Neighbour keeps cutting across our driveway!

Penny_Farthing_2

I have a layout similar to the OP's with my front drive. I don't mind it, though - life's too short.
I think if your neighbour really is damaging your drive then you need to point out the sunken bit and explain that you will be blocking access to that part of your drive because repairing the damage would be expensive. You can say that you will be blocking it so that you can work out whether it's sinking because of her cars or yours. Say that, to rule out problems, she needs to stay off your drive - it would be in her best interests not to be a possible factor. If you present it as a puzzle you're trying to solve and put in a veiled reference to repair costs, she may just stay off. Also, once you have put a bit of a barrier up, it's easier to extend it without fuss. You will have to be extremetl careful not to put so much as half a tyre on her drive, though, if you want to keep the 'high ground'.

Gunarysarge

siw8158 wrote: »

This is really gettting annoying.

We live on a corner so our drives are narrow at the top and wider at the bottom in a dog-legged inshape. Hers is much wider at the bottom compared to ours. Myself and wife have to play musical cars at night to swap them around for the commute in the morning.

Our next door neighbour has 3 vehicles on the drive. An unused sherpa (been there for 3+ years and never used), her car and sons car.

She keeps cutting across our drive (2 or 3+ times a day) to get off save moving her sons car.

She is also a little unhinged having had many rows with her other other adjoining neighbour but not us as yet!

We've started parking our cars further up to block her from doing this but she nips in when we've nipped out.

It is also block paves, and such is the frequency of her doing this, that there are two dips on our side from her using our drive.

She has now noted we're doing this to deliberately stop her cutting across and has been know on at least 3 occasions to randomly blow her horn when she moves the cars around, the last two incidents being around 8pm when our daughter (2yrs) was due to go to bed!!!! So she's already strted being petty!

There is no common right of way across either drive according to the solicitor when we purchased it 4 years ago, even swinging round the awkward corner at the botton.

The drive is also about 80/90ft long so fencing will be expensive.

Any suggestions on how to stop her besides a pot plant and a few troughs down the divide????

Thanx in advance,

Si

I would do nothing to stop them at this time, instead I would get video evidence of this happening including time and date . Obviously dont let them see you doing this as to avoid more problems, now no matter what happens you have evidence of this taking place. Keep it safe.
Ok your next move is the hard part and by that I mean you will need to approach these people and advise them that they can not use your drive as access to their property (what reasons you give is up to you but rememmber be polite and remain calm). Now if they get abusive or threatening walk away, Write down exactly what was said by yourself and them and time and date it. now you Know the only way forward would be to contact the police and they would advise you of what to do next. However they may not react like that say sorry and never do it again. No matter what happens keep some sort of record or log.
Hope you get it sorted.:)

googler

ehlo wrote: »

You haven't stated if there is a problem here aside from her using your drive. If no damage or harm is being done, why not just let her? Better to be friendly with the neighbours after all!

There is damage - OP says the block paving is sinking at the point where the neighbour habitually crosses.

googler

27col wrote: »

Clout nails are best as they nearly always fall point up.

This one doesn't even bear thinking about.

Would you want to be liable for the sudden deflation of the neighbour's tyre when they reach 70 mph on the motorway.....? Bearing in mind that it might not be only the neighbour that gets killed, maimed or injured - there's other people on the road too.

googler

Get a delivery of a couple of large paving stones from your local building supply merchant, and 'store' them at the point where the neighbour crosses your drive.

Something heavy enough not to be easily moved; enough to deter the neighbour driving over.

Wilma33

Rather than playing muscial cars with your wife in the morning, could you not cut across your neighbours drive? Would this added convenience for you not compensate for the inconvenience of your neighbour cutting across your drive? Or am I not understanding the layout?

rustybucket

Bear in mind any disputes that arise from some of these suggestions will need to be declared if either party wishes to sell their property.

I think a polite, slightly embarrassed very quick chat would be the best way forward then see what happens.

hngrymummy

"I was wndering if you'd mind terribly much if we occasionally drove accross your driveway to save us playing musical cars all the time"

You'll either get a
"No problem, help yourself" kind of answer, in which case save yourself the hassle and stop shuffling your cars around. And take a look as to why your paving on your driveway can't support the weight of a car!

or a
"No chance it's our drive"

In which case you need to politley ask them to refrain from using your driveway.

Neighbours can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Imagine having a load of visitors around for a special occasion and knowing that the neighbours won't mind you borrowing their drive for them to park on, or going on holiday and knowing that they'll bung a car on your side to make it look like someone's at home and keep an eye on the place. Compare that against glares and mutters and hostility and suspiscion that they're doing all the annoying stuff deliberately.

Ivrytwr3

how about this?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7201596.htm?storeId=10001&referredURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argos.co.uk%2Fstatic%2FProduct%2FpartNumber%2F7201596.htm&jspStoreDir=argos&_%24ja=tsid%3A11674%7Cprd%3A2010640&referrer=COJUN&cmpid=COJUN

Mojisola

siw8158 wrote: »

There is no common right of way across either drive according to the solicitor when we purchased it 4 years ago, even swinging round the awkward corner at the botton.

If you let her carry on using your drive without your permission, she might be able to claim a right of way in the future.

Either you have to give her permission which you can withdraw at any time in the future or you need to stop her using your drive.