Neighbours walking past our front door to leave the house

[Bluesea14]

our new neighbours keep walking past our front door and squeezing past our cars when they go out. We have checked our deeds and title and this is part of our property, not a public footpath. We would never dream of walking past their house when we go out so we can't understand why they think it's acceptable to do it. They recently had furniture delivered and this was also carried down the path past our front door instead of going in between their cars.
I have attached a image which is similar to the layout of our house and the blue line is where they keep walking. Any advice on how to deal with this please? We haven't properly met them yet so we don't want to come across confrontational but we also want to make it clear that we don't want people regularly walking on our property and setting our ring doorbell off.

How annoying.

Just do the same thing back-you, your husband, your child, your friends-everybody. Bounce a ball along the path as you go.

You'll soon know whether or not they think they're being unreasonable because they will soon stop doing it to you if they don't like it being done to them.

If they continue, then do what others have suggested and put planters or a bench out there but still use their path.

Where are they going when they do this? Clearly not getting in the car. Is school/the shop/whatever in that direction?

Anyway, just ask them to stop, blame the Ring doorbell.

I don't see the problem, but then my living room is on a pavement and I see people pass by constantly

Turn off motion notifications on the doorbell. That will at least reduce the disturbance.

Human nature, people take the shortest route. They turn right, walk to what looks like the main path and turn right again or just walk along the path in front of the houses to continue on their way. It isn't about peering in windows.

I do leaflet deliveries. A lot of newer estates are designed this way and everyone I see walks straight along the paths in front of houses arranged like this.

For me, the alternative is that I have to walk many times the distance to go up and down paths. Which would be madness, exhausting and time consuming.

Why bother to post this?

Yours is a totally different situation.

Your blue line follows the footpath, and there's no footpath on the other side (there's a wall). So, they are walking on the footpath, which is the expected thing to do.

OP.
I'd be tempted to try out the plants thing first.. have one on either side of your door.. so its not that obvious that you are blocking the path..

That way you have still got the option of choosing how to handle it when you know more about them. With a bit of luck they will just step the other way as the path is no longer so visually convenient.. but do it quick before it becomes habit forming.
I'd get some Big Tall pots with some nice looking bay trees..(or ask garden centre for a cheaper plant which is hardy, all weathers and tall) which are very decorative. They may even copy you. It might be expensive but if it cleared up the issue it might be worth it.

I'd save the legal chat for later if they have the cheek to step up the complaints that they can't walk past your window and look in , and past your door and set off the ring door bell.

I cant imagine saying Hello New neighbour, baked you some cookies, and here's some legal chat

Every time I read one of these petty threads...I remember how wars start and lead to countless deaths and injury it's this ridiculousness. Your house is attached to theirs from the image it appears this is an access path for both properties as they have planting to their side. How does this harm you?

OP it would drive me mad as well. It's not petty at all, they are purposely encroaching on your personal space when they don't have to. We had a similar problem when we moved in here as our gardens were open plan and we are on a corner so everyone cut across us walking right next to our window and some people even used to open the side gate and cut through our back garden too! Our only choice then was to lock both gates and fence off the front, end of problem.
I would look at putting some kind of barrier there if you can't fence it. I think someone has suggested a trellis planter which could be a good idea if you can fit it in. It would be to awkward for them to squeeze around & too heavy to move.

I would see the much wider path as the 'main' path and it wouldn't occur to me that people wouldn't want me walking up and down it. Doesn't your doorbell go off every time they park their car anyway?

It's very clear that the path is to access the OP's house. The neighbour has their own path the other side of their house.

OP, if your development permits it, I'd be looking to fully enclose the front with fencing or planting. I say this because on our estate, where boundaries are also unclear, some people are beginning to have problems with their neighbours' visitors using their parking spaces. Estates seem to attract more than their fare share of chancers.

In the short term I'd have to say something. I think these things are often best done in person in the context of a wider and friendly conversation. You could ask them if they are having any problems with their access as you've noticed them using yours.

