Neighbour using my drive, landlord won’t help. What can I do?

[9champions]

I’ve lived in my house for almost 4 years now, and I had a new drive put in last year, which cost a fair bit. Parking on my street isn’t great anyway, but I’ve recently noticed that my neighbour is using my drive to get to hers. I’m not sure if she’s always done this as I’ve only just noticed. Last week, I caught her in the act while I was outside sorting the bins, and I think she was surprised to see me. I talked to her on Sunday and politely asked if she could stop, but she said it’s difficult for her because her neighbours car sticks out into the space in front of her house, which makes her partners van hang over their drive, so she can’t get in and out without driving over mine.

They can’t park the van on the drive and the car on the street because there’s a fence between our driveways, and the van is too big to fit with the fence there. It’s their fence, on their boundary line btw. I suggested they take it down, but they’re tenants and don’t want to pay for it, which is understandable. Apparently, they asked the landlord a few months back if he would remove it, and he said he was fine with it being taken down, but he wouldn’t cover the cost.

I was thinking about putting up my own fence to stop them, but my drive is already pretty narrow, and then there's the cost involved. I know I could just pay to have theirs taken down, but should I really have to fork out money just to make them stop using my drive? I know it’s a hassle for them, but they should either talk to their neighbours to see if they can leave them more space on the road or have another chat with the landlord about the fence. They’re making this my problem, and I don’t think it’s fair for them to just assume they can use my drive forever. It’s not a shared drive btw. They’re just next to each other, similar to new build estates.

Am I being unreasonable / petty, or are they taking the piss? I’ve attached a diagram. The black squiggles are cars, and the red one is my neighbours car crossing over my drive to get to hers.

Unless she's driving an articulated lorry up and down your driveway for hours I think the argument about wear and tear is really negligible. If you don't want her doing it that's one thing, but driving over the corner of your driveway for a couple of seconds in a normal car is not going to impact your surfacing unless you had a complete cowboy do it. I like my neighbours so it wouldn't bother me, but if it bothers you (and you clearly don't like her if you call her a 'random') then put some planters or big rocks along the side.

I honestly don’t see the big deal. We have extensive parking including a drive opposite our house. Two neighbours who occasionally ask to use it and fall over themselves to apologise if a visitor or workmen park there.

I appreciate them asking before parking incase we need it for whatever reason but when they’ve asked if they can use it to turn round, I’ve told them they don’t need to ask. It’s a driveway. A car touching it is hardly going to wear it out.

Park at the bottom of your drive so they can’t cut across it.

How bloody 'normal' of you 😊

That's exactly what I said. They have a paved garden, i.e. drive. I have a dropped kerb which they cut across to access their driveway. Couple of times a day in a car, not an arctic so doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I'd rather have good relations with my neighbour than cause a fuss about someone inconsequential

Excellent diagram. As others have suggested, put planters there. They shouldn't be doing this. It's your drive, not theirs.

What difference does this actually make to your day to day life? Surely the answer is zero.

I've a similar set up. The man across the road drives onto my drive every day to turn his car around as the road is so narrow. He could actually drive off straight ahead without turning round but for some reason he has to turn his car around every day by driving all the way onto my drive and right up to my lounge window. Sometimes I stand right in the window in my pyjamas (not a pretty sight) and he looks a bit shocked but it doesn't stop him. He also walks round outside speaking loudly on the phone. One day my neighbour opened her front door and he was stood directly outside it talking on the phone. People are strange and entitled.

It's the extra wear and tear that’s annoys me, as they haven't pitched in towards any of the costs. As far as I’m aware she goes out every day. I work from home, so my car hardly moves. I find it a bit strange that her first instinct was to use my drive instead of asking her neighbour if they could leave a bit more space?

It's not that I dislike them. I barely know them aside from the occasional hello. They were a bit awkward when I had the drive fixed. I had to park on the street outside my house for a few weeks, and she kept parking there and leaving her own drive empty, which forced me to park further down the street. Of course, I couldn't stop her as it's a public road, but it honestly didn't make any sense. So maybe this is clouding my judgment and making me wonder why I should do them any favours.

Can you not park your car as far back as possible on the drive and then she won’t be able to drive over it?

Can’t you just leave your car at the end of the drive so she can’t access it? That would seemingly be the easy option. I agree she shouldn’t be doing what she’s doing but I would try the low drama options to begin with.

This!

They don’t have a drive because they don’t have direct access from the road. As I said, they have a ( very expensive) paved front garden.

If you moved and the new neighbours didn’t want to let them drive over the property they would be stuffed. If they sold the EA would not market the property as having a drive, because it doesn’t.

A normal sized car driving across tarmac a couple of times a day will cause little to no wear and tear

This is such a non-problem. If this is all you've got to worry about in life, you are very blessed.

I'm someone who just likes to get the job done, so I would speak to the other neighbour about chang the way they park if this neighbour does not want to do it. Words are free!

Thanks. I think it’s easy to say that when you're not the one footing the bill for the work or any potential damages though

If it bothers you, park you car down the end of the drive so it’s in the way of them doing it. But honestly, how much “wear and tear” is actually going to happen from driving over it for 2 seconds a day. You’re being a little ridiculous.

What harm are they doing?

you are being precious and unneighbourly

but you get points for an excellent diagram 👌

If you WFH and this is bugging you just park your car in her way further on your drive.

To be honest it'd annoy me over time. My neighbours park and exit their car onto my lawn. They had a camper van for a while and loaded and unloaded it all across my lawn. All the visitors came to see it too and you guessed it, stood talking on my lawn.

If I could have set up the sprinkler I would have 🤣

This would not bother me even slightly. The wear and tear would be so so minimal, time and weather is what does the damage.

Just tell them they are not welcome to drive across your drive and if that's an issue they need to speak to the other neighbours.

Just park on the end of your drive. Problem solved.

I've done that a few times, but she still manages to get through somehow. I'm worried she might bump into my car while trying to cross if I park right at the top. I’ll just have to go for it and see what happens.

What potential drive damage? I'm not sure I've ever experienced drive damage from someone driving over the edge of the driveway.