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Original poster

Have you ever bought a house with absolutely no parking?

126 replies

ParkingProblemo · 14/02/2021 20:38

It's a parking one! Kinda Grin

We've seen a house, which is perfect in every way except that it has absolutely no parking at all. It's a period property which opens straight onto the road so no driveway. That's not a problem in itself...but the road is a narrow dead-end and has double yellows on both sides. There are no roads leading off it that could be used for residential parking either.

We've emailed the agent about it but had no response. Whilst I love the idea of living on a street with basically no cars (we currently live on a main road!) it seems wildly impractical in reality.

Would you / have you bought a house on a road you couldn't park on?

OP posts:
Tulipvase · 14/02/2021 21:34

We’ve recently moved to a period property on a main street and no parking. We are able to park opposite though in a lay-by but of course so can anyone else! We aren’t particularly precious about our car though so it isn’t a massive issue for us. But it is more of an issue than I thought it would be. We do tend to avoid going out at certain times if we can help it. I’d wait to hear from the agent as there could be a solution. I know that the local British Legion rent spaces in their car park to locals and I think the local pub does too.

borageforager · 14/02/2021 21:34

Yes, we did, we had a 3 year old & a newborn. Moved out when we had a 8, 6 and 2 year old. It was fine for us, we parked on the street around the corner. We weren’t big car users though, I think that probably makes a difference, it was a city & we walked/took the bus a lot.

We live in a village now, we do have a drive but loads of houses here don’t. Just something people accept in a house because they want to live in this village, I think.

MaryIsA · 14/02/2021 21:36

I did, but I mostly walked to work. It was a pain when unloading heavy shopping, getting anything delivered or repair or service vans.

Getting any work done was a pain in the neck. Having to explain where to park up or getting restrictions lifted.

ReceptacleForTheRespectable · 14/02/2021 21:39

@ParkingProblemo

It's a parking one! Kinda Grin

We've seen a house, which is perfect in every way except that it has absolutely no parking at all. It's a period property which opens straight onto the road so no driveway. That's not a problem in itself...but the road is a narrow dead-end and has double yellows on both sides. There are no roads leading off it that could be used for residential parking either.

We've emailed the agent about it but had no response. Whilst I love the idea of living on a street with basically no cars (we currently live on a main road!) it seems wildly impractical in reality.

Would you / have you bought a house on a road you couldn't park on?

I never would unless the house was in a city centre and therefore handy for good public transport, and my lifestyle was such that I didn't need to run a car.

I imagine that the lack of parking would impact resale of the house as well as making it potentially inconvenient to live in if you have a car.

user85963842 · 14/02/2021 21:41

No, private parking is nonnegotiable for us, no house could make me compromise on that.

RevolutionRadio · 14/02/2021 21:45

No, we only had street parking in our last house. When we moved a drive was on the list of things we needed.

I think it would be a pain for delivery drivers and in the future if anyone ever needed carers then that would be a challenge too.

WannabemoreWeaver · 14/02/2021 21:53

Love my house, parking was not a problem when I moved in, but has steadily become harder and harder over the years. I am seriously thinking of moving, because it affects everything. My advice is not to do it.

ItsDinah · 14/02/2021 21:54

Is it only double yellows? In absence of any Notices to the contrary, you can stop to quickly drop off and unload on those. If there are also small double yellows perpendicularly over the pavement you cannot stop at all. I've spent years in a succession of houses with no parking and have every bit of equipment imaginable for carting heavy loads from car/delivery van to house. For flitting and fixing-up we borrowed a car trailer and wheeled it from car/van to the house. Children are useful volunteer labour for this.

user1471538283 · 14/02/2021 21:56

I currently live in an apartment with on street parking in a sub division where there is very little parking. I dont mind it because its the same for everyone. I did mind before when I had a drive and my neighbours thought it was ok to block me in.

However, when we move again I would like my own drive

LondonMiss · 14/02/2021 22:03

Parking is the FIRST thing I look for now... I bought a terrace with on street parking, by the time I would get home from work there was no parking! I would 3-4 streets away at best, this was much worse on a dark winter night and having to pass a rough pub.
If I could find parking on my long street other home owners would think they “own” the space outside and be quite threatening.
It was half term and HELL any school holidays meant no parking anywhere, so I had to park in my hated location just past a creepy woods. A drunk driver wrote my newish 2 series Bmw off and I will still be paying for that accident for a number of years! I sold the house a week later.

