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.

See many a fall out over set ups like these working in construction industry. Shared pathway on left is a shared access path between yourself and house not adjoined, to 1. Create a semi detached property instead of a terraced property. 2. Ease of access to rear of property, opposed to a row of terraced houses having to cut through back gardens or have a rear access path for all neighbours of same with at back end of gardens. (More arguments over this also with people blocking access/ leaving rubbish/ using for storage etc) 3. Minimal land, hence shared path between two neighbours to create access to rear. House attached to yourself

I'm assuming your deeds will mention the area of your own driveway and highlight your own path shared with neighbour not attached. Attached house clearly has same path at right hand side leading from the alleyway at side of their own property. As for posters saying yours is evidently wider, yours is standard slab wide width, as is your neighbours, so no issue with access/ width/ squeezing up the side etc. they are chosing to walk past your window and down your path shared with non attached neighbour to save themselves a bit of distance/ time as not looping round their car.

For posters saying this is petty it definitely isn’t, you pay for your property and expect to be able to have quiet/ peaceful enjoyment of your own property; not lazy neighbours walking past your front window. And no you shouldn’t have to close your blinds/ curtains to allow them to continue taking a shortcut and just ignore them.

I’m assuming what I’ve pointed out is correct regarding deeds and sharing of path is only with non attached neighbour. It would be so much easier if developers created a physical barrier or allowed a strip of land for optional fence/hedging to separate properties and some just assume they can do what they want with little to no consequence. I would go with the good suggestions of the trellis planter or the canopy with trellis beside my door.

No idea what ever happened to common decency, though it has a lot to answer for with regards to property, land, parking etc disputes.

They can use their footpath to get to their front door.

How is there less space doing that? And the OP is obviously aware If the neighbours coming and going anyway. But neither would be needing to walk past the others windows to get to their front door

If you know their rough timings for comings and goings - do they work? Could you plan to be outside at that time, washing windows, tidying up the bushes, cleaning the front door, vacuuming your car etc? See if they do it while you’re right there, and if they do, just in a friendly way ask “hi, can I just ask why you’re using my path instead of your own?”. Wait for the response and then bring up the fact that it sets off your camera every time someone walks past, and it’s a bit weird seeing figures walk past the window.

I don’t think I’d start putting up big pots, because it doesn’t look like there’s any space between the front doors, and if you block it from the side where your path is, you’re blocking yourselves and postmen. Better to just speak to them.

I wouldn't like that at all. Best to nip it in the bud before it becomes their normal. Have a word and then if a fence doesn't suit, what about those planets that have a trellis attached? You could pop one between the front doors maybe?

I am on team go speak to them. They may not understand that its not a R.O.W because it definitely looks like it might be. It may be also that they are first time buyers and have no idea how such things work full stop. The first house I owned was many years ago (over 40 years) and I had no idea that the local council had by laws limiting the hours that bonfires were allowed. I think even if you out flower tubs there (and that would look lovely) speaking to them first would be a good idea.

I wouldn’t like people walking past my lounge window. If my front door was straight on the pavement I’d have to accept it, but if it’s not then it would bother me (but I admit I love that my house is tucked away).

The one thing you don’t want is neighbour conflict so I would establish a cordial relationship then mention the ring doorbell.

My neighbours used to do this and it drove me mad!

Rather than walking down their driveway to access the pavement, they would cut across my front window and walk down my drive and then the reverse on the way home. I would be sitting on my sofa and suddenly the man next door would have his face right in my window as he squeezed past out cars.

I started reversing my car as close to the window as possible.

It might not be, op's serves two houses so might be twice as wide

IMHO YABU.

Why does it matter if a next door neighbour walks in front of your home? The ideal is to be good friends with next-door neighbours. And you live in a house without a frontage. That’s not great design, but lots of homes are like it. People walk past my home all day long. If you want more privacy or isolation from neighbours, it’s best to live in a home with a front garden.

It’s difficult to know how to sort it to your satisfaction without your neighbours finding you unfriendly and petty. Maybe planters to give yourself a frontage?

That doesn't matter. No DPD courier or visitor or anyone else is going to approach a row of houses like that and veer over to the fence on the right to use the path there in order to reach the right hand house. Because of perspective foreshortening the path next to the fence will look narrower and seem more of a diversion. The central path is the obvious and natural route

Leaving a letter when you don’t know them could come across quite aggressive, as it’s hard to read someone’s tone in writing.

Could you block off the route with big plants?

Itl looks a bit like a foottpath to me too. But dont send a letter speak to them in person and say its because of the doorbell.

Yeah, don't get the issue here. How is it disrespectful to walk past someone's window??

The image shows that they have their own path beside the wall, maybe worth pointing that out to them politely.

Speak to them first and tell them they're giving you a fright every time they do this because it might be an intruder and can they please stop.

If they don't, then put up something that deter them.

Dont send a letter, thats daft when you live nextdoor. Next time you see them jump out on them from your door or scream at the window and tell them they made you jump. Seriously though it's just best to have a polite word with them. You could say you get startled when someone walks past your window though.

Actually couriers go inbetween their cars. They have never crossed our path to go to our neighbours as that would be the longest route?

We live in a set up similar to this and had the same issue. People are just so RUDE (and lazy).

We initially bought pots and put plants in - the bloody postman still jumped over them and sometimes knocked them over. We've now planted in that area so there is actually no short cut available. Can you do something like that?

A letter will put their backs up. A friendly chat is better.

The central path takes away privacy. These are semis. People expect their own path to their front door.

A shared path means you can come face to face with your neighbour perhaps when you'd rather not , and you're both accessing your houses with buggies etc so someone has to back off.

There is also a difference between a delivery driver using a short cut and a neighbour using it as a short cut daily.

No lawyer would agree with the neighbour using it and although it won't come to that, OP is fully within her rights.

Go round and talk to them.

They will know they are being cheeky buggers and will carry on unless you say something.

I presume they’re going down that path as it’s wider than theirs? If your car is parked deliberately so far back that it’s nearly in the bush, how are they getting round?

I think you do need to speak to them.

’hey, I really need to ask, but why do you cross and use my path every time when you have your own, I really need to know!’

Looks like a public path to me so I would check very carefully before saying anything, look for covenants but also observe other houses and if others do the same, best to check before speaking out

In my situation, the area was absolutely our property too, but the neighbours had an easement for right of way over it (coloured brown on their deeds). The two things are different.