Is it rude to park outside your neighbours house when you have your own space?

[pinkybangs]

I’m not referring to the legal side of things. I understand that you can park anywhere on a public road as long as your car has an MOT, is taxed and insured.

What I’m really talking about is common courtesy and politeness.

My neighbour does this, and I just can’t wrap my head around it. Sure, legally they can park wherever they want without needing a reason or asking for permission. But why? Seriously? Logistically, it makes zero sense and just leads to a domino effect where everyone else, including visitors, ends up parking outside other people’s homes. I’m not talking about terraced houses with on street parking. That’s usually first come, first served, and you’d expect that. I’m referring to estates where each house has a driveway and space right outside their own house. Yet, the owners choose to leave those spaces empty and park outside their neighbours house instead. EVERY DAY.

Recently, my sister stayed at my house for a few nights and left late last night. She parked her car outside my house (my car was in the driveway). In the meantime, my neighbour had to park his car outside his own house, and as soon as she left, he moved his car back to the empty space. There’s nothing I can do about it, and to be honest, it doesn’t really bother me on a daily basis (it’s a hassle when I have visitors, and will be a pain if my partner ever moves in as he has a car), but I’m not going to start any neighbour wars over it, legally, I don’t have a leg to stand on anyway, but, I just honestly find it so bloody bizarre.

So, putting the law aside, is it rude / odd / annoying?

I would start parking in front of my house or in front of his if he were in front of mine
Petty but satisfying 😌

I'd park in front of your own house and let your visitors use your drive. See if he notices and says anything

My neighbour does this (sort of). Doesn't park in their driveway, parks across it, then parks their other car in front of my house. Both are really close to my driveway so make it harder for me to reverse in. So annoying. Just use your own driveway.

Buy/borrow/hire a massive motorhome and start parking it outside his house.

I think it’s an etiquette thing - depends on the person parking.
Our neighbours’ visitors asked us if they could park outside our house just temporarily once, but other people sometimes just park there for hours without a word.
I have only skimmed the thread so may have missed if there’s a reason your neighbour isn’t parking outside their own house?

I agree, totally weird and slightly annoying.

How refreshing not to have a load of belligerent replies saying he's not breaking the law and that we should all get a life 😄

I do it because I got mugged in broad daylight, coming out of my drive. My driveway and garage are behind my house at the end of the garden. Safer to park on the road in front of the houses.
(witnesses and police did nothing).

Yes, it's rude. When I first moved into my current house my neighbour always advised her visitors to park in front of my house (outside my living room window). Every now and again if the street was busy I'd park outside hers, and she'd come out and tell me my car interfered with her TV reception and could I move.

I promptly developed the same issue with my TV reception and parked outside hers whenever her visitors parked outside mine. She soon got the message.

Yup. It’s weird. Is it a blocking light to his own house issue? I can’t think of any other reason.

There is a logical reason for it which only fails if someone parks outside his house. If no-one does that then he gains so I can see why he would do it.

When I politely asked my neighbour why he did this, he told me he didn't like to block light from his house. I pointed out I had 2 small children and was in all day most days and he was blocking my light instead. He stopped after that. Some people are so self absorbed no one else ever crosses their mind.

Any chance he is charging others to park in his space during the day when ye are at work?

Even more strange that his drive is empty. I initially thought (before re-reading post) that perhaps it was to do with the ease of getting his car in/out of the driveway with one parked outside his house. Very odd behaviour.

If I were you I'd stop parking on my drive and always park in front of their house, leaving my drive empty. Perhaps they'd realise it's worse for them and stop doing it.

Park outside the neighbours obviously

Unless there is one of those trees that drops sticky bits on your car, or if someone being parked there makes the angle difficult to get on and off the drive, it does sound odd.

I can't understand people saying it would be 'infuriating'. It is odd, but hardly impacting on your life.
Like others, when I saw him one day, I'd have to ask him in a curious (not angry or confrontational) way as to what it is about that space that attracts him so much. Just to satisfy my curiosity really.

I think it’s poor form, yes.

Our old neighbours were like this, didn’t use their driveway but would use the spaces up so people that didnt have driveways would park miles away

I assume he has some reason. Is it just easier for him to get out of your space without some kind of manoeuvering perhaps? Is he afraid of getting blocked in in his "own" space? Either way, it's shitty behaviour.

Is his house nearer a corner or junction than your? Does he think that there is more of a chance of someone running into the back of his car outside the front of his house? I think it is more likely to be a light thing. I know I asked my husband to change his position in the drive as my plants were constantly in shade.
I would be parking my car outside his house when he does it.

Either park outside yours or
park outside his before speaking to him.
if / when he asks you why just say for the same reason you park outside mine all the time then just walk indoors.

Hi op your neighbour is a crank. Op do you have cctv or ring bell and he thinks his car is safer outside your house? If not he’s a very weird person most people fight to park by their own homes and if you have a driveway even better fucking strange one. I would have to say one day how come you don’t like parking on your driveway or if you have visitors and they can’t park by your house ask him if you can use his driveway.

Just park in front of his house

My neighbours visitors do this to us on a regular basis. She’s housebound which is very unfortunate and I do have some compassion. However she has a very large driveway, enough for at least 3 cars and parking outside the front. Our drive is smaller and we have one car. She has a sister with big Range Rover who parks in the grass verge outside our house, often encroaching just over our drop curb so we have difficulty manouvering to get into our drive. We have a local shop just over the road too and a small care home round the corner with no parking so we get cars from both those parking awkwardly in our road. One day we came home from work to find next doors carers had blocked our drive…. Hers was empty!! Drives me insane.

Is there a tree near the space outside his house that he's trying to avoid for fear of birds pooing on his car?