Neighbour damaged his car on my drive

[lghtnght]

I moved into my new house 3 months ago and after a few weeks, I noticed that the neighbours across the street were reversing onto my property when they left their house. The road is pretty narrow, so they can't really turn around without reversing onto my drive. Plus, another neighbour parks his car (in blue) on the pavement by their house, which makes it harder for them to pull forward and turn around.

It would be much easier if they just reversed onto their own drive and drove out from there. I don't know why they haven't done that yet. I didn't want to start any drama or fall out with them. I had never talked to them before today and wasn't sure how they'd react if I brought it up, so last weekend I decided to put some garden rocks in the corner instead. Just to clarify, they're on my drive, not on the pavement, in case anyone wonders. So, the neighbour knocked on my door earlier and said that his car got damaged because of the rocks. He insists that they were half on the pavement (not true) and half on my drive.

He asked why I didn't tell him I was putting them there so he could avoid driving over them. He said if there was a problem, I should have just talked to him. I told him it's my drive, on my property. Why would I need to inform him? His car wouldn't have been damaged if he wasn't using my drive… He got really aggressive with me, saying that the previous owners never had any issues and that he's going to call the police and a solicitor about the damage to his car. I haven’t heard anything since. I can't believe I'm even writing this. I’m not sure what to do now! I do feel a bit intimidated by him. Am I being unreasonable?

100% on him. Anyway how did he crash into them??? I use these things on my face called eyes even when reversing onto my own drive in case there's a cat/child/random rubbish where it shouldn't be, I dont understand how he didnt see some massive rocks. Unless you used some sort of cloaking device to make them invisible. And you probably use your drive without hitting said rocks....

And plenty don't think it's reasonable. What if she had put a fence and gates across the front of the property? Should she have sought permission from him.? Or opened the gates so he could use the drive every morning and evening?

Unbelievable- you’re not the OP’s nasty neighbour, by any chance, with an entitled view like that?
No one should assume it’s ok to drive on someone else’s property.

See the neighbours that I know I am happy if they use my drive, they have spoken to me and sometimes asked me before using the drive. I'd find it very odd and very entitled if someone I didn't know and hadn't approached me was to start using my drive. Id think it was out of order, not sure id approach them either as if they are the "type" to use my drive without speaking to me first, then it wouldn't bode well

It would have been decent to tell him was happening.

I never said ask permission, I just suggested that doing it without communicating was dim.

"As the thread has demonstrated plenty of people think turning on drives is standard practise ."

Plenty of people are inconsiderate of their neighbours I guess. Ironic that they turn get offended when OP shows one the same lack of consideration then turn round and call her a wally.

You might want to run a tally - plenty of people do.

Royal mail, Amazon, Evri, the Fire service all being rather large institutions who agree.

I get that the drive is yours and you are perfectly entitled to put anything on it you wish. However dark rocks are honestly a bit sneaky because if it was dark in any way and/or if they were lower than bumper height, he was unlikely to notice them. I assume you didn't want him to damage his car but just wanted him to stop using your drive. So something very visible or a conversation or even a note through the door would have been the kindest thing to do.
So you are absolutely in the right to do what you did, but it wasn't neighbourly or kind because there was a strong risk of him damaging his car as he didn't know they were there and you did know he was going to use your drive.
Yes he shouldn't have been using it in the first place but he did not know it annoyed you and it did not bother the previous one. You've just created a bit hostility unnecessarily in my view that's all. Could have achieved same outcome with less aggro tbh

I can’t believe you think it’s ok to constantly drive onto someone else’s drive when reversing into your own would solve the problem

It does if it's formally made, loads of agreements transfer to new owners, and not all are recorded properly, however like I say it's probably he's annoyed and embarrassed and there was no agreement.

I can't imagine anyone creating that kind of agreement, but nothing gets away from the original fact that it is an unfortunate situation that the OP prefers to damage someone's car rather than talk to them.

I put the rocks there to deter him from using my drive. It saved me from having to have an awkward conversation with someone I didn’t know or know how he’d respond. Did I really think he’d just drive over them and wreck his car? Not at all. I thought he’d notice them. I mean, I definitely would have. They’re rocks, they’re not invisible 🤷🏼‍♀️. This also happened today and the weather was fine, no rain or fog.

If he has a modern car it will surely have a park assist that beeps when he's too close to an object? He probably doesn't use it, or doesn't understand it or is arrogant. Mine beeps like crazy when I get close to anything.

No- OP prefers her neighbours to not use her drive, and she is in her rights to expect this!

🤣🤣🤣

How big are the rocks?

Being lower than the bumper is not an excuse, a cat is smaller than a bumper and many of them dont move out of your way if they're busy sitting where you want to reverse!

"but nothing gets away from the original fact that it is an unfortunate situation that the OP prefers to damage someone's car rather than talk to them.".
Well apart from the fact that this is completely inaccurate. OP didn't damage the car, the driver did. And if the neighbour didn't bother to ask permission to use her drive and been aggressive in the past why does she owe him that courtesy?

I bet OP doesn't use his drive to manoeuvre.

I’d like to have seen a poll on this!

This

YANBU OP. He has no rights whatsoever over your property. Ignore him.

How did the OP damage someone else’s car?

I could almost, at a push, have conceded that what you did was a teeny, tiny bit petty were it not for the fact that he can and should reverse onto his driveway and then the problem would have been completely avoided.

Thing is, if HE had made the effort to have a conversation with the OP about using their drive, then this could have been avoided.
It was on him to make the initial approach if he wanted the privilege of using someone else's property - NOT on the OP to have to make the effort to talk to him, when changing something on her own drive!

OP I hope you are heartened by the support- ignore the posters who are incapable of understanding the situation. You’re in the right, no argument there.

It's a shame that ir didn't occur to you to say "Now that you mention it, I noticed some bad scratches on my brand new garden rocks. Was it you? they did cost a bit of money. Let me show you the receipt."

Quite apart from it being your property, it shows he was reversing without looking where he was going. Love to see him explain this to the police.