in the past - her husband continually moved a plant pot of ours - we had to get a massive concrete one eventually that he couldn’t lift. Whinging about DH cleaning his car on a Sunday morning (not early, about 8am). Whinging about a party we had a few summers ago. Slagging us off to house 1 (who don’t like her either!). Almost ran our dog over once. The list goes on.

YABU. Your neighbour has a right to access her drive as and when she wants to.

As much as it seems funny, your friend wasn't just blocking your neighbour from her drive. He was also blocking quick access for emergency services should house 3 need them at any point.

Unfortunately you are the nightmare neighbour in this scenario.

How utterly insane.

8am on a Sunday is early, I'd be annoyed about that too!

You sound like a dick.