How can I stop a neighbour parking on my property?
Discussion
So, how can I stop my neighbour parking on my drive. My drive is not shared, but between the houses there was only enough width for one car. There used to be garages (now both knocked down and extensions built) at the back however these were built after the houses (1930s) and there is nothing on the deeds stating shared access or responsibility. My boundary is straight down the middle marked by a dotted line which my solicitor explained to me when I bought the house was the “boundary with no physical boundary”, he also said I could fence it if I wanted.
Recently I had my drive done and I have fenced down the middle of the drive between the houses (as others have done on the street) with a gated access to the front (she used to park in this space 50/50 on each side prior to this). I spoke to her before I had to work done (6 months in advance) and she said she was fine with it her words – “it’s your boundary, do what you like”. She now just parks in front of the gate making access for me difficult (again). We have to share a drop kerb wide enough for 1 vehicle.
She doesn’t want to lose her front garden or path and only has enough width to park 50% of her car on her property. I can drive on via the shared drop kerb at an angle and not touch her drive, but with her car parked 50% on my side I have to drive over the grass verge & kerb. The boundary is clear as my drive is block paved, hers concrete.
I have spoken about it this whole situation with her over the last couple of years, first off about getting the drive done together so we could all park (she didn’t want to – couldn’t afford, also didn’t want to lose garden) and second off saying I’m not happy about her parking on my property.
I wish I’d just stuck a waist level picket fence up down to the pathway, but didn’t because I thought it would make access for her harder should she get her drive done (I don’t mind, I can drive) and at the time I thought that was a step too far. I assumed the obvious boundary of two different surfaces would be enough to make it obvious who’s is what.
And to top it off she’s now peed off with us for suggesting she can’t park on our property! I cannot see how I am in the wrong here, what’s the best course of action ->
- Erect a small fence
- Solicitors (would rather not spend money on this nor get into a proper dispute, so far I have been thoughtful and understanding in comms as I would prefer to get along)
- Tow her car off my property (ha)
- Clamp her car and charge £500 to release (ha)
- Suggest she finds another neighbours drive to park on without permission(ha)
- Send her on a common sense course?
- Anything else?
She’s lived there for 15 years, I think she thinks because she has been there longer it’s alright for her to park where ever she fancies.
Cheers
Recently I had my drive done and I have fenced down the middle of the drive between the houses (as others have done on the street) with a gated access to the front (she used to park in this space 50/50 on each side prior to this). I spoke to her before I had to work done (6 months in advance) and she said she was fine with it her words – “it’s your boundary, do what you like”. She now just parks in front of the gate making access for me difficult (again). We have to share a drop kerb wide enough for 1 vehicle.
She doesn’t want to lose her front garden or path and only has enough width to park 50% of her car on her property. I can drive on via the shared drop kerb at an angle and not touch her drive, but with her car parked 50% on my side I have to drive over the grass verge & kerb. The boundary is clear as my drive is block paved, hers concrete.
I have spoken about it this whole situation with her over the last couple of years, first off about getting the drive done together so we could all park (she didn’t want to – couldn’t afford, also didn’t want to lose garden) and second off saying I’m not happy about her parking on my property.
I wish I’d just stuck a waist level picket fence up down to the pathway, but didn’t because I thought it would make access for her harder should she get her drive done (I don’t mind, I can drive) and at the time I thought that was a step too far. I assumed the obvious boundary of two different surfaces would be enough to make it obvious who’s is what.
And to top it off she’s now peed off with us for suggesting she can’t park on our property! I cannot see how I am in the wrong here, what’s the best course of action ->
- Erect a small fence
- Solicitors (would rather not spend money on this nor get into a proper dispute, so far I have been thoughtful and understanding in comms as I would prefer to get along)
- Tow her car off my property (ha)
- Clamp her car and charge £500 to release (ha)
- Suggest she finds another neighbours drive to park on without permission(ha)
- Send her on a common sense course?
- Anything else?
She’s lived there for 15 years, I think she thinks because she has been there longer it’s alright for her to park where ever she fancies.
Cheers
Cheers guys, I was beginning to doubt myself that I’m being unreasonable.
Planters are an option, but drive slopes at quite a gradient. Not impossible though! Fence/chain is the solution I reckon.
Can’t extend drop kerb, paid £80 for them to inspect and they said no as my drive isn’t deep enough (needs to be 5m min, it’s 4.5m at the bay window, 5m at the door, but other houses on the street have had it done with the same scenario… however policy has changed since then!). Maybe I’ll pay someone cash to do it on the sly….
She’s just being an ar se. No need.
Planters are an option, but drive slopes at quite a gradient. Not impossible though! Fence/chain is the solution I reckon.
