AIBU to ask neighbours not to walk across my driveway?

[Autumn02]

Am I being unreasonable to ask neighbours to stop using my drive as a path?

I have a driveway in front of my property and the neighbour on my left has a driveway connected and in front of their property. The neighbour on my right has a drive way to the right of their property on the side. Everyday the right neighbours walk across my garden and up and down my driveway way rather than using their own path out of their house. To walk their dogs or head out on foot. It sets my doorbell off constantly. They walk down it regardless of if we are parked on the drive or not and walk very close to our cars which makes me worried they’ll get scratched. Our driveway is private property and not a shared communal space.

Would it be ridiculous for me to politely ask them not to as it’s setting the cameras off?

Might seem like a tiny thing but the constant notifications on the camera are annoying and despite them often being inconsiderate neighbours noise wise I have never said anything.

Please let me know your thoughts and whether if you were in my shoes this was something you’d do.

I agree with you OP. Your neighbours are inconsiderate, ignorant and rude by not respecting your property. I have suffered people like these in the past. You shouldn’t have to ask them not to do this. All you can do is to ask them politely, or put a note through the door.

I very much recommend the tall planters-and-expanding-trellis as a fence method to stop neighbours doing this.
Just make sure it's under 1m in height and even if they complain about it, you are well within your right to fence your property in.

Trouble is, the sort of people who behave this way often don’t take kindly to such requests, however politely made!

Nobody tells you what to do right?

I think that’s the point they’re making - you’ve no idea if your neighbour is someone just like them! They’re already behaving in a way that you consider unacceptable by not respecting your property. So you can’t assume they’ll be as reasonable as you in response to the request. I think it’s fairly likely that people who frequently walk across someone else’s garden will be the kind of people who then won’t help out when you need something, as retaliation for what they perceive as pettiness on your part

What about a fence, or large plant pots, or something prickly planted along the edge?

I’d also do planters or some sort of decorative fencing. Walking onto someone else’s property unnecessarily multiple times a day is rather unhinged and antisocial behaviour so I doubt asking them not to will get you anywhere. And if they’re already loud and inconsiderate in other ways they’ll probably just kick off if you ask them to stop trespassing.

YANBU about the issue but YABU not to provide a diagram.

The door bell is perfect because it’s not a though your being awkward it’s a genuine reason

I don’t think that’s the case at all. Plenty of other posters have not required a diagram because I have explained the layout

Well she won't find out how they're going to take it by arguing on a chat forum 🤷‍♂️

Isn't it so very British to be utterly offended by someone walking over some demoted line on a plan somewhere. It's really not a big deal is it. It's land outside your house, they aren't marching through your house to get there. Feel like you need other things to concern yourself with.

I'd just get some planter boxes to line up along the divide. You can get them with a little trellis on top. Just do that and say nothing. No matter what you say will be taken as provocative and they will be gunning for you! Not worth it. The planting will look gorgeous too and is non confrontational.

Surely you were a knob first for walking on someone else’s private property without their permission?

OP, you are unfairly getting a lot of stick on here. I would put planters up.

It’s the property belonging to OP not a freeway for all and sundry! She has every right to be annoyed.

What do you mean?

YANBU to ask them to stay off your drive but don't blame the camera. They'll just say, or at least think, "switch your camera off then".

It's worth asking them first, but if they are going to be a dick about it then you might end up resorting to fences.

The odd step over the boundary is not worth stressing over but there should be general respect that it's your land not theirs.

I wouldn’t bother asking them not to do it, as they are clearly inconsiderate, entitled twats not to realise, or care, that they are trespassing. They are not going to suddenly apologise and mend their ways.

Surely a fence would be the best way to delineate the boundary and solve this problem. Doesn’t have to be that high, but high enough that they can’t step over it.

I suspect you were a pre-existing knob?!

I wouldn't care.

I'm with you.

I think OP would agree to scaffolding if repairs were needed for the neighbour’s property, because that is a reasonable request, and OP sounds like a reasonable person, but that doesn’t give neighbour the right to trespass on her private property.

Perhaps OP should build a moat around her house.

maybe just be glad you don’t have someone trespassing multiple times daily. Maybe if you did you wouldn’t be acting like you are. I haven’t paid lots of money to own my home for anyone who feels like it to treat my property like a public footpath

Amazed that anyone would think OP is unreasonable about this!