It’s a parking one!

[OhCaptain]

Get on fine with house next door. Kids play etc.

About a year ago, her sister started coming to visit every single day. Weekends too. Fine. None of my business.

So we both have double drives and both have two cars. DH also has a motorbike but there’s space to keep it on our drive.

I work from home so I’m out to drop the dc to school then pretty much back for the whole morning. DH is gone in his car from maybe 7am. Motorbike stays on drive until weekends really.

So next door’s sister has a big 7-seater. But she’s taken to partially blocking our drive with it so next door’s car can get in and out.

So she parks up in the morning, partially blocks my drive. And then sometimes they’ll head out in next door’s car and my drive will be blocked.

I can (with ball-achey manoeuvring) get my car on. But if anyone was to visit, or DH was to come home, they couldn’t park on the drive. And they can’t park in front of my house without then blocking other next door’s.

It gives me the fucking rage! It’s so inconsiderate! I’ve said it to next door’s and her answer has been to knock in if I ever need her to move.

DH is so laid back he’s horizontal so he doesn’t see it as a big deal. But it’s just so selfish and irritating.

I’ve come back and parked up right behind her, as in touching the bumper, so I haven’t blocked other next door’s.

WIBU to roll the motorbike out and block her car?? If I put it sideways it won’t block the drive I don’t think.

I hope I’m explaining properly. I need to try to figure out how to post a diagram!

I probably wouldn't as its a little bit like declaring war, which is never a good thing with your neighbour.
But your absolutely right, they are being complete arseholes. Assuming theres not room on the road for her car to sensibly park. What should happen is they swap her car onto the drive and block it in with the one they want to go out in.
I would take to knocking everytime you want to go out or in, even if you can shuffle round it.
My DH is the same as yours (our drive is often blocked), but i think when your home all day you see it all the time and it eats you up. If your away from it, its less annoying as your not constantly seeing it and conscious you might not be able to get out when you need to.

So you’ve told the neighbour, but not the woman herself?

When she parks, knock and ask her please not to block your drive

You have to deal with this directly as the neighbour won’t randomly bring it up with their sister

Yes that’s true about starting a war, sadly. And we’ve lived in harmony for 14 5 years so it probably seems quite a petty hill to die on.

Just the entitlement of flippantly telling me to call in when I want it moved. Just don’t bloody do it!

There is plenty of other parking. She’s just have to walk more than 20 steps to use it.

And that’s actually true! Places to park, just with a minute walk!

@MzHz I’ve called in a few times. But they’ve worn me down. Now I just feel like being vindictive!

First time was neighbour. Second time was sister. Third time sister again.

After that I gave up.

Because technically they’re not blocking me in but they really are for all intents and purposes. All so she’s not slightly inconvenienced!

So can you catch her doing it and have a word?

Otherwise I would have a week of going in and out and I would disturb them every time and repeatedly ask them not to do it.

If they continue, they've started the 'war' not you.

I think you need to say something directly the the person blocking your drive.
People like that really don’t give a damn and know that they can get away with doing what they like because generally nobody calls them up on it.

I can (with ball-achey manoeuvring) get my car on.
Stop doing this^ and knock every time. I'd also park the other side of sisters car and across her drive whilst I waited or if they aren't in

Generally she’s here by the time I’m back from the school run.

When I called in those three times it was because I was going back out to collect the dc.

Sometimes I stay out for the morning at an event or meetings but I’m home more often than not. Then I’ve school pick ups at two separate times so I stay out of the house for a couple of hours.

She’s usually gone when I get back. So I never really catch her in the act!

When I was recovering from an op, DH took over and had no issue manoeuvring the car in and out. Well, I don’t either but I shouldn’t HAVE to.

He just didn’t care so it sort of continued on with not saying anything.

I’ve let it make me so angry, I know that! It’s just the complete disregard for anyone else. Especially the person who owns the bloody drive!

@MzHz I’ve called in a few times.