Can’t extend drop kerb, paid £80 for them to inspect and they said no as my drive isn’t deep enough (needs to be 5m min, it’s 4.5m at the bay window, 5m at the door, but other houses on the street have had it done with the same scenario… however policy has changed since then!). Maybe I’ll pay someone cash to do it on the sly….
She’s just being an ar se. No need.
That's exactly it, she's got a bush and I haven't. Mine is actually now block paved across the front of the house to allow two cars now. I've also removed the gate you see in the pic and fenced with a side gate in line with my front door (also paid to put a gate on her half as well as i'd removed the old security gate).
She parks to the right of her bush (snigger).
I used to park of the grass infront of my window prior to doing the drive and she used to park up to the gates (blocking all side access to my garden/bins). I've never been happy with the arrangement and said quite a few times, especially as my car was getting mucky in the mud.
I've suggested she parks on the road but she hasn't got a permit (well get one then).
I've even had situations on the past where i've had guests park squarely on my half of the drive and she'd asked us to move so she can park. That's like me asking a neighbour opposite if they'd kindly remove their car from their drive so i can park. Bonkers!
Title Deeds:
She probably thinks it's a space so i'll use it.
She parks to the right of her bush (snigger).
I used to park of the grass infront of my window prior to doing the drive and she used to park up to the gates (blocking all side access to my garden/bins). I've never been happy with the arrangement and said quite a few times, especially as my car was getting mucky in the mud.
I've suggested she parks on the road but she hasn't got a permit (well get one then).
I've even had situations on the past where i've had guests park squarely on my half of the drive and she'd asked us to move so she can park. That's like me asking a neighbour opposite if they'd kindly remove their car from their drive so i can park. Bonkers!
Title Deeds:
She probably thinks it's a space so i'll use it.
Mine is to the right, but I've got both plans as I've had this convo before and shown her where our boundaries lie to no avail.
I've treated this as gently as possible, not been defensive at all. I do not want a proper dispute. I also want to sell the house soon now I've finished renovations, but don't want buyers put off by a neighbour that doesn't know how to park!
This plan was from the solicitors pack we had when we bought the house as we needed the Land Reg to update our plan in line with next doors (the image for our house was small and it was not clear where the boundaries lay).
I've treated this as gently as possible, not been defensive at all. I do not want a proper dispute. I also want to sell the house soon now I've finished renovations, but don't want buyers put off by a neighbour that doesn't know how to park!
This plan was from the solicitors pack we had when we bought the house as we needed the Land Reg to update our plan in line with next doors (the image for our house was small and it was not clear where the boundaries lay).
) and there’s my reasoning to use all of my driveway space.probably am being a little soft to be fair. With neighbours my view is I'd rather get along and be "neighbourly". This situ doesn't compute well with that approach. i.e. I replaced the fences in the garden when they blew (we went halves on cost), but i could have insisted we get someone into do it rather than giving my time etc.
I'm going to fence it. Both use our cars, seems to be whoever gets there first parks there, i don't want that hassle.
I'm going to fence it. Both use our cars, seems to be whoever gets there first parks there, i don't want that hassle.
just to update this (changed my username since too!), I went for the fence option, looks nice i think (yes I know the outside of house is a state!) and I can get a couple of cars on now - result.
Unfortunately she's (next door) is still a prized A t
t even though I discussed my plans - i.e. want to park two cars on my drive. She now parks half in the parking bay and half out on the road across the drop kerb making access difficult for me. Parking restrictions are only between 2-3PM so she won't get a ticket for it.
I'd love rip her head of a st down the hole, but that's not very neighbourly is it. She's a 50 year old single (not by choice) battle axe.
Rant over.
Unfortunately she's (next door) is still a prized A t
t even though I discussed my plans - i.e. want to park two cars on my drive. She now parks half in the parking bay and half out on the road across the drop kerb making access difficult for me. Parking restrictions are only between 2-3PM so she won't get a ticket for it.I'd love rip her head of a s
t down the hole, but that's not very neighbourly is it. She's a 50 year old single (not by choice) battle axe. Rant over.
I have to drive half over the grass to get out, i've requested the council extend my drop ( i was planning on doing this anyway).
there's basically 2 resident bays in front of her house, her neighbour parks in one, she parks half in half out - you could park another small car in the middle if you wanted to.
there's basically 2 resident bays in front of her house, her neighbour parks in one, she parks half in half out - you could park another small car in the middle if you wanted to.
Really, I didn't realise I had right of access over the drop kerb. Hmm one for the armoury when I next speak to the twit.
I didn't mention this earlier, but she knocked on my door a month after the job was done stating that her Dad (she's 50 remember) said that that fence blocks her right of access. Even though she had been blocking it with her car for years - when the boot is on the other foot and all that ... !
