Car parking upsetting neighbour

[DebtSniper]

Hi all,

My car broke down two weeks ago. I'm not fully sure what the problem is as I've not had time to deal with it yet.

Anyhow, the vehicle was towed home after breaking down and was left as close to my home as possible at the time, about 30 yards from where I live. A neighbour has left a note on the windscreen complaining that the vehicle has been left outside their house.

The vehicle is taxed and has an MOT, and it is not a rusty eyesore. There are no parking restrictions on the street. Am I OK to leave it where it is until I either fix it or scrap it, which hopefully I will do in the next week or so?

There is ample room for the neighbour to park their vehicle. Parking spaces do go on a first come, first served basis, but everyone usually gets a space (just).


Am I doing anything wrong?

[tomstickland]

They don't own the road outside their house.

[Thunderbird]

Am I doing anything wrong?
No, you are not.

Where do you park usually? If they used to get home early and park there most of the time, then, it is a matter of inconvenience, nothing to do with you. Is it possible to push the car to where you used to park before?

Again, you are not doing anything wrong, from the legal point of view.

[Keith]

Leave her a note,

"I feel terrible about parking my car outside your house, please tend to your garden, it's looking quite shabby!"

[G-G]

Leave her a note,

"I feel terrible about parking my car outside your house, please tend to your garden, it's looking quite shabby!"

:rotfl::rotfl: :rotfl: :T

[cajef]

Rather than have neighbour disputes why not talk to them and explain it is broken down and that you will move it when you can.

[Idiophreak]

If everyone parks in the street, I take it you're not blocking their drive etc. I'd be tempted to leave a polite note saying that it's a public highway, you've as much right to park there as anyone else - but if there's a good reason they require your car to be moved, you're happy to hear it.

[LandyAndy]

Rather than have neighbour disputes why not talk to them and explain it is broken down and that you will move it when you can.

Far too obvious.;)

[fiscalfreckles]

Rather than have neighbour disputes why not talk to them and explain it is broken down and that you will move it when you can.

This is what I'd do, they may not realise its your car & think someone has just dumped it - perhaps they'll be understanding if you explain and reassure them it won't be there for much longer.

[nullogik]

I would just quietly move it, release the handbrake and roll it to a new space - if it can't move under its own power.

You don't want to get on the wrong side of your neighbour (even if its not intentional) otherwise you might wake up to four flat tires, a broken window or brake fluid on your bonnet.

You haven't done anything wrong, but its best just to quietly and diplomatically move it elsewhere. Remember you have to live with these people, so its best not to make life difficult and start some kind of war.

[Poppycat]

I parked my car outside my house (different house as I moved) and one day some one hit it and drove off, they wrecked the car. I moved the car onto another street cul de sac quiet street with plenty of parking and only old people live there in flats. One person vandalised my car for parking there despite previously being friendly to them in the past never said I was causing a problem etc. I suspected I knew who it was, and since found out they were a nasty piece of work.

As said they dont own the road so you can park where you want to provided it doesn't cause a obstruction etc Obviously its best to try and be nice and pleasant to people and also park near your house where possible, obviously that isn't always possibly and in your caes you have a valid reason

I like to park near my hosue because I got a disabled daughter sometimes I cant and use the driveway which is very steep and daughter has problems getting out of car, but thats just the way it is

[DebtSniper]

No, you are not.
If they used to get home early and park there most of the time, then, it is a matter of inconvenience, nothing to do with you. Is it possible to push the car to where you used to park before?

I think you've summed it up pretty neatly. It's an inconvenience for them, but I don't believe I am preventing them from parking outside their home.

I usually park outside my own flat, but like everyone else on my road, I take whatever space is most convenient at the time.

I could possibly push the car nearer to my flat if I get some help (it is slightly uphill).

