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?

Haven't you ever done something and then second guessed yourself, wondering if you made the right choice??? So you asked for people's opinions???

I don't think you're unreasonable at all OP, the stones are on YOUR property. If he takes action he'll soon find he has no case!

What if it wasn’t rocks but a gate? 0r your car? Or a child’s bike left on their drive? Or worse a child…

This! I can’t believe ppls responses. OP deliberately put them there in an attempt to stop him instead of just speaking to him. Why does she even care in the first place! It’s so petty and shit for the neighbour tbh. OP you need to grow up.

If this thread has been posted before the op had bought the rocks everyone would be advising her to get penguin bollards, fence, big plant or rocks.
But she went out for the rocks and neighbour damaged his own car on her property.
Op how do you get on and off your drive with the rocks there? Maybe you should of pointed out you are a better driver than he is 😜

Wow! What a thread. I hope it doesn’t get deleted before I get the opportunity to read it all.. @GhettoSnoopystar just want to thank you for responding and not running away as some people do.

I understand the legal position, however, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this thread. Well done, everyone . I do have a question to the OP in the meantime, did you really just go out to buy rocks? To put on your drive to prevent anyone from using it.? there is business of selling such rocks and what is their other purpose then?

I've seen them for sale in garden centres and in the merchants which supply paving stones, etc.

Thank you. So they are versatile and one can even use them as decorative stones.? I’m thinking of some huge country style estate where you go through that long road from the gate to the imposing estate. I can imagine sometimes they put such rocks alongside the road. I don’t know. it’s just not something I thought anyone would go out and buy other than for landscaping purposes. Or was the OP landscaping her drive?

I said, I’m finding this thread hilarious.

Best retort when someone mentions a solicitor is ‘I’ll just get you my solicitors details and you can go straight through them’

He wants to use your drive because he always has and it’s easier for him. None of this is your problem. If the rocks are definitely on your property leave them where they are. Might also be worth checking you have a camera / ring door bell to see what is going on if they go missing!!!

Why can't he be a good neighbour and reverse onto his drive?

Page 33 and I’m genuinely still none the wiser about why people drive on other people’s drives. Hand on heart I can say I have never done that, I’ve never needed to and I’m not a particularly skilled driver. I’m just aware that other peoples properly isn’t there for my convenience and so if I have to reverse into my drive, or do a three point turn in the road, I’ll do that rather than driving on someone else’s drive.

FYI rocks can be purchased from large garden centres nationwide

Likewise. I've never looked at someone's driveway and said 'ah yes, I'll mount the footpath and cross the neighbours driveway so I can turn'

Presumably he must be driving an article lorry if an entire road isn't enough of a turning point... or perhaps he's just plain ignorant!

This!

No - one does not ever need to use someone’s drive if one is a competent driver!

I always find those who say others should be a good neighbour are normally the piss take neighbours.

Be a good neighbour and let me abuse your goodwill. If you were a good neighbour and just let us it will be so much faster. Be so much easier for us all if you’re a good neighbour.

No no it’s easier and nice and faster and maybe cheaper for you, if I bend over and let you do whatever you want me to under the “be a good neighbour”

Can you guess I have a bad neighbour right now 😅 who keeps banging on about being good neighbours.

You’re right, you don’t need a reason for not wanting a stranger to use your driveway. He is a cf and was completely wrong to be aggressive to you when his car got damaged. The repairs are his responsibility, not yours.

But that doesn’t mean I think you were completely right. I don’t. It was entirely foreseeable that he might not see the rocks and might damage his car, and actually I suspect that is what you hoped would happen. It would be reasonable of you if you had already asked/ told him not to use your driveway, but as far as I can see you hadn’t. Since he’d been doing it for a while and you hadn’t said anything, he probably thought you didn’t care.

You could have asked him not to use it, in person or via a note through the door, and/or even warned him about the rocks.

Still his fault, but I don’t think you’ve covered yourself with glory.

She put rocks down to fuck his car rather than saying anything to him! There were so many potential steps in between rather than going straight to the nuclear option!

Well I’ve just got home and he’s reversed his car onto his drive today anyway.

👏👏👏 perhaps he’s been reading this thread!

Result!! Isn’t it amazing how people change their behaviour when they are shown the grey rock!

Ahhh see he learned something new thanks to you OP!

👏

Absoluetely.

Or evil sweary gnomes

Funny that.

Out of interest, how does one get foxes to poo on someone else’s path? Asking for a friend.