Anyway, I did enjoy telling her I checked that point and there is no right of access written in the deeds, just a marking on the deeds stating boundary with no physical substance. Incidentally I also said, that was something our solicitor pointed out when we bought the place - that neither party had right of access and was it something my Wife and I would like to instate (we didn't as we didn't want to share all along).
I do fancy buying a LR Defender or such like and ramming her poxy micra out of the way though.
These sorts of things really do annoy me, she's having a party in April. Perhaps I should go away for the weekend and pop a note on facebook.
I didn't mention this earlier, but she knocked on my door a month after the job was done stating that her Dad (she's 50 remember) said that that fence blocks her right of access. Even though she had been blocking it with her car for years - when the boot is on the other foot and all that ... !
Anyway, I did enjoy telling her I checked that point and there is no right of access written in the deeds, just a marking on the deeds stating boundary with no physical substance. Incidentally I also said, that was something our solicitor pointed out when we bought the place - that neither party had right of access and was it something my Wife and I would like to instate (we didn't as we didn't want to share all along).
I do fancy buying a LR Defender or such like and ramming her poxy micra out of the way though.
These sorts of things really do annoy me, she's having a party in April. Perhaps I should go away for the weekend and pop a note on facebook.
Tampon – made me laugh ha
So – we paid for her new gate in the pictures, the fence is erected solely on my land, I offered to pay for the permit (£15) and I checked she was happy before and after (“yes it looks great” was the answer to my face) and I offered to dig up her line of shrubs and gravel between her path to front door and path to back gate in the pictures so that she could park as she said she couldn’t afford to have hers done (she said no).
Parking restrictions are only for an hour a day while everyone is at work (I live near a mainline station), she parks on yellows across the drop and a bit in the bay anyway.
If she parked within the bay there would be no issues, she chooses to leave it empty and park across most of the dropped kerb, which is single car width and 50% “her side”, 50% “mine” but due to the angle and distance across the pavement means you can drive straight onto my property (or hers if she’d done the job too) from it. She probably thinks the drop kerb is half “hers” even though it’s on council land.
There is no space to park cars in the gardens due to extensions, so using it would mean one car would always be blocking someone’s access. There did used to be garages in the gardens though, built in the 60s if my sources are correct (houses are 30s), but were too small for the modern car. However, no right of access in the deeds and all other houses on the road of the same style bar 1 have done the same as we have done (except they have made a parking area for each neighbour, but she wanted to keep her garden).
She’s just purposely making my life difficult cause she is a miserable, lonely old battle axe that has f all else going on in her life. I realise this probably all sounds a little one sided but I don’t think I could be any more reasonable – the first conversation we had with her 2.5 years ago was about parking, the drive plans (she initially said she would do the drive with us but kept fobbing us off about having no money) and right of access! We never parked like she did because I wasn’t comfortable with taking the piss or causing any inconvenience if I wasn’t around to move my car (as she caused for us on numerous occasions when I needed to get around the back to take stuff to the tip etc).
Could be worse I guess – there’s no aggression, this is just childish behaviour.
Anyway I’ll leave it here.
So – we paid for her new gate in the pictures, the fence is erected solely on my land, I offered to pay for the permit (£15) and I checked she was happy before and after (“yes it looks great” was the answer to my face) and I offered to dig up her line of shrubs and gravel between her path to front door and path to back gate in the pictures so that she could park as she said she couldn’t afford to have hers done (she said no).
Parking restrictions are only for an hour a day while everyone is at work (I live near a mainline station), she parks on yellows across the drop and a bit in the bay anyway.
If she parked within the bay there would be no issues, she chooses to leave it empty and park across most of the dropped kerb, which is single car width and 50% “her side”, 50% “mine” but due to the angle and distance across the pavement means you can drive straight onto my property (or hers if she’d done the job too) from it. She probably thinks the drop kerb is half “hers” even though it’s on council land.
There is no space to park cars in the gardens due to extensions, so using it would mean one car would always be blocking someone’s access. There did used to be garages in the gardens though, built in the 60s if my sources are correct (houses are 30s), but were too small for the modern car. However, no right of access in the deeds and all other houses on the road of the same style bar 1 have done the same as we have done (except they have made a parking area for each neighbour, but she wanted to keep her garden).
She’s just purposely making my life difficult cause she is a miserable, lonely old battle axe that has f all else going on in her life. I realise this probably all sounds a little one sided but I don’t think I could be any more reasonable – the first conversation we had with her 2.5 years ago was about parking, the drive plans (she initially said she would do the drive with us but kept fobbing us off about having no money) and right of access! We never parked like she did because I wasn’t comfortable with taking the piss or causing any inconvenience if I wasn’t around to move my car (as she caused for us on numerous occasions when I needed to get around the back to take stuff to the tip etc).
Could be worse I guess – there’s no aggression, this is just childish behaviour.
Anyway I’ll leave it here.
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