Blocked in a car who parked in my space

[2026baby]

To be clear I own my flat and the parking space is part of my lease and is legally mine. If anyone wishes to use it they would need to have my permission as they would be trespassing otherwise. The space is on private land in a secure garage that requires fob access.

I have come home today from being away to find a random car parked in my space, I do not know who it belongs to. I paid to park on the street outside for an hour hoping they would move soon but no one did. Not wanting to spend any more money unnecessarily I have now parked in front of my parking space which has blocked them in. It is not impacting anyone else's space and allows free movement around the car park.

I have left a note on the car and put a message in the block's group chat but no one has responded. AIBU to block them in until I get a response?

I have nowhere else to park and I don't want to pay to park outside as its £4 an hour and I have no idea when they will move (So far it has been 3 hours that I am aware of). The managing agent is closed for the weekend but have been useless anyway when my neighbours have the same problem and as its a civil matter I can't call the police but according to google the car owner can call the police on me for blocking them in. I am also concerned in case they damage my car, again where would I stand legally if they did given that I have blocked them in?

Did you still have to pay to park on the road despite having a blue badge? I know it doesn't excuse the driver of the car in your space, but my local council doesn't charge for blue badge users parked on the road.

My db lives in a city centre and gets this in his underground parking. Very unfortunate. Someone in the flats as 2 cars and 1 space and is aggressive in taking others’ spaces. Awful.

OP, disabled bays marked out for residents on a public road are advisory and even those without disabled badges can park in them. The same is true of private land, but if you own the parking space as part of your lease then the space is yours. It’s quite possible that whoever has parked there has assumed that the disabled signage is advisory as with a public road, so maybe leave a note on their windscreen to advise them that they are wrong and you own the space.

Well that’s tough shot if they’re in a hurry! They’ve parked in someone else’s space, with disabled markings on and you think OP should worry about their schedule!

Just a thought, but if you live in an area where parking is expensive and hard to come buy, have you checked on www.justpark.com or similar to see if any nearby space is rented out, and perhaps someone has parked in the wrong space??

You could always rent your own space out on there and make some money!!

My friend had a parking space that CFs regularly parked in. They put up signs saying that parking in the space would incur a £50 charge and they did somehow manage to enforce it.

Could you install one if those parking bars in your space?

OK makes more sense

youve not blocked them in - they know where to knock to get their car out. No point damaging your car and then knocking on your door to get you to move

I am assuming from the lack of update that the CF is still in OP’s space. I completely support the suggestion of pervious posters to take your own sweet time when they finally contact you. Four to five hours of sweet time sounds ideal.

I think you were very generous to give them an hours grace to get shifted. Don’t worry about the police. They have better things to do on a Saturday night.

Have a bottle of wine for dinner. Don’t move it until you’re able to tomorrow.

Don't forget the Rules - in Mumsnetland No-one opens the door if someone knocks!

No problem blocking them in as long though best if you have left contact details.

Legally the Police can make you move your car but have no way of preventing them parking there. You are not allowed to prevent access to the highway but can park in an empty space

However you have every right to inconvenience them and give them food for thought for next time I would probably let it go this time but would be 'unavailable' for a good hour if it happened again

Yep, so many people on here are absolute wimps and scared to stand up for themselves. As if the police are going to do much when they don’t turn up for burglaries.

I cant see how you have any other option. If you have left your number on the note, they know how to contact you. They should be very apologetic and embarrassed.

the op doesn't need to leave contact details - the flat number is not he parking spot - so its clear where they live

So are you disabled? If so that's utterly indefensible for anyone to use your space without your permission.

if you pay a management fee, you will have a contract stating what is included and the management company's obligations. You're not alone in having a supine management company who does the minimum.

i would write to them formally and spell out their obligations if you believe they aren't doing what they are legally signed up to do, especially if you are disabled. They could find themselves in breach of the Equality Act (2010) by not doing their contractual duty to you as the resident.

could they install security cameras (even if some of them are fakes), and signs referring to the cameras, which can often have the desired effect.

it sounds like it is partially the ownership of your management company, and partially down to those with parking spaces to collectively enforce the rules, so everyone's space is protected through permission only.

Thoroughly invested here, please keep us updated!

No, we get three hours free as standard. It's my husband who is actually the blue badge holder and typically the day this has happened he has the blue badge with him at work so that his colleague who gives him a lift to work can use it!

I thought you did need to display a blue badge to park in a disabled bay?! We akways display ours when out and about as thought you can get a fine if not

I did think this as the day has gone on but can't see anything that would indicate spaces availabile in our car park

Disabled spaces marked out in white for residents, either on the road or in a private car park, are not exclusively for the use of the resident so not legally enforceable, they are advisory only unless they are for severely disabled permit holders (required as well as the blue badge), in which case there will be a permit holder number written inside or around the edge of the space. For advisory spaces no blue badge is needed, so anyone can park there - the ‘advice’ is that as far as possible they should be left free for disabled badge holders. OP owns her own space so access is dependent on that, rather than it being marked as a disabled space.

I hadn't thought about engaging with the management company specifically on the fact that this is potentially breaching their duty as you say. Good call, thanks for the advice!

I think mine and others points is that whilst disabled spaces are for the use of all blue badge holders, the owner of the car has actually (albeit in my opinion only) been more inconsiderate by parking in a clearly marked disabled bay vs one of the 100 odd non disabled bays, several of which I'm sure would have also been emptied when they parked.

If they had a blue badge displayed Icwould likely have been more sympathetic to their thought process in parking in someone else's parking space as they may require the extra room too or proximity to the lift etc etc.