SirSidneyRuffDiamond · 14/02/2021 22:17

I wouldn't personally consider a house with no parking. Also if you ever get an electric car where would you plug it in?

SpilltheTea · 14/02/2021 22:19

No, it's a deal breaker for me.

TheCrowening · 14/02/2021 22:25

Yes, my current house. I can however park on side streets just around the corner. I don’t have small children and get my shopping delivered so it’s not a big deal.

Porridgeoat · 14/02/2021 22:30

My old houses didn’t have parking and it was manageable. In fact it didn’t cross my mind much at all. Nearest parking was a street away and so it meant I had more exercise

Present house has parking and it feels a luxury.

Sparrow91 · 14/02/2021 22:31

Please please don’t do it. At least think about it very carefully.

My DPs house has no parking, and we have to walk to the nearest parking which is about 2-4 minutes away. There is no guaranteed parking, so if that area is full then we have to go to another road, same with that area then another one and so on. The car is never in the same place, and we often forget where we parked. The road the house is on itself has double yellows alllllll the way along it.

It’s disruptive, we struggle to get heavy shopping, it’s not child friendly with getting to the car with a pram, we struggle with visitors especially in summer when many people visit other houses. That’s before I even think about how difficult it is to move house etc.

The house itself is lovely, but we are now moving primarily due to the parking issues and the lack of freedom. It’s also been a nightmare to sell due to the parking which at least 5 viewings cancelled at last minute due to the parking (even with it stated on the advert).

Really consider your circumstances and how you will live in the house before choosing to view.

HurricaneBitch · 14/02/2021 22:38

I did, my first house purchase, I was in my 20's, lived alone and had no intention of having children, I loved it but I had on street parking. I list excellent parallel parking as a skill now, I can get in spaces you wouldn't believe, lol. I wouldn't buy with absolutely no parking at all.

Amammi · 14/02/2021 23:18

It would be ok for us right now now but as electric vehicles become the norm it could become an issue for us as we would not be able to install a charging point. I’d worry it could affect the resale value of the property

HurricaneBitch · 14/02/2021 23:24

@Amammi that's a really good point,

FurierTransform · 14/02/2021 23:28

No, I would never buy anywhere that didn't have at least a 1 car driveway.

RedRidingH00d · 14/02/2021 23:54

Yes, mine and DHs first house was a terraced in a little dead end street. Theoretically everyone had a space outside their front door. However by 5pm on a weekday the entire street was taken, including outside our door. By the time 2 rows of cars lined the 2 sides of the street there was very little room to get down there and navigate and turn around as well. This meant couriers and anyone dropping off deliveries also found it a nightmare. We ended up parking 2 streets away most days. Never again.

Ariela · 15/02/2021 00:58

Could you make do without a car and rely on taxi/train? My friend relocated to a similar house about 3 mins walk from the station and sold her car. She hires one for visiting relatives up country, otherwise train and taxi, or mostly walk as she's practically in the High Street - she has a fancy wheeled shopper (stylish, not granny type) for the supermarket shop

Starseeking · 15/02/2021 01:26

I wouldn't even consider a house with no driveway, never mind no parking!

We have a hybrid car, and have installed a charger at our house. If we didn't have the driveway, we'd have to rely on always going out to charge the car; no thanks!

AlwaysLatte · 15/02/2021 01:46

I did with my old house, and one day when I had finally had enough of dragging shopping up the road I took the fence down and put my car on the tiny front garden (I gravelled it later in the week). It was lucky that I could do that as the front gardens got gradually smaller as you went up the road so most couldn't. If I had the option of two properties fairly similar, one with parking, I would definitely go for that one.

Bythemillpond · 15/02/2021 01:56

I have bought places with on street parking but it had to have plenty of on street parking
I am looking at houses now on Rightmove.
As soon as I see yellow lines outside the front door then I scroll on.
I just see huge problems of trying to struggle with bags of shopping from car to house in the pouring rain or freezing cold. Trying to keep yourself upright on slippy pavements
Why put yourself through all that.

Bluntness100 · 15/02/2021 07:09

It’s just so impractical in day to day live. When we sold our top priority was somewhere with parking, we didn’t wish to experience it again,,it’s surprising how difficult it is in reality.

Bringing shopping in, tradespeople parking, having guests and where they park, even going away some place when you need to load the car.

As a pp said, the reality is if it had parking it would be in a higher price bracket, becayse this is a major downside for most people.