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?

Underhand ?!

Also you've missed a lot of this thread.

He sounds very entitled. He should have asked, not assumed you’d be ok.
ultimately it doesn’t matter what he wants to do, or what everyone else thinks is acceptable, it’s the OP’s driveway.

The issue with is with rock man and the blue car, they should be sorting out the shit parking situation. But of course it’s easier for him to continue doing what suits him.

Lots would be fine with that situation, lots wouldn’t. Either way, he doesn’t have a right to use the drive - I can only imagine what the police would say to such bollocks.

I did read the whole thread, what did I miss?

Why can't he reverse out and swing out tighter to use the turning circle, or indeed use that to reverse in?

I can't imagine a call to the police... seriously..

'Hello, yes I'd like to report I hit some rocks on someone elses land that I have no permission to use. I didn't spot them as they didn't used to be there'.

'Are the rocks invisible sir?'

'no, they're dirty great big decorative rocks, but I wasn't looking for them as I am so used to using a neighbours drive to get out of my own drive I didn't see them'.

'Then you are a pillock sir, this is a civil matter, go away'.

A few people have said the same thing, and I’m genuinely confused by it. Why should I need a reason to not want a stranger using my driveway? It's my drive, my property, which I paid a lot of money for. Isn't that reason good enough?

You are entitled to put whatever you like on your drive, but knowing that he was reversing there it wouldn't have cost much to put a note through his door to warn him.

Particularly if they were small enough that he could potentially drive over them.

😂😂 spot on! Made me laugh too thanks!

I am with @NotAnotherScarf on this one.

Of course the neighbour should have/could have explained the situation, asked and so on.

On the other hand, the op had clearly observed all the variables, and could have, (for the sake of creating a decent community for herself to live in) let him know that she is doing up the garden - that he should be careful of the new rocks, and did he ever think of reversing in?

A lament in today's world is the lack of community - no children playing out, disconnection in neighborhood, and from each other.

Decisions like the op's help create that atmosphere, and a world in which each is a singular unit, looking out for themselves only, and creating a rather joyless, grasping environment.

I really miss the laughing emoji. Some comments are just so ridiculous that simply quoting them and laughing really isn't enough.

Yes, I agree that it was a bit passive aggressive and for the sake of neighbourly relations it would have been best to have a conversation. It's not as simple as who was right in scenarios like this.

There is a marked difference in the replies on this thread, and those on a recent thread about a lady who had difficulty reversing out of a parking space because another driver had parked a large van half on the pavement behind her. That was clearly all her fault - she should have reversed in, there was plenty of room, she must be a terrible driver etc.

The same should apply to the neighbour, surely? Why didn’t he reverse in? He must be a terrible driver if he can’t get out of his drive without reversing onto someone else’s property…

And yes, clearly it would be neighbourly to let him use the drive to turn around….

BUT only if he asks first!

I tried claiming against the council because they placed temporary traffic lights so close to our driveway my husband scratched his car reversing out. The cunts refused because he hit a stationary object (even though it was in a stupid place!)

It’s very simple and blindingly obvious who was right-OP, in law and morally. The neighbour was a nasty piece of work and not the sort to have a reasonable conversation with.

I'm going to make a wild guess that neighbour drives a ridiculously oversized SUV that he can barely manoeuvre. My next door neighbour has a f-ing truck sized thing (totally unnecessary given it's just him and his wife - wife has her own car AND he brings his work van home too). He has a drive but hates putting anything on it, clearly because he's too shit a driver to get cars on and off a perfectly normal driveway with sufficient room to manoeuvre. I've watched him drive straight onto the drive across the road instead of turning into the road. The reason I know it's totally fine is they had a skip delivered and the capable lorry driver demonstrated a perfect reverse into his drive without even clipping a kerb!

Ring camera and subscribe to a plan that records permanently. Your property and his choice to drive over the rocks placed.

Why should the OP have explained the situation- it’s not up to her!

This

Just as well there were no children playing out really.

I'm not denying you have every right to ask him not to do it, it is your property. I suppose i'm trying to understand, if it has no impact you, what is the big deal? We live in communities, we have to coexist with other people, sometimes it's a bit of give and take.
I do think the neighbour was also being a dick to you BTW.

BTW If you fail to prevent someone using your land, for long enough ( 20 years) you risk creating an easement in the user’s favour. IE a legal right to so use it.

That doesn’t apply if express permission is given

That’s his hard luck, if he can’t see rocks! A poor, unobservant driver. Why does the OP have to make the effort. What would the note say? “Just to let you know that if you trespass on my drive, and are unable to see rocks placed there, you might damage your car”?

Was it an invisible traffic light? Or a great big chunk of bright yellow metal with lights on it?

Communication failure number one: The neighbour should have asked permission to turn in your drive.
Communication failure number two: when OP saw that this was happening and did not like it she should have had a friendly chat about it.

Putting out the rocks was not a good substitute for communication.

Staying on good terms with neighbours is so important... living on bad terms is very stressful and efforts to prevent this would have been the best way forward.

Thing is @NotAnotherScarf if the neighbour reversed on to his own drive he’d be able to drive off it without needing to use @lghtnght‘s drive as manoeuvring space. But because he’s a fuckwit that drives forward on to his own drive he then has to reverse on to OPs drive. The real solution here is for the neighbour to reverse on to their own drive. Mate.

I didn't want to start any drama or fall out with them. And how is that working out for you?

If the whole thing bothered you that much you should've spoken to him the first time you saw him do it. Yes, he was in the wrong. Yes, he shouldn't have become aggressive but clearly he was annoyed that his car was damaged (yes, I know it was his own fault). He even said to you, 'why didn't you speak to me first?' (yes, I know OP shouldn't have had to speak to him because he might be a raving axe murderer or whatever, there's no chance of him simply being a normal man who has become used to this thing happening?). You never know, he might have actually said okay, point taken.

Obviously, people here like to jump to conclusions that he would immediately become violent and aggressive and tell OP to go fuck herself, but it's just as likely he would say, well, Doris before never minded, OP would say, well I'd rather you didn't thanks, and he'd say okay, fine 🙄 , then shut the door and have a bit of a moan to his wife about the new woman over the road but that would be the end of it. If he still did it, then the next step is rocks/fence/landmines, whatever.