Am I unreasonable.... AM I?!

[ThePhantomPlopper]

We live on a small new build estate.

In our section there are 4 houses and 4 car parking spaces. Simple. We were the first to move in and parked in one of the spaces, the builders did not designate parking spaces.

Last week one neighbour (not the neighbour involved in the going ons below) came round and handed me a laminated sheet from our council saying that we has 5 days to remove our car before it's towed away under the abandoned cars act or something.

The car is DH's, he's in Iraq. I phoned and explained, they said fine put it in writing and we won't tow the car. So I did.

The next day the owner of the whole site, some big London cheese rang and said that the other set of neighbours were on his back for the car parking space and we had to move. I said DH has the keys on his base in Scotland whilst he's in Iraq (I don't use the Land Rover it annoys me), there is nothing I can do until March when he's home and then we'll be happy to move it. Fine says he, but now I'm getting phone calls and letters from them saying number 15 is still on their backs.

There are 4 spaces, 3 in use, why the hell can't they park next to our car instead of moaning. Not once have the come round to talk to me, they went through the council and the management man.

I'm pissed off, I have enough going on without worrying that the next time I go outside the car won't be there and it'll have been cubed by the council.

I could understand if we had a magical car parking spot that magically refilled the petrol tank over night or something BUT ITS JUST A FUCKING CAR PARKING SPACE IDENTICAL TO THE OTHER 3!!! What is the problem!!

They have too much time, and face no real challenges in their lives.........

Am I right to think that people at #15 haven't tried to speak to you at all about this before the laminated notice landed on your car?
If so, My thoughts are this:

Phone council to clarify what you think you already know about Abandoned Cars act wouldn't apply. Take down the person's name who thinks that they can confirm that, and then write to them (hand deliver the note if you can) to confirm that in writing back to you.

In meantime, get on phone to London Big Cheese, tell him to sort out the misunderstanding about designated parking spaces with the nutters at #15.

Tell LBC that if he can't do that you will have to get onto phone to your solicitor, because you don't actually have any other choices to be sure of protecting your vehicle. Your solicitor will then communicate with LBC's solicitor, which is a shame for all, as it will cost everyone lots of money -- because communicating via solicitors always costs everyone stupid amounts of money. You don't want to do that, when it all comes down to a simple misunderstanding between LBC and his other tenants.

It's what I would do.

Clearly since OP moved in plan has been made and she is in someone's place.

In my flats I always put a note as I don't usually know who the car belongs to, and am a coward.

It's all sorted with the council clop, they are aware of the situation and big cheese has been told that DH is away, we will move the car into the next spot in March, there is nothing more I can do without a car key and no number 15 didn't speak to us at all before involving the council/big cheese.

So has big cheese said they are now allocated spaces or are you just moving it in March to keep the peace?

I think I will put a sign on our car window saying that is has a SORN and it belongs to number 16. Big cheese can tell them that the car is there until March, if they won't communicate with me without a third party I won't be talking to them again.

ATM moving it in March to keep the peace, until Big Cheese emails me back I won't know if they're allocated or not.

Good plan plopper.

I would go out in the middle of the night and paint numbers in the spaces. Big cheese will think council did it and vice versa.
Paint their number, in pink, across the grass.

I think it's a good idea for you to put a note on your car.

Excellent plan fruit

I think these people sound like they have way too much time on their hands...

I also think they may be all mouth and no trousers... i.e they they are going about behind your back making noises and not speaking to you directly.

If I were you, I'd pop round to no 15 and explain face-to-face what your situation is. Nicely, butter wouldn't melt etc.

Tell them about the keys, and that they sadly will have to wait until DH is home, and they can discuss it with him.

I doubt they will have the balls, but let's see!

I'd also put it in writing thereafter and send a copy to the poor sod they are harranging to try and bully you into doing something THEY want you to, for no good reason.

Put a note through their door telling them tofuck off stop harassing you as you are parked legally in your space, or you will take legal advice

you could get a fake solicitors letter sent to them stating they must stop the harrasment or further action will be taken?

Can you find out who the landlord is and speak to them directly?

I would get assurances in writing from the Council, Plopper (do you already have that?) Unless it's in writing, I wouldn't feel secure that #15 really can't do what they threaten.

We had allocated parking with our flat, and if I remember correctly (twas years ago) unless it is clearly stated on the property deeds, there is no allocation! We had 2 spaces, on the deeds it had a plan of the car park with the flat numbers on the allocated spaces.

A hand draw piece of paper? He could have drawn that! You need to see their official deeds for the property, which should match yours (re parking), not a hand drawn piece of paper!

Crikey, what a kerfuffle!

Where I used to live there were 24 flats and each parking space was marked with a flat number, plus there were 5 visitors spaces. Very simple. In the 5 years I lived there, there was never any squabbling over spaces.

This was in the early 1990's though (flats built in the mid 1980's)

Hope you manage to get it sorted. Must say your neighbours seem like right plonkers!

blimey!all sounds shockingly crazy.

Seriously, they sound like nutters. Do they not have anything better to do with their time? Next time you speak to them, explain the situation "My DH is in Iraq, yes, fighting for his country like a real man and if we were in a similar situation, he would have had the balls to come and talk to the neighbour in person, not skulk around".

They are nutters! They threw a burnt, unidentifiable roast out of their kitchen window earlier.

I did make a point of phoning DH from the back garden earlier and saying rather loudly "DH you have to ask your captain for weekend leave and fly back from Iraq, the neighbours NEED you to move your car".

Still not had an email from Big London Cheese, so non the wiser on the actual car parking front. I'm enjoying being passive aggressive from the back garden though.

It shouldn't matter if it's designated or not. If you are in their space thay can park in your space and everyone should be happy. They are nutters. If the council has said your car is ok and the landlord is ok with it you should try to just ignore the situation. Nothing more they can do, nothing you can do - forget about it.

Just marking the thread - I want to know what the LBC says!

Could it be that they moved in after your DH left for Iraq? And as such they wouldn't know who the car belongs to?
So they assumed abandoned and report it? Although why the numpties couldn't have just asked the other neighbours is beyond me.

If that scenario not plausable, then they're just Wierd!

Just found this thread... so let me just confirm I have this correct:

2 grown men are unable to knock on door of woman to talk about car they believe to be parked in their space.

So they have called the council to report it as an abandoned car, based on... a piece of paper with a drawing on it drawn by their landlord!

Christ on a bike!

I would call the RSPCA about that roast btw.