[DebtSniper]

If everyone parks in the street, I take it you're not blocking their drive etc. I'd be tempted to leave a polite note saying that it's a public highway, you've as much right to park there as anyone else - but if there's a good reason they require your car to be moved, you're happy to hear it.
I am not blocking anyone in or causing any hindrance, which is why I don't believe my actions are unreasonable.

I have drafted a not so polite note explaining that I am entitled to park on a public road, but I take your (and other posters') point that maybe I should try to resolve matters peaceably. Maybe I'll tone the wording down a bit. ;)

[Badger_Lady]

It sounds to me like they're just paranoid that the car's been "dumped" there, since it clearly isn't in working order (which they may have deduced from the fact that it never moves).

An explanation may well be enough - they probably just need reassuring that it's not a permenant fixture on the road, that you will fix/trash it soon, and you're not just going to go out and buy a new car without sorting this one out first :).

[jazzy]

If it was me I would get the car pushed to my usual parking spot. It's nice to be considerate to other neighbors, a rare commodity nowadays!

[goldspanners]

2 weeks is long time to leave your car outside someone elses house in my opinion,if it were me, i would rather move it nearer my house when possible,a few days is fair enough.
the neighbour was a bit cheeky in leaving a note as legally you are doing nothing wrong,but morally and neighbourly i would say you are.
my street is a pain to park in at times especially when a certain family with 3 cars with a driveway big enough to cope all park on the road at the same time taking up spaces that other residents normally use.

[paula65]

many many years ago, my dad used to park his works van at the bottom of the cul-de-sac they lived in (would cause an obstruction if outside the house). Neighbour at the bottom of the cul-de-sac would regularly let the tyred down until my dad called the police and they told the guy off. Years later I married the blokes son :rolleyes:

[Hintza]

I have drafted a not so polite note explaining that I am entitled to park on a public road, but I take your (and other posters') point that maybe I should try to resolve matters peaceably. Maybe I'll tone the wording down a bit. ;)

Neighbour is obviously comncerned its been dumped as has been suggested talk nicely too them and explain the problem.

If you sent me shirty reply I wouldn't be pleased might have to send the boys round for a chat / let tyres down etc etc. So why not just be nice.

[Pssst]

Where did you park it when it was fully functional? In the same place? why is it not outside your house or on your drive if you have one?

[Barneysmom]

But if the engine's not running and you have power steering, you could find yourself having big problems moving it?
Might be better to have a friendly word with the neighbour?

[scbk]

Suggest to the neighbour that if they give you a hand pushing/towing it, you can move it to your normal spot outside your house. It's easy enough to turn the wheel when the engine is off, easir when the wheels are rolling though.

.......or just fix it ;) :p

[waggys]

Presumably your car is recognised as a 'familiar' car in the road and not an unrecognisable one! If it is taxed and parked legally, I can't see what the issue is after 2 weeks.

Why people think they have a god given right to park outside their own house and that no one else does, I don't know. I would be tempted to draw their attention to the small, circular disk in your windscreen which gives you the right to park on a 'PUBLIC' highway.

Would you get a note left on your windscreen if you had parked your car up and gone on holiday for 2 weeks? Probably not...

If you had abandoned your car, you would probably have cashed in the tax disk and parked it well away from where you live!

If someone approached me personally, rather than left a note, I would be far more receptive.

[mrcow]

Don't send the note.

It will create bad feeling.

Just mentioned next time you see them that you will be getting the car fixed ASAP. You don't need to move it as you have every right to park there, but if it is upsetting them that much that they've resorted to leaving notes on windscreens, maybe it's worth talking to them about it before they get any more upset.

Sometimes it's the little things that can upset people.

[Engadine]

At the end of the day it is a public road with no parking restrictions so you are fully entitled to park there for as long as you like, nothing the neighbour can do.

