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Original poster

How do you cope in a house with no parking?

62 replies

AGoodYearfortheRoses · 01/08/2020 17:42

To get a property in our ideal location we’re going to have to compromise something and parking may be it. There’s some space on the road we’re looking at and lots of streets nearby but I’m worried we either won’t find anywhere to park or will annoy people by parking in front of their houses 😬 What normally happens in situations like this?

OP posts:

starfishmummy · 01/08/2020 20:17

I'm in a street of mostly victorian terraces. It can be a pain. At the start of lockdown I ended up parking some distance from my house and cojldnt get it any nearer for weeks as everyone seemed to be staying at home!

As for the E-car situation that someone mentioed uothread the council have put a number of public charging points in our street and the adjacent ones.

NotQuiteUsual · 01/08/2020 21:51

As long as you go into it, knowing you'll reguarly have to walk a bit once you park its fine. My road has such limited parking, but it's fine on the hole, annoying is when it's raining maybe. The people who sit at their windows waiting for people to leave so they can grab their space piss me off though. Why buy or rent a house with such a bad parking situation if you're going to be that ott about it?!

Disfordarkchocolate · 01/08/2020 21:58

We did over 4.5 year in accommodation with no parking. Everytime we park up now I'm glad we are just outside our own house.

Neither place we were in even had parking on the street so we were about 500 meters away from parking at one flat and even further in a second flat. Given a choice I wouldn't compromise on parking. It's something you probably can't rectify, some people won't ever buy your house, and it will impact on you every day.

Tinyhumansurvivalist · 01/08/2020 22:00

I compromised on parking to get the bigger house and garden. I could probably get my car round the back if I really wanted to but it is far less hassle to find a parking space on the road.

The majority of people are considerate, we have a few tossers who park like idiots taking up the space of 2 cars or park so close to each other that it is virtually impossible to then get out the space again.

If the house ticks every other box then I would go for it

cantstopsinginglittlebabybum · 01/08/2020 22:02

No parking is an absolute pain in the arse. Dogs, shopping, kids, rain, a decent from the house with shopping. It's awful. Don't do it.

5 years and we moved.

Blahblue · 01/08/2020 22:05

I’m in a Victorian terrace with on street parking, and never have a problem! I think there is a huge difference between a street like mine, where only people that live here or are visiting would need to park and a street where there are shops/schools/ a station nearby!

KatherineJaneway · 01/08/2020 22:08

I have lived like this and it is not fun parking streets away. Only became better when the Council made us permit parking and the CF's had to park elsewhere. Still on a Sunday you wonder where all the cars come from.

VeeDubber · 01/08/2020 22:13

I've previously lived in a house with no parking (and also a house with a shared drive).

Never again.

They are two things that I absolutely wouldn't compromise on ever, if I were to move house again.

chickennoodledoodle · 01/08/2020 22:22

I use to live in a house with no off road parking & it became a real pain in the arse tbh. I will never ever live in a house without its own parking now. Unloading loads of shopping when it's raining=nightmare. Having to park a way round the corner in the pissing down rain=nightmare.

Wingingitsince2018 · 01/08/2020 22:27

We used to live in a victorian semi with on street parking. The whole area was the same, 10 mons walk to the station and high street, and there were no resident permits etc.

It was all fine until we had DS and then it was a royal PITA with the pram etc. Also didnt help that as we shared a car, sometimes I would have to just wander round the streets if DH had driven it last and forgotten to tell me where it was.

We now have a driveway, it was the number one thing on our priority list and I could never go back!

Having said that, a friend who lives in London doesn't have an issue as she has a permit and the permit zones are very small and there is a limit to how many permits a household can have.

JoleneExotic · 01/08/2020 23:16

I don't have a drive but my street is so quiet I could park 3 cars right outside my house and that'd be fine 🤷🏻‍♀️. Depends on the area.

Embracelife · 01/08/2020 23:22

3 different houses(flats) with on Street residents permit parking .90% of time park right outside despite it being london

Anna783426 · 01/08/2020 23:31

We're on a Victorian terrace street with no parking and love watching some of the parking dramas which go on from time to time. During lockdown people with multiple cars totally shimmied their cars about to block their precious spaces. It was a bit tragic. We chose where we live partly so we could walk/cycle to work and to most places we would ordinarily go so aren't using the car regularly enough for it to cause any annoyance. If I was using the car daily I would maybe rethink.

FManc · 02/08/2020 05:38

Nope never again! After 7 years of parking hell involving shift work and having to park 30-40 houses away, it was the no1 priority when looking for our next home.

