Neighbours being funny over parking

[seabrooks1945]

We moved into our new home 3-4 months ago. It’s a beautiful house in a nice, quiet area with good schools. The only issue is the parking situation. We have a driveway that can fit 1 small car. I park my car there, and my husband has to park his bigger car on the street right in front of me, blocking me in. So far, we’ve just been shuffling the cars around to get in and out, but with work, kids, school runs, and all the activities, it’s becoming a hassle. My husband recently started parking on the road outside our neighbours house to make things easier, but every time he moves his car, they park their car there instead. They used to always park in on the driveway until now, so it feels a bit suspicious. Are they sending us hints? Do you think it’s a good idea for us to have a conversation about it? How would you go about it?

Not helping the reputation of Defender drivers here (tongue in cheek remark from wife of Series 2a owner).

So the Defender is too wide to fit on the drive? Either carry on shuffling til you can afford to widen the drive, whoever goes out first takes the Defender or get rid of the Defender and get something less wide or shorter.

Exactly. I bet they think OPs husband is a bit of a a……e in the street.

No - big old as in 'that's a big old slice of cake I just ate there'. I know they're not all old models!

Obviously they’re sending you a message that parking there is pissing them off. Personally I would try and park somewhere else. It’s not worth causing bad feeling over if you have another option.

I might have missed this suggestion but could you not park your small car on the road in front of your own house and your husband put his larger car in your driveway?

I know it's a public road but I wouldn't want you outside my house all the time. It's not considerate. I know people will disagree but I think the majority of people would be frustrated.

If some bloke with a ridiculously huge car (unless you live very rurally in which case I understand the need for the big car, but I know you don’t so this is just lip service) came knocking on my door to say they wanted to make my life a bit harder to convenience themselves I would be thinking they could fuck right off.

I am your neighbour in this instance and I am also you in this instance! My inconsiderate neighbour has a huge drive but chooses to squeeze his car right up to the kerb just touching our side of the boundary wall, as about once a week his brother likes to take their other car off drive and use it. It makes coming off my drive really difficult as he totally obscures my view of the curved road. Likewise our other neighbours have no driveway and their kerbed space is first come, first served. We never take it and block our own cars in instead as we value our amicable relationship.

i hate to just make assumptions, but I can’t help but feel that you and your husband are the new low-level annoying neighbours with your stupidly big car and notions of ‘explaining’ to the neighbours when any fool can see what the deal is here!

I always think it’s etiquette you don’t park your car outside someone else’s house unless it’s unavoidable. Personally I just find it rude. Park outside your own. I’d be really pissed off too if you kept parking outside mine. Should have bought a house with a bigger driveway.

I would have a very gentle convo around it, explain that you’ve needed to park there a couple of times and say you hope it has it caused any inconvenience. It might do nothing, but it might just open up the conversation for them to bring it up and it might even make them think twice about being difficult. No harm in having a chat about it.

I don't own a car but if someone started parking their car so that I had a view of it from my sitting room window every day, I'd be pissed off too.

Yes I think this is the issue. He's using two parking spaces in front of two neighbouring houses, because he has a bigger than average car.

They're making a passive aggressive point that they want him to stop doing it.

Up to you whether you assert your legal rights (to park on the public road) or back down to keep the peace.

If they re parking legally, what are you going to do about it...this is leading nowhere right?

OP I just saw your diagram your being unreasonable. You are basically leaving them no where for there visitors or tradesmen to park by parking outside there house. Your both very entitled and annoying neighbours. If you carry this nonsense on dont be surprised if you become very disliked in your neighborhood.

It might be that your dh parking there is making it more hassle for them to get in and out. Or they are just the sort of people who hate anyone parking outside. Either way, they are entitled to park there as are you. I can't believe you didn't forsee this when you brought the house. Is there no way to make it a 2 car drive?

He should park the monster car farther away, or block you in.

It’s been suggested.

@seabrooks1945 yes is this not an option?!

No.

It's a public road. If you start using it for your convenience you can't be surprised when others do the same.

Is it possible that parking outside their house makes it awkward for them to turn on/off their drive? Could that be why they’ve started parking outside to stop you doing it?

Why?

I was going to say yanbu until I saw what car your dh has. My neighbours have one and it makes it a nightmare getting in and out of my drive because its huge and I cant see past it easily. I would never say anything because they are perfectly entitled to park it where they do but it annoys me every single time

It's a ten page thread. Have a skim through. OP's posts alone will give you the answer.

His humongous car won't fit on the drive

Sell the car and put that towards a new drive. Does he need such a large car