Our street is a busy street, we have 2 cars one gets parked in the drive but there is only space for 1 car in the drive so the other gets parked on the road. Our street isn't very wide so all the cars get parked on one side of the street if we can't get our other car parked outside the house it's hardly the end of the world, we just park in the first space available as do all of our neighbours and no one seems to have a problem

[gilbert and sullivan]

Try and think how you would feel if a car arrived outside your house and didn't move again.
You wouldn't have a clue whether it was a deliberate annoyance or a totally innocent breakdown.
Be neighbourly, shift it so its outside your own house.

[DebtSniper]

Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately, I cannot move the car nearer my flat at the moment because there are still no free spaces. Maybe there will be later, but I am not going to sit around all day waiting for a space to become available.

I have sent a firm, but polite note to the neighbour and I will follow up with a call later today or tomorrow.

I don't want to inconvenience or annoy anyone, but at the same time this situation is very inconvenient for me also. I have already been let down by two mechanics who did not show up, so it is not always easy to resolve such matters as quickly as everyone would like.

[Conor]

TBH, I'd have done the same. Its not a situation of your own creation and you're not deliberately trying to upset anyone. Sadly too many people seem to think they own the road in front of their houses and having to walk an extra 15ft is like asking them to jump off a cliff.

[savvy]

Tell your neighbours to come and see what I have to put up with! For the last 17 years I have had 1 of 2 old relics parked right opposite my drive, which cause no end of problems for me to swing out of my drive if someone parks on my side too close to my post, and larger vehicles e.g dustcarts to get by, the parking bay's even had to be painted around it and all the rubbish that's collected underneath it over the years, by the owner who made a right hash of it, and the thing has even attracted drunken locals as it's a great place to sit and have very loud incoherent chats til the early hours of the morning :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Naff all anyone can do about all this (although he CAN fit 2 of these vehicles down the side of his house but prefers to annoy everyone), as the vehicle is over 25 years old, has a parking permit and is completely legal for the road...........................oh and in case you're wondering what the !!!!!!!g vehicle is...................it's an antique fire engine! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Do not worry, you sound the sort to get your vehicle sorted, I'd get on and do it and then that's the end of it, just don't leave it for 17 years to decide what to do with it :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[DebtSniper]

Tell your neighbours to come and see what I have to put up with! For the last 17 years I have had 1 of 2 old relics parked right opposite my drive, which cause no end of problems for me to swing out of my drive if someone parks on my side too close to my post, and larger vehicles e.g dustcarts to get by, the parking bay's even had to be painted around it and all the rubbish that's collected underneath it over the years, by the owner who made a right hash of it, and the thing has even attracted drunken locals as it's a great place to sit and have very loud incoherent chats til the early hours of the morning :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Naff all anyone can do about all this (although he CAN fit 2 of these vehicles down the side of his house but prefers to annoy everyone), as the vehicle is over 25 years old, has a parking permit and is completely legal for the road...........................oh and in case you're wondering what the !!!!!!!g vehicle is...................it's an antique fire engine! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Do not worry, you sound the sort to get your vehicle sorted, I'd get on and do it and then that's the end of it, just don't leave it for 17 years to decide what to do with it :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
OMG, 17 years! How can that be legal?

Someone has finally shown up to take a look at my vehicle and it is not worth fixing. :eek: I've spoken to a scrap recycling company who will collect it this week.

I'm sure my neighbour will be delighted to hear that, but I'm not exactly in the mood for doing cartwheels. I now have to start the hunt for a new (well, used actually) vehicle.

Ho hum.

[cyclonebri1]

I would just quietly move it, release the handbrake and roll it to a new space - if it can't move under its own power.

You don't want to get on the wrong side of your neighbour (even if its not intentional) otherwise you might wake up to four flat tires, a broken window or brake fluid on your bonnet.

You haven't done anything wrong, but its best just to quietly and diplomatically move it elsewhere. Remember you have to live with these people, so its best not to make life difficult and start some kind of war.


I totally agree with this sentiment. If the car does get damaged and you suspected the letter writer you would never prove it.

Also if the young scallies in the area get wind that a car is fairly "static" they know theyv'e got all the time in the world to plunder it.