Neighbours using our driveway as a thoroughfare

[Notathoroughfare]

Our neighbour’s house has a front entrance on one street and a rear entrance on our street, which means their drive is directly adjacent to ours and he has a gate at the top of his to access his garden. It’s not a shared driveway. For some reason, they never use their front door and always use the rear as an entrance/exit for them and any guests.

Because his car is massive, it takes up the whole width of his drive, which means anyone entering or leaving their gate has to walk on our driveway and it’s really starting to piss me off. They drag their bins down our drive every week, use our drive to get in and out of their car and if our car isn’t parked on our drive, they will literally just walk straight across.

We did previously ask them not to do this as they were having work done and their workmen kept using our drive to get in and out of NDN’s garden as well as leaving stuff on it and sitting on it to have their lunch. He apologised and it stopped, but increasingly, anyone who visits them will walk up our drive to get to theirs.

We can’t put a fence up because it would mean their driveway was unusable - there’s a wall on the other side of it and their drive is literally only wide enough for their car. This would also be a pretty nuclear option and we don’t want to fall out with them as if we need to do any work to the side of our house, we need to use his sideway.

I really just want to discourage them and their guests using our drive as an extension of theirs. It sounds petty but it’s several times a day and they’ve even been known to go up the middle of our drive and squeeze between the front of our car and our window to get to the gate if our bins are in the way.

There’s no room for planters down the edge of the drive so the only thing I could really think of was creating a small bin store at the top of our drive which is right by their gate. We’re on civil terms with them but not particularly friendly and I’d rather not risk a row because I’m fairly sure he would think we were being unreasonable!

If anyone has any suggestions for deterrents I’d be interested to hear them. We can’t put gates or fences on our drive as there isn’t space. Land mines also not an option.

need a picture! you know the rules

So no easements or right of way in the land register or in the deeds? Better stop this freeloading then before it becomes permanent and informally sold to any new owners.
If he hasn’t paid for a right of way, and doesn’t pay for repairs (dont let him offer this, dont let this start, it may muddy the waters and give the impression on an informal contract).
You may tolerate this now but one day it may get out of hand and you will regret your generosity. Put massive flower pots up now.

First- diagram :)

Second - they're relying on you being nice and friendly to continue to keep taking the mick. They know you're unhappy with what they're doing but they keep on. stop worrying about being friendly! Cheeky buggers

Or another deterrent if they are so cheeky, and there is no room for planters. Yep, diagram needed.

I think this is pretty common actually - if I'm visiting someone and their car is in the drive, I would walk down the neighbours' drives? I don't see what harm it's doing to be honest. I can see that the builders were a bit annoying however.

To be honest, it does sound petty it’s not like they’re going to wear out your drive by walking in it, and if their car takes up the width of their drive, they have no option but to use your drive to get in and out.

Nope fuck that…fence.
If it’s entirely on your side then nothing they can do about it, their car doesn’t fit their runway? Tough.
(Maybe talk to them and tell them to stop trespassing on your property first mind you.)

@AgentProvocateur

To be honest, it does sound petty it’s not like they’re going to wear out your drive by walking in it, and if their car takes up the width of their drive, they have no option but to use your drive to get in and out.

No, they’re not going to wear out our drive but tbh, it’s not really my problem if they chose to a) get a car too big for their own driveway and b) choose to not use their own front door.

There’s absolutely no easement or right of way across our drive for them. They’re just doing it because it’s convenient.

Diagram? Trying to picture it, but difficult.

Put up a fence.

I can't visualise this, can you post a diagram?

And when they have two cars and use the second to buy some crates of beer/ikea furniture, carting it up your driveway, carelessly bumping along your house wall, whilst the massive car is parked in their driveway. “But you’ve always let us, there has never been a problem, its practically an equitable right now” oh, and all our Party guest will come this way too because they cant get past our even bigger future car.
Look forward to seeing the blocking solutions. It will have to be a fence, or a hedge. I think you would be perfectly entitled to plant a lovely thick hawthorn hedge here, with a fence for support.

Put up a fence. I know people who have done the same and (yes) made the neighbours drive unusable. But if it’s on your side of the boundary it’s you prerogative.

It's not going to stop because you've already raised it with them and it hasn't stopped.

You're looking for a conflict free resolution and that's unrealistic.

If you don't want people walking down your driveway you will have to block it by putting a fence on your land. If this means they can't use their driveway then that's for them to sort out.

Or you decide it's more important to not have conflict and you decide to be ok with people walking down your driveway.

But what about it bothers you? How does it negatively impact your life? What harm are they causing?

I never understand these type threads

Nope I’d be putting a fence there. Screw them, my neighbours did this with our drive and actually damaged it with the amount of vehicles they kept using it for plus damaged a load of plants and flowers we were growing. we got it removed and now have a waist height fence where we can and the bits we can’t we have massive stones put there.

I would put a fence up too.

I don't think I'd be bothered about this. Unless it makes your drive unusable to you at certain times of the day or damaging your property in some way?

Could you do some small posts and chains? Something like this?

This would drive me mad. I have dogs that bark at everything so I'd get very annoyed with your situation. You have to tell them. Its your drive, its not shared, tell them to use the front door like normal people.

Hmm. I’ve tried to post a diagram but it’s not working. I’ll try again in a bit.

It’s basically an L shape with the horizontal part of the L being their drive and the vertical part is their house and garden. Our drive is next to theirs.

It doesn’t hugely negatively impact our lives but a lot of things which are aggravating on a relatively trivial level become more so when they continue. Sure, it might not bother some people and all good to you but it bothers us which is why I’m looking at solutions.

If I can’t come up with anything suitable then I’ll raise it again with him, but I was looking initially for a visual deterrent to try and discourage them. 🙂

Could a compromise be had? I do get from their POV if they park on their drive its a lot easier to jump out the car and head straight in through the back door by the sounds of it, especially if they have a boot room etc. Could you say thats fine but when guests etc come could they use the front door instead?

Placemarking because I love a good diagram.

I suppose you could try putting up a "Please do not trespass onto our land" or similar, which would at least remind both the neighbours and their visitors.

But probably you need a conversation where you say that you really don't want to make their drive unusable by putting up a fence or wall but if this isn't sorted out you may have no choice. Obviously it's worth discussing constructive alternatives like them using their front drive like everyone else, and not parking their car there.

Can't visualise the layout here. The diagram better be a good one after all this!

I couldn't get worked up about this. You sound petty.