I moved into my house over a year ago. The neighbours were already here when I arrived. I didn’t have any problems with them until recently when I noticed they were driving over my path to get to their driveway. It’s their driveway, my path, my garden, and my driveway. The boundaries are clearly marked since they have a garage that’s right up to the boundary line. There wasn’t a fence when I moved in, and since there were no issues, I never thought to put one up.
One of the slabs at the bottom of the path has started to come loose. I don’t think they caused it, but it’s clear that it’s not meant for cars to drive over it all the time. I approached them and politely asked them to stop. At first, they denied it, but later admitted it, saying they had to shuffle their cars around, so it was just easier to cut across my path. They claimed they had always done this and never had any problems with the previous owners. I have no idea if that’s true or if they even knew about it. I explained that I wasn’t aware of this since they never asked me if it was okay when I moved in, and I mentioned that if there’s any damage, I would have to pay for it. They agreed to stop. I decided to put some plants and stones there to mark the boundary, but I noticed they had been moved a few times, so they were clearly still doing it. I didn’t feel like they could be trusted or respectful, so I decided to put up a fence instead.
So (I think out of spite) they decided to park two of their cars right in front of my house. It know it’s not illegal, just a bit annoying as my visitors have nowhere to park now, but it's a public road. The real issue is that they park on the dropped kerb, which makes it difficult for me to get in and out of my own driveway. I think they were trying to provoke me, but I just ignored them hoping they'd get fed up eventually. Around two weeks ago, they asked if they could access my property to paint the fascia boards on the side of their garage. I found it a bit strange since they had never brought it up before, and suddenly it was urgent. The only other way they could do it was by climbing onto the roof and leaning over. I didn’t want to be difficult, so I said yes, but I also asked (for the sake of being good neighbours) if they could stop parking so close to my driveway, explaining that it made it hard for me to get in and out. They agreed to stop.
They had been fine for a couple of weeks, but after they painted the garage on Saturday, they started parking their car right up to the drive again. They also moved all my stuff to paint (bins, plants, and a storage box), which I didn’t mind, but they didn’t bother to put anything back when they had finished. I had to move everything back when I got home from work. I know it’s not the end of the world, but they just don’t have any manners or respect. I didn’t say anything to them because I felt like they were just looking for a reaction. But things escalated this afternoon when I was in the garden and one of them parked outside my house again. I asked why they were parking so close to the drive again, and he said I was making their lives hard by not letting them use the path for access. He claimed that if I hadn’t stopped them, they wouldn’t be doing this. I explained that the path is mine and they shouldn’t rely on it for access. They said if I take down the fence, they will stop. What should I do?
I feel like I’m being held hostage. I know that sounds dramatic, but that’s honestly how it feels. I either let them use my property, or they’re going to make it hard for me to access my own drive. They don’t even need to park so close to my drive as there’s enough space on the road, so it’s obvious they’re just trying to pressure me into letting them use the path. They don’t seem to understand that the path isn’t theirs. What if I sell the house and the new owners put up a wall? They can’t just assume the path is their right of access, right? I’m not even asking them not to park on the road, I’m just asking them not to park so close.
I'm starting to feel like I'm being harassed and bullied into allowing them to use my property. As far as I know, they're tenants. Would it be unreasonable for me to reach out to their landlord? Would the landlord even care or take any notice? I'm not looking for them to be evicted, but maybe a chat would help. They act like they're entitled to something from me, and I'm at a loss for what to do. I've never dealt with such entitled people before.