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?

He'd be liable for the gate damage if he ran into one.

Still, knowing he was using my driveway to turn, I'd still knock on his door, introduce myself, let him know that the gate had been installed because I wanted to make the yard safe for my children (or pet, or whatever). Most people would just say thanks for letting me know. No sour relations with neighbours going forward.

As for this nonsense of starting a neighbourhood feud.

There is no feud if Twatty McTwatface doesn't kick off repeatedly because he didn't use his mirrors. It's all down to what Twatty McTwatface decides to do.

Honestly this whole thread is about how you must appease the Twat behaving like a Twat who has no responsibility for his own behaviour as a Twat.

He then has OP's words and why she put the rocks there. And that she chose not to tell him with the knowledge he reversed onto that part of her driveway regularly. Even if he doesn't win that, it could create a headache for OP.

She’s said multiple times that she put them there as a deterrent and that they were on her property. What advantage does that give him - I mean what do you think he has to ‘win’? He knows she ‘chose’ not to tell him, because he already knows she didn’t tell him.

Never take the side of a Twat who assumes consent without asking.

Just saying.

Fair enough if you would actually do that, personally I would consider any neighbour who would knock on my door to tell me about minor changes they were making to their own property rather odd, but okay.

You haven't commented on the other option though? What if OP had left some rubbish she was planning on taking to the tip or a DC had left their bike at the end of the drive and the neighbour had driven into that? Still her fault?

How about her child playing or cat napping? Still feel she has an obligation to knock on her neighbours door and give him a daily update on who/what is using her driveway?

It is good that this thread has thrown up some people with a sense of proportion who can see that neighbourliness beats jobsworth every time.

If neighbourliness = appeasing an unneighbourly neighbour then sure.

Daily, no, just once. And of course it's not OP's fault of he runs over any of those items (god forbid a living being). However, with the knowledge he does use the driveway, I'd still let him know of changes - because I don't want my bike or gate or anything run over for my own sake. Don't think I'd care about the rubbish though.

I don't reverse into my own drive without checking there's nothing there first, never mind someone else's.

Next door's cat often sits in my drive, for some reason, and I'd be devastated if I ran over her!

On the neighbour’s telling though, you’d have to tell him every time because he’s entitled to use your drive and not capable of using his eyes or mirrors to spot hazards. That’s the problem.

But those things ARE all things that could change daily. A dc could play with their bike one day and not the next. Cat could change napping spots as the sun moves. Small child could jump out of car and run across the drive before you've realised they've learnt today how to open their seat belt. OP could decide to put up a hanging flower basket or whatever.

Either she's expected to tell him every single time something changes on her driveway that he should be aware of as a potential risk to his car, or she isn't.

Nah, just let him know once the situation has changed. Makes my own life easier too.

I did apologise for not reading 25 pages, and I have not attacked anyone with my post. You, on the other hand, responded aggressively to my "unnecessary" post before now coming back for a second go about me not reading the thread. Go figure.

Tell him once so he knows the situation across the road has changed and the driveway is no longer guaranteed clear.

Not a problem I've ever had as I've always had fully fenced properties for the safety of me and mine.

It's a bit different, driving over a drive which a builder, plumber, Amazon driver, post man and showing my age, a milk man might do... but feel free to warm the bed...use the shower, it's pork for tea tonight

I don't get this. No-one could see the laughing emoji other than the poster in question. Surely posting one is more effective in conveying your views?

And so stupid that he doesn't check for objects on the driveway he's about to reverse into!

He's a twat, and it serves him right.

While I might not bother to do what you've done @lghtnght, it's your land and up to you what you put on it.

If he's daft enough to drive without looking, on someone else's land, it's totally on him. I can hear his insurance company now!!!!

EVEN if the rocks had rolled into the road, it's on him for not looking where he was going.

It's common here in the UK too. We live in an estate with our drives like the OPs diagram and many drivers who struggle with space ( lord knows what the think they are driving, there is loads of space) use others drives.

One mad old bloke ( who doesn't have a car or use his drive) puts cones out to stop people.

Having said that, I think the OP has done nothing wrong.

If he does report it he’s literally admitting he’s using your driveway without permission so more fool him! Have you any cameras or ring footage of him doing so? Keep it just in case

He's reversing from the other side of the road. If he can't see what is behind him when he reverses into someone else's property, he has no business doing it - for all he knows, one day that will be child playing in the driveway.

I'm amazed at the number of people on here saying they wouldn't mind a neighbour (who is unfriendly and doesn't speak to OP) turning on their drive. So many threads on here where everyone gets angry about far less but suddenly here people are making out they wouldn't mind.
I wouldn't have put the boulders but I would have parked my car on the end. It is trespassing.

Yes you got it, a few words would be very unlikely to cause any lasting hard feelings. Damage to the car although self inflicted will probably mean a permanent rupture.
A lot of people don't care about having good relationships with the people around them and have no interest in community, maybe OP is one of them, but I find that a little depressing.
The outcome is entirely predictable. OP's inability to reason that out is part of the problem. She even said in her OP, 'I thought about talking to them and decided to set a trap instead place an obstacle in the way.'

Would you be threatening with police and solicitor?

I am trying hard to understand the kind of people who would have stopped if they were asked but who would assume someone was deliberately damaging their car because they had rocks on their own driveway.