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.

They are obviously either thick and/or inconsiderate. Either way, no point speaking to them but definitely make their route inaccessible with plants or a fence etc.

My neighbour does similar all winter as he doesn't want to take his dog in the front door with muddy wet feet and using my path is the quickest route to his back door (kitchen). Presumably doggo gets his feet cleaned before being released into the carpeted areas in the house.

I now put a ton of rock salt down on my path so he can't use it without picking his mangy dog up and carrying it. (In Scotland so it's icy most mornings, salt on the path is pretty normal behaviour!).

Had this for years then, prepare to be astonished, I had a fence put up…

I wouldn't like anyone walking right past my window and looking in. I think it's odd that you'd be ok with that.

Feel almost like I can’t have my curtains open without them looking in my living room when they’re walking on my drive

OK hands up, my mate had this problem and she just popped a short but nice note through her neighbours letterbox, explaining they had cameras that pinged to their phones and recorded when someone went on their drive for security purposes.

Unfortunately its catching them quite a lot and could they please avoid walking across your drive all the time.

They will not realise what is happening and if you are nice about it, it should be fine. If they still ignore you, then go to plan B which is planters down the middle.

I posted something similar a few years ago. Mine and my neighbour's drives are adjacent, and because they squeeze two cars in when they don't have room, they and their visitors cross the dividing partition and walk up and down our driveway. I had people insisting that I clearly have a shared drive and that I was also encroaching on my neighbour's side. Some got quite angry about it. Neither is true, but some people on this site are strange indeed.

I don't think either is particularly petty. Everyday is pretty annoying, but scaffolding is often more of a burden and with the potential to cause a lot more difficulty, it's just for a more limited time and (should) requires them to talk to you and discuss mitigation which can make all the difference.

What's your relationship with them like, OP? Talking to them might not be the best idea, depending. Some people get more affronted by being criticised for something they do than just being forced to change by something blocking their route because you prettify your garden with planters. Others would find a planter rude and wished you'd just talked to them. (And others will be dicks regardless).

What made you feel you were entitled to access to their property?

Did it stop?

Yeah this would drive me mad!
What about saying to them ‘just to give you the heads up I’m going to put down some ant powder/ driveway cleaner soon and I wanted to warn you incase your dog has an allergic reaction so avoid my driveway’ or something like that

No one should be walking across your property. I made sure my three year old didn’t do it.

You could speak to them and afk them not to as it’s setting your doorbell off - rather than remind them that they’ve got no manners.

If they continue, then I’d get a fence put up.

I don't think you are being precious at all. It's your home and I wouldn't like people walking past my window able to look in either. Some kind of obstacle seems the best solution either planters or a little decorative fence.

YANBU. Easily solved though, put up fence / trellis or a big planter. Whichever you go for needs to fully block off their acces to your path / driveway, otherwise they'll just try to scrape past which will be even more annoying!

We have a ring doorbell, it can be pressed but anyone coming close to the front door sets it off. After an intimidating visit from an aggressive rep from a power company, we had one fitted. An ordinary doorbell doesn’t have the same security camera function. I understand a) why the OP has one, and b) why it’s irritating when it’s triggered unnecessarily.

Possibly the neighbours are unaware, but that’s no reason to use someone else’s garden or drive without any agreement. OP could mention the bell, or as suggested use planters or some other type of barrier.

Back in the day people used to speak to neighbours.

My daughter had a similar thing with her neighbours.

when next door parked on their driveway they would park so as to exit their car directly onto her lawn - the lawn got worn away.

she had a low wall built around the lawn so the neighbour has to park well away from the lawn in order to avoid hitting the wall with their car door. They were not pleased to suddenly have much less space on 'their' drive.

I wouldn't talk to them about it. Just install planters/fence.

Them walking on my driveway wouldn’t bother me but the constant notifications would - and tbh, if I was your neighbour I I wouldn’t particularly want you to get notifications about my every move either, so I’d definitely lead with that.

I thought it was Mumsnet Law that all boundary, access and parking disputes must be accompanied by a diagram. On that grounds, YABU

If you can find a way of dissuading your neighbours without making a fuss, I think that would be better long term

I put some large stones along my driveway and when they asked why , I gave a reasonable reason which wasn't the truth

You can get planters that have a panel of open weave fencing at the back so that small climbers can be used, something like sweet peas. They look very pretty when planted. Could one or two be put in front of where your neighbours' property/garden or driveway adjoins yours?

I was totally on your side until you said you weren’t doing a diagram OP.

It would annoy me and drive my dog nuts if he saw someone walking towards the house.
perhaps they just don’t realise. I’d nicely point out about the doorbell and ask that they don’t do it.

Oh my neighbour on the left does this. If it were just him it'd be OK as his driveway is right outside his house so he doesn't need to pass our door. But he has a girlfriend who parks further down (when she's not nicking one of our spaces) and she brings her 2 kids, and allll day long they're back and forth to her car, walking over our private driveway, and the kids use every inch of outdoor space - ours as well as theirs - to boot footballs and run around.

You can try and talk to them but if they're cheeky enough to do it in the first place, they're probably not going to care what you say. That's generally what I've found with neighbours. If they were going to care about doing something wrong, they wouldn't do it in the first place. Rarely do people say "oh I'm sorry, I didn't realise!" Trust me, they know and they don't care.

When I get out of the car, I have to step a little bit on his driveway, and despite his repeated bad behaviour, I always try not to step on his private space. It's just ingrained into me to never disrespect people's property.

Says who? Plenty of people are understanding without needing a diagram. I’ve given a clear description which is plenty for the majority

Ignore. This is a reply from a bitter person who doesnt own their own space. It is rude to walk across someone's driveway when it isnt yours. My old neighbour done this lots of times. Sometimes id park my car further back but she would squeeze past it than actually walk the additonal feet. Mind you she was walking past my window to get access to my back garden so they could access theirs. Instead of going through their front door. I ignored until I was selling up and had viewings to only find her partner walking along my drive with her shopping to go via back. I did make a point and i did highlight the deeds and that if they needed access they had to ask (title deeds wording, it was my land and they only had access for services not cause they fancied it). They were CF. Tried to claim they had different wording on theirs and that the solicitor scammed them when I highlighted its public document and I have paid to download it. She was really fat too so I was most uncomfortable when she would squeeze past my car and house. Like just fuck off and walk around it. Lazy git. But yes OP. Rude behaviour.