CMMum88 · 02/08/2020 06:16

We only have on street parking, the road is narrow so parking is only allowed on one side of the road. We are all either up the side of the hill or down the side of the hill. Some of the sections were subdivided in the past but no longer allowed unless there is a way for an off street park to be put in, due the parking situation. One neighbor had about four cars all parked on road but now her daughter and her partner and their three vehicles have moved out, we always get a park on our stretch of road. Noone gets funny about parking spaces but where I never noticed when we had off street parking, I definitely notice visitor or unusual cars now!

Bluntness100 · 02/08/2020 06:31

I did it and would never do it again if I had a choice. Sometimes folks have visitors, well often they have visitors, and you will find yourself unable to park, and always at the most inconvenient times Ie when you have shopping, or it’s pissing with rain.

Your car will also often be much further away so you can’t easily see it and if it’s damaged, say by someone passing or an irate resident because you’ve taken their spot, folks can get really het up about parking.

If there is anything you need to compromise on, don’t make it this. Unless it is a very very quiet area, with hardly any cars and a shit ton of space, then get somewhere you can park.

RandomTree · 02/08/2020 06:31

I grew up in a house with no parking (and my parents still live there). It's fine. Everyone has a 'preferred' spot which you can usually get (but not always).

Flamingolingo · 02/08/2020 06:40

Really dependent on street/area. If it’s very urban/city then I’d hope for somewhere with a permit scheme to stop people parking up all day and walking to work (a big issue around both the university and the hospital here, hence parking permits required).

If you don’t yet have children and want to then this could make the baby age really stressful (but plenty of people have coped). If you’re past the baby stage it’s probably much less of an issue. We lived in a house with a shared drive for a decade and it was really stressful as it only had space for two cars comfortably, but next door often used to put two onto their side making getting onto our side really difficult. They were lovely people and good friends of ours, but not very considerate on the parking front (despite our suggesting that we just agree to park the big family cars on the drive and leave more space).

HeronLanyon · 02/08/2020 06:41

I’d just be really careful checking out the realities on the street. Is there a nearby -
School
Nursery
Shopping area
Business
Train/tube station
Sports/gym/park
Etc etc which might cause regular problems but not obvious on a few viewing visits ??
I recently sold A property with on street parking and to be honest I was always happier when viewings were at times I knew parking wasn’t much of a problem.

Bemorechicken · 02/08/2020 06:42

I lived somewhere 20 years ago with no parking -never ever ever again. I just wouldn't. Small children would be a nightmare as would dogs.

YinuCeatleAyru · 02/08/2020 06:44

previous two homes were on street parking only and I put up with it. yes occasionally had to park up the road or next street over and it's a pain but a survival one. currently have off street parking and that's great but not worry-free - sometimes people park too close to the drive and make it difficult to get out, or even block you in. there will always be some stresses and pressures when large numbers of people live in close proximity, so best strategy is to cultivate an attitude of zen-like calm.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 02/08/2020 06:51

My parents have lived on their street fo 35 years.
When my brother and I were young, lots of the families didn't have cars. Loads of room on the street. As we got older, it became more and more common, but everyone could park no problem. 9 years ago when DD1 was born, there were enough spaces for visitors. But over the last 2/3 years, it's become crazy. There are cars parked in every feasible gap. There appears to be at least one car for every adult, not family. Including older children (it's London, living at home until mid 20s is normal). Their neighbours have 4 cars for example. This causes problems if I visit and park in front of my parents house (there is space for 2 cars, my brother and I park so that one car blocks the other in so take up less space).

It completely depends on how many cars there are, and whether people are likely to squeeze more in in the next few years.

Our last house had allocated parking... 50m from the house. It was alright... Unless people parked in it.

garlictwist · 02/08/2020 06:53

We just park wherever we can. Sometimes we can park outside our house, other times we have to park down the road. It's never a huge issue.

Staplemaple · 02/08/2020 06:56

It depends on the streets around it too, and whether you're close to town etc. Our first house was a nightmare as there weren't any roads nearby that were suitable to park on either (either all had dropped kerbs or were single lanes), and it was close to town so it was really hard to find a space on the road or anywhere nearby. When we bought our current home our number 1 criteria was a driveway, DH uses his car extensively for work and can come home late sometimes, didn't want the additional annoyance of struggling to find a space. However many roads are quite quiet or have roads next to them that are also okay for pairing.

Original poster

AGoodYearfortheRoses · 02/08/2020 07:14

Thank you so much, didn’t expect so many responses! Very mixed reactions too. To clarify it’s a Victorian terrace in a small market town, no train station or schools especially nearby and there’s just me and older DD so no babies/prams/dogs but 2 cars.

Character properties are what everyone wants in this particular area but they almost never have parking - I think I’d take my chances rather than choosing somewhere I was less keen on (current house is a slightly soulless modern box and I’ve promised myself this time I’ll get something I love) but I am worried about how it would affect us if we came to sell in the future.

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