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?

Why not? £5k of ground works and tarmac, maybe? 🤣 “just pave over your front garden”

Your modern car is... everyone else seems to be coping OK.

It can be done much cheaper tbh, two rows of paving slabs the width of car wheel distance.

So your husband is taking up two parking spaces from your neighbours. Is he driving a jeep or a van? Sounds like he needs to downsize or else you need to put up with the hassle of juggling cars. You are new to the area, you do not want to be falling out with neighbours already.

Which neighbour has started parking on the road instead of their drive? Your big car is taking up 2 spaces, where does he expect non attached neighbours visitors and delivery drivers to park, why does he need such a big car.

What do you intend to achieve from having a conversation with them?

in any case,

1. They don’t like your husband’s car parked on the road outside their house.
2. They are perfectly entitled not to like your husband’s car parked on the road outside their house.
3. Your husband is perfectly entitled to park his car on the road outside their house (assuming it’s a public road, not a dropped kerb, he is not causing an obstruction, there are no parking restrictions in force, his vehicle is taxed etc).
4. They are perfectly entitled to park there to prevent your husband from doing so.
5. They may be sending you hints.

Thank you for the diagram! It makes it very clear what the issue is.

He isn't parking in front of the neighbours house, he is parking in front of BOTH neighbours houses! taking up two full size parking spaces for their visitors etc with his one car in the middle of both! It is cheeky to be honest.

It looks like your attached neighbour manages to park their two cars okay, so is it the size of your second car that is the problem? or do they have to shuffle round too?

Like PP have said, why don't you just use the available car, instead of swapping all the time?

I don’t understand this: the road outside your house isn’t “yours” so why do people think that only they should park there.

we only have one car, and have a driveway. People around the corner on a main road park outside our house every day. At the most I give them a wee wave if they walk by when I’m at the window

Honestly can’t understand why people are petty about parking outside their house especially if they have a drive. Used to have a job where I visited people at home and sometimes I’d have to park further away from the home I was visiting for safety reasons and I would park up on the street outside another house not blocking anyone, and people would come out and look at me or ask me if they could help me! I was astonished bunch of Curtain twitchers 🫣 I politely said no and kept walking

Stop parking outside their house. That's their space I would say. Why should they park elsewhere when there's space outside their own house which you've now pinched.

Is this a reverse from the person who posted yesterday who was fed up with their neighbours van parked outside their house?

Because the option with parking for 2 cars was unaffordable or undesirable in some other way I assume.

Most people would prefer sufficient off-street parking for the number of cars that they have but most people might also like big gardens, 5 bedrooms, home gyms and utility rooms, it doesn't mean everyone can afford them in the place they want to live so they make compromises. Parking on the street is a compromise that millions of people make.

That's their space I would say.

You might say it, but it's not true.

The neighbour next to us (not attached, where it saids neighbours at the top). He only parks in the middle, so they have enough space to get in and out of their driveway.

Is your DH's car genuinely huge OP? If so, could you downsize to avoid this drama?

I don't think you are supposed to park in front of a dropped kerb whether it is yours or someone else's, and are liable to get ticketed so it's not really a solution for DH to park in front of your drive.

I think you bought the wrong house OP.

So out of 4 households, your husband's car is the only one that doesn't fit in a single space.

Therefore, he inconveniences 2 neighbours by using both of "visitor" spaces daily, rather than inconvenience himself.

Not illegal, but I can see why they are miffed and choosing to park there themselves.

But he is taking up two spaces by doing that so it is obvious why the neighbours are annoyed, they may even have spoken about it between them and come up with this plan.

Is it a van? as even a large car would normally not be longer than the width of a house?

Does your attached neighbour encroach on your space outside with their car?

I think its because people with drives expect the space outside their house should be reserved for visitors.

Maybe compromise, he parks outside their house and they park outside your house but anyone taking up 2 parking spaces is pretty shit

Has this been asked, can DH park in the drive and you park on the road? If your attached neighbours manage how do they do it?

What solution are you looking for OP?

Agree with this. They don't want your husband to park there even though he has the right to. I can't imagine anything you say will make them go back to using their drive to leave the space outside their house clear for him.

If you actually want to be friends with them, stop doing it. Otherwise, carry on.

As pp have said, some diplomatic solutions would be to either have cars that fit the parking on and outside your own property, or perhaps widening your driveway with a couple of rows of paving slabs so the big car fits? But that all costs money, so it's about what you are actually aiming for in terms of neighbourly relations.

Can he switch to a smaller car in due course?