Well in that case I'd say they're fair game. They are obviously not listening. Get that motorbike out OP 👍

I'd also park the other side of sisters car and across her drive whilst I waited or if they aren't in

Ooh, I like that!

Figured out how to do the diagram yet, OP?

I had similar with a neighbour; we'd expanded our drive so that it was considerably wider than theirs, but they didn't like having to park one car behind the other so they took to parking partially on our drive - it generally didn't block us in but their entitlement gave me the rage. I solved it with some narrow concrete planters right on the border of our driveway with some prickly plants in them - it worked a charm

Go round - Neighbour I'm so upset to have to talk to you about this. We've been friends for 14 years. This parking across my drive is causing me real problems. I don't always have time to come and ask your sister to move, and sometimes you've gone out anyway. Don't you think it would be fair for her to stop?

If you are having difficulties getting back onto your own drive after the morning school drop I would just sit there with my hand on the horn until they come out and move.

And then park your car across the end of your drive.....

Every time.

what a pain...

can you jet wash the drive and get filth on her car...so sorry, tried my best to avoid, but you were just on my side

strim the lawn and get grass up the sides....same excuse

careless kids with bikes/footballs/rollerskates... oh I said be careful but you were just too far off your own drive....

I would knock on and ask her to move it even though you're not going out. You don't need to be going somewhere to have to ask her to stop blocking your drive. She'll soon get the message if you're asking every single day. I wouldn't do anything like blocking her in and being vindictive. Tit for tat with neighbours always escalates and won't end well.

Figured out how to do the diagram yet, OP?

I will! Need to pop offline for a bit but then I’ll do one. Or try!

Loving all of these ideas. And the thread is firing me up to do something, too!

This would also drive me batty OP! I second the motion to knock and ask them to move every single time they do it even if you're not going out. Get home, she's there, block neighbour's drive while you knock and ask sister to move. Park up, make sure sister doesn't park over your drive again. if she does, ask her to move. Every. Single. Time. She'll get sick of it and park somewhere else eventually.

As previously suggested tell them to block the car of the person she visiting rather than yours as your family should not be inconveianced.
Other than that I would either put wheelie bins in your parking spaces ( if you have them) which I have done a few occasions.
Some of my neighbour use cones.
neighbours operators to me and next door one argue all the time, operrsite ones have a very large car in their own space, his work van parks next to my space, and their sister / mother vists and parks in my next door neighbours on other side to me all the time,

Last year operrsite ones all went on holiday abroad for 3 weeks with extended family the sister left her car here ( don't even live nearby) they always argue about it, since arguments the ones operrsite now do it on purpose to wind my next door neighbour up. They used my space once I blocked their car in completely and didn't answer the door when they knocked for about 20 mins, once I did i said oh didn't hear the bell was in the back garden but for future reference this is my space and pointed to the non allocted spaces 4 feet away !! They have not used mine since but if they do I will block them in and let them have the inconveiance.

I think I would talk to them again, and if they say oh just ask us if you need us to move, I would park right behind the sister and get her to ask you to move to see what a pain in the arse this is.

Agree with sillyspaniel. Knock every day and ask them to move until they get bored of doing it.

Alternatively I'd speak to the neighbour and say "look it's really getting me down now and it's just common courtesy. Please can you just ask her again to stop blocking me in."

Then I'd go ahead with the other suggestions if it doesn't improve!

Could you park where she parks until she gets the message?

I would be knocking on their door every hour to get her to move the car then go round the block and back. They will get sick of moving the car. If they start being dicks and stop answering the door I would start blocking them in or parking over their drive.

Right. I called in.

Sister opened the door.

Me: Hi, could you move your car? It’s blocking my drive.

Her : Are you going out?

Me : No, but you’re blocking my drive.

Her : well, let me know when you want to go out and I’ll move if you can’t get your car out. *a bit sneery like I’m the world’s worst driver.

Me : To be honest, you block my drive every day. So you need to start parking somewhere else.

Her : ok, we’re just in the middle of something so I’ll move it in a bit.

Closes door.

Aaarrrggghhh

I really fucking want to block her in now.