Trailer Tent on drive

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

We live on a newish estate, freehold property but unadopted road so we have a management company for the maintenance etc. There is a covenant forbidding caravans, trailers, boats and white vans on drives.

Anyway, our drive is at 90 degrees to our neighbours opposite (we have no neighbours at either side) and behind the hedge, totally hidden from view, we keep our trailer tent.

Unfortunately we have had run ins with our neighbour regarding our children playing out in the cul de sac (basically he sent the community police to our door who soon realised he was an idiot). He is now a director of the management company in charge of our estate and we are getting letters from them telling us to move our trailer.

Ok. We are breaking the covenant, but it is jobs worth nitpicking to the extreme. We are not inconveniencing anyone or spoiling anyone's outlook.

So basically, what can they do if we ignore the letters. What will happen if we go to court? DH reckons we can take it to the brink of court and then shove the trailer in the garage at the last minute for a couple of weeks until everything dies down, then put it back on the drive again. Yes I know this is a bit evil but frother neighbour has been absolutely vile and abusive to my children. If I can wind him up I will.

[Catnuzzle]

You knew the terms when you bought the property. You should abide by them. They are there to ensure the neighbourhood is maintained for everyone's benefit, why do you think think the rules don't apply to you?

[MagnaCharge]

If you can keep it in the garage for a few weeks then why can't you just keep it there full stop?

It seems ridiculous to break the covenant and cause all this aggro when you have an alternative.

[MiloSimpson]

I don't understand - you have the space to keep the tent elsewhere but instead choose to break the covenant? It makes no sense.

You can't continue to break the rules as it were simply because your neighbor has been abusive - the 2 issues are separate and it all sounds pretty ridiculous.

[FunnyFoot]

You are breaking the covenant end of. It makes no difference if he dislikes you or he is an idiot. Thems the rules which you agreed to.
Why should they not apply to you?

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Yes we knew the rules when we bought the house. Horrible neighbour actually had his son's horrible white van parked on his drive for six months. We didn't complain because we are not nitpicking, petty, jobsworths. Our trailer tent has been hidden behind our hedge for seven years. I do feel he is conducting a campaign against us.

Anyway I am bloody enjoying winding the bastard up; swear at my kids at your peril mate.

Obviously it is against the covenant, but how enforceable is it? Non judgy legally accurate replies would be welcome please.

[MagnaCharge]

Well despite thinking you are being deliberately difficult. And the fact if I was your neighbour I would push this as far as possible.

I have just took a few minutes to google it for you and it appears to be fairly unenforceable.

[RandomMess]

So if you park it in your garden then it won't be on the drive... is that possible?

[SpamTroll]

I am not sure of this but perhaps someone can confirm but I think if you get into a legal spat with your nieghbour then you have to declare it if you sell. Even if it was for a good reason then it might put of potential purchasers.

Also, I understand why you can't stand your nieghbours but I would seriously consider stopping the hostilities. Do you really want a long term battle on your hands?

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

That is quite interesting Fidelia. We are the only ones with something on our drive at the moment, it is a small estate. One couple have moved their caravan recently though.

DH reckons I need to rein in the hate and just ignore. I think it's cos he tried to intimidate my children though, I am really struggling to let it go.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Just out of interest, what would it cost to see a solicitor about this?

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Oh just grow up and put it in the garage. You have the space so whats the problem? You know you have to declare any neighbour disputes when you sell your house. Dont cut off your nose to spite your face.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

We use the garage as our workshop. Once the trailer tent is in there, there won't be room for anything else. It is not a neighbour dispute as such it is the management company telling us to move it. Suddenly, after nine years of it being behind our hedge, (not seven as I first thought) now that twat neighbour is a director.

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Its a neighbour dispute when your neighbours is being abusive to your children dont you think?

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Honestly, this guy, he is such an arse. He refuses to park on his own drive, in favour of parking in such a way as to make getting onto our drive as difficult as humanly possible.

He has one of those utterly manicured houses and has a constant stream of workmen making "improvements". He had a skip in the road for about six months. Rowdy bloody workmen every day. (And we work from home). Last Saturday he had a team drilling holes in his house for cavity wall insulation at eight in the morning. The generator noise woke up the estate.

He bitches about us to the other neighbours because we don't wash our cars every weekend or have a company in to tend to our lawn. And because I choose to let the shrubs in our front garden grow a bit, and plant bulbs around them, instead of hacking them back to within an inch of their life and surrounding them with bare earth.

He was actually out with a camera taking photographs the other day when one of our new neighbours had visitors who pulled up in a camper van. He was positively wetting himself with excitement at the prospect of being able to write a stern letter of reprimand to the new neighbours.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Its a neighbour dispute when your neighbours is being abusive to your children dont you think?

Well he has had the sense to leave the kids alone since the Community PC had a word. My older ones don't play in the street now anyway. My youngest does but now about 8 other little ones do too. He won't antagonise the whole street.

[Unexpected]

How did he end up becoming a director of the management company if he is such a horrible person to everyone?

[NotActuallyAMum]

Sorry but I'm PMSL at a covenant banning white vans

[mrsbucketxx]

we have the same covenant with our homes too does anyone take a blind bit of notice no.

we have white vans caravans sky dishes facing the wrong way all sorts. tell them to take you to court the most that will happen is the developer will incur massive costs and you may get a 100 fine. which is why most don't do diddly squat.

developers only have these rules so that when they are on site houses can sell quickly.

ignore until they threaten a court date which i doubt they will.

your neighbour is an ass btw

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

I think he ended up being a director because no one else wanted the job (ie the rest of us have a life). He is not horrible to everyone, the estate is quite spread out and most people don't have much to do with each other on a day to day basis. He is horrible to us because we have 4 kids and, despite moving to a house on a cul de sac in an estate of 4 and 5 bedroom family houses, he doesn't think kids should play outside.

When we moved here 9 years ago there were only 2 families with kids old enough to play outside so we felt his wrath. Now there is a new generation of littlies growing up running around his precious car (which he refuses to park on his drive), it will be interesting to see if he falls out with the rest of the neighbours.

Regarding the white van ban, our estate is terribly exclusive doncha know; heaven forbid a tradesman should move in.

I suspect that is the problem really, DP and I are too common

[mrsbucketxx]

why wont he park his car on the drive

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

I think he is parking it so as to make it awkward for me to pull onto my drive, and also to disrupt the kids' space to play. However the kids carry on regardless.

I had an interesting conversation with DS(20) at lunchtime. He can recall horrid neighbour calling him a runty little bastard when he was 12 or so. (DS used to just smile and wave and drive him to apoplexy). He reckons neighbour should realise that little boys grow up and when he gets his first car he will be parking it so as to cause maximum annoyance to neighbour. He also suggested we should move trailer tent from behind hedge to full view of neighbour's window, to annoy him as much as possible.

My boy is obviously even more evil even than me! DH is shaking his head at both of us and keeping us in line.

[MidniteScribbler]

I think you both sound as petty as each other actually.

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Oh goody. I love a good neighbour dispute.

Parks arse.