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?

My driveway is actually a cream colour and the rocks are like a dark grey so very noticeable imo!

Oh god yes! Heaven forbid that anyone should upset a neighbour who is making assumptions about what is acceptable. The phrase ' give them an inch and they will take a mile' springs to mind.

I’d tell him to crack on, and let him know you will be suing him for repeated trespass. Stupid friggin man.

The only conversation that should have taken place here is the one where the neighbour comes to the op's door to ask permission to use her drive. That's it. He didn't.

Just reverse into your own drive and stay off your neighbours' drives.

I guess I am also that petty.

Although it was entitled of him to assume he could use your drive, it was also foreseeable that he would damage his car after you had put the rocks there. I think you should have spoken to him first. It was a petty move that’s now causing you needless anxiety.

You could’ve talked to him before you did it but his reaction shows you the kind of guy he is…even if you had brought it up nicely he would probably have been a dick about it.

It’s his own fault so let him go to the police. He won’t be able to prove the rocks were on the pavement too and anyway, he shouldn’t be driving on pavements anyway. Ideally a conversation would have been better, but given his reaction why should you put yourself in that situation when he has another option, just reverse into his drive or ask other car owner to move their car.

He’s being an idiot!
donyou have a Ring style doorbell / CCTV by any chance? Just in case he lies and says they were on the pathway ? I doubt anyone would believe it to be honest but just a thought in case kids had been moving them?

You would do well to read what that law cites before telling posting it:

"While the 1957 Act requires reasonable care for lawful visitors, the 1984 Act affords a lower level of protection for non-visitors (trespassers). "

The CUNT NDN is absolutely a trespasser - ergo, would be afforded next to fuck all protection in this matter.

That took all of 2 seconds to find online - something you conveniently/deliberately/mistakenly omitted.

SMH.

Why is he and others saying if there was a problem you should've spoken to him?

You didn't need to speak to him, you wanted nothing from him, you weren't the one using or needing another person's private property, he was and in turn should have called in to speak to you, but no like a lot of people that had agreements with previous homeowners/tenants he seems to think that the same applies when that person moves on and someone else moves into the property, it doesn't.

As long as the stone was within your boundry he's totally in the wrong for blaming you, maybe he should have took it upon himself and knocked your door pre damaging his car and asked if it was ok to continue with the agreement he'd made with the prior owners, he failed to do so but had he of done instead of assuming he could carry on using it I'm sure you'd of been happy to have let him.

Not necessarily. He might have asked if he could continue to use OP's drive and OP might have wanted to say no. It doesn't sound like that would have gone down well.

for all of you saying that op should have just spoken to him about his reversing - why don't you think he could have just spoken to op and asked to use her property? `he had had 3 months to do so, surely the onus is for him wanting to use her property rather than being entitled

@lghtnght
You have every right to do as you please on your own property. Why would you have to inform Mr ItsmyRight? Does he part own your drive? Who cares if the previous owner allowed it? If he had any balls at all he could've approached you when you moved in to explain that due to it being tight getting his car out he came on the property a bit. He obviously confronted you as you're a female, he needs to grow a pair and approach the guy that owns car parked outside his house. Your property, your rules!

Its on him. Honestly, the entitlement of men. Typical that he got threatening and aggressive. Its always surprising but he's a prat without a case so tell him to waste his money if he wants to, but he's trespassing on your drive so can jog on.

it was also foreseeable that he would damage his car after you had put the rocks there.

Depending on the car-don't a lot of them have sensors now?

Is he damaging your driveway when goes on it? I’d struggle to get too annoyed by this.
He won’t have a leg to stand on over the rocks thing though. He’s just annoyed he damaged his car.
Id probably have asked him if he’d mind not using my driveway before I stuck rocks on it.

Always better to try and deal with things amicably than be passive aggressive in my opinion.

But if you didn’t feel you could do that, I suppose you didn’t have any other choice.

Highway Code 200 - 203 is all you need to say.

Of course you didn’t have to speak to him first. That’s almost like including him in your decision and could have resulted in him objecting. What if you’d wanted to add gates?

Unless he has a tank, he should be able to reverse out without needing to go on your drive.

😂😂😂😂😂

It was reasonable for the OP , to expect CF neighbour who was driving onto her property ( uninvited) , to see them.

if she’d buried them and connected them to a trip wire he might have an arguable case☄️💥

Well I would find it annoying him doing that day in day out both because he has the option of reversing in to his drive which he should find easy enough being as it appears to be a quiet cul de sac and also because he has never acknowledged you in 3 months. That said, stopping him the way you did was not good either and now any chance of a good relationship is out the window. Talking to him first would definitely have been the better option. Just how big are the rocks that you assumed he would have seen them? Could he actually get out his driveway without hitting them if he hadn't reversed in?

What is the problem with someone using your driveway to turn around? I dont understand why it is a big deal. It has zero affect on you.

It was underhand to put the rocks on your driveway instead of just speaking to him.

Although ultimately you are not responsiblefor the damage on your neighbours car, you have escalated the situation with your actions.

He is trying to intimidate you. Bet he wouldn’t speak to a male like that. Ignore him he doesn’t have a leg to stand on. And he knows it.