Get a chippie in. To build a White picket fence , fencing off all of the Front Area of your house. ( up to the tarmac) and just for effect : place somePOTS also along the front fenced area. This is extreme but will convey the message of PRIVACY REQUIRED to neighbours. This will also look nice and generally, psychotically deter any malicious callers that : in this house is a Strong, boundary enhancing, family.!!!!!!

I can’t believe that people are defending this behaviour. It’s outrageous they think this is acceptable.
You 💯 need to have a word about access.
I wonder if they genuinely think they have a right of way across the front of your house?🤷‍♀️

When I've done leaflet deliveries I deliberately walk other ways to avoid walking across windows like that

So they probably think you’re being rude blocking a ‘public path’! Yes, yes, I know you’ve said it’s on your deeds but I live in a new build very similar to yours and the path running along in front of the properties is used by everyone just like a public path. Nothing I’ve seen or heard suggests it’s not a public path. I assume your neighbours think your path is the same.

I definitely wouldn’t write to them - that’s far too formal and unfriendly. What I’d do is put one of those trellis planters on the path to block it off between your two houses and I’d do this at a time when they were outside. I’d then say something about how annoying the silly house-builders didn’t bother to put boundary fences in, etc. If your neighbour says they thought it was a public path, you can then helpfully correct them.

It does depend on the rules though doesn't it. As previously stated I have right of way through my upstairs neighbours PRIVATE back garden. It's still their land.

I wonder if OP’s neighbour is on here and is one of those saying OP is bring unteadonable 🤔

I would hate it too. Your property is part of your extended personal space. Our personal boundaries are infringed upon for some much of our lives, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that they be respected on your own property.

OP, if you leave it too long, they will be so used to it that it will be more of an issue for them to stop.

Is the dark grey bit in front where you park your car?

I would definitely just point out that they're setting off your ring doorbell when they walk down YOUR path. If that doesn't do it I would get a plant to put between the two houses.

Yes it’s a little odd, although it’s hard to tell from the photo how much space they actually have on the path at their side and obviously the size of their car will be a factor. Presumably this is only happening when they are leaving or entering their property but they aren’t either going to or coming from their car? Because if not then they would having to walk right round your car and theirs which would make it even more odd. It does feel quite intrusive to have people pass your front window on your property. Our postman and delivery people do it- if they are delivering to me and then the neighbour on the left hand side (detached properties) they will walk past our front window right outside instead of going back out onto the pavement and accessing their house that way. It irks me but I’ve never thought to bring it up as it seems petty. Your situation is different though because it’s likely to be happening more regularly. We also have a front garden so if I put out plants or whatever (we already have e a bench) they would just walk across the grass! Yeah a couple of big plants would do the trick, or just talk to them. I wouldn’t send a letter until you’ve tried talking. Just say ‘look I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot but that path isn’t a public path and it feels odd when you walk past our front window like that, would you mind using your own path’.

I’m evidently in the minority but that would piss me off I would say something to them. Apart from the fact it’s just weird that the would walk past your window rather than use their own path who ch takes the directly to their front door I wouldn’t be happy if my car got scratched by these people.
I had something similar years ago in my old house, so now I live in the country with no neighbours. I have never been happier.

But your path looks wider than theirs on their side, it doesn’t even look like a path the gap is too small. Well that’s how it looks on the photo you’ve attached . I don’t see the issue if I’m honest.

For me, the alternative is that I have to walk many times the distance to go up and down paths. Yes, yes you do

Which would be madness, exhausting and time consuming

No, which would be polite and the correct thing to do, like my postie has to because we do have walls and gates. The lack of physical barriers doesn’t mean there are no boundaries. It’s rude to tramp across someone’s private land because you can’t be arsed to use the public footpath.

This thread is infuriating to read. It's not a public footpath, it's the OP's path.
The neighbours have their own path.
The photo OP put up is a similar layout not a photo of her property.

OP, knock, say hello and tell ask them to use their own path.
There, I feel better now.

Start walking around your house naked and next time they walk past, pop the window open and introduce yourself. Maybe even invite them over for ‘one of our special parties’. Watch them run.