Parking Dispute

JLMerrett

I live in a little area where there is flats and houses. Both rented and outright bought.

Each house has its own driveway and each flat has their own parking spaces.

There are numerous visitor parking spaces around, and I was wondering if you could help clear up some things.

We sometimes have people round and so they park in visitor parking. One of the residences across the road often gets annoyed at guests parking in visitor parking because "She pays for it" and "We cant use it because we rent our house".

The situation usually ends on an argument. So I thought I should do some research. After doing some searching around it seems leaseholders dont pay for parking.

What i would like to know is:

Is what she saying correct?
Are we able to do anything about it if she is wrong?
Is there any documentation about visitor parking?

Thanks.

Maggie.Moo_2

I'm sure someone with more credibility and knowledge will be along soon but I would have thought that by paying your rent you're also paying for the ability to use the visitor spaces. After all, your landlord owns the property just as this neighbour does...

phatbear

The person who you rent the property from has a right to have visitors park in those spaces so therefore you have the right by proxy.

I own my flat and the people above me rent but im under no illusion that i have anymore, or less, rights than they do.

In closing tell em to wind their necks in

AnnieO1234

My guess would be someone, either OP or the neighbour believes that the visitor bays are only for the flats? And that the houses are not entitled to park there. This is the set up in a lot of estates where parking isn't enforced.
The alternative is that the OPs neighbour has not been granted a car park space as part of her lease, the landlord not wishing to part with it himself and under no obligation to do so either. She can't use the visitors space as her main space and really has no right to dictate what anyone else can do. It's for her to take up with her landlord and jog on from dictating to others.

Xxx

moneyistooshorttomention

Maggie.Moo wrote: »

I'm sure someone with more credibility and knowledge will be along soon but I would have thought that by paying your rent you're also paying for the ability to use the visitor spaces. After all, your landlord owns the property just as this neighbour does...

Agreed - you are using your landlords parking space instead of him/her doing so in effect.

I wouldn't even bother to argue. Why waste your breath? You've presumably explained carefully to this person that the entitlement is per property (regardless of whether its an owner or renter living there) so what's the point of endlessly continuing to explain this to the person concerned?

If you keep on talking to them, then they will think they have identified weakness in you and that you will give way to their pressure if they keep it up often enough. Make it plain that you are a strong person and know your rights and give them a cold look straight through them each time they walk up to "start in on you" and do not say one word to them - just walk off and continue with your day. They will get fed-up at some point of getting no response whatsoever out of you. It's only the very odd (in every sense of the word) person that carries on and on and on "having a go" regardless if they just get ignored.

FBaby

We sometimes have people round and so they park in visitor parking

How many people and how often? There is a difference with friends coming for dinner once a month and taking a couple of spaces and having a huge family get together every week-end and visitors taking say 10 of the spaces so no-one else can benefit from them?

pimento

FBaby wrote: »

How many people and how often? There is a difference with friends coming for dinner once a month and taking a couple of spaces and having a huge family get together every week-end and visitors taking say 10 of the spaces so no-one else can benefit from them?

Is there? Why? Either you have the right to use the spaces or you don't.

mildredalien

She's wrong - if visitor spaces are allocated to the whole complex, it doesn't make any difference if the person living in each property is renting or buying. The spaces are allocated to the properties, you just happen to be living there instead of the owner, it doesn't invalidate the visitors parking.

Does she want to use the spaces for her own car/s or is it for when she has visitors around? I can see why she might get frustrated if you constantly have multiple visitors taking up multiple spaces but ultimately it's not illegal or against any regulations. Only you can say whether you think you are using the spaces in a reasonable and neighbourly manner.

moneyistooshorttomention

I do think its a valid point re how many visitors are coming round for any unit of accommodation - be it rented or owned.

Say, for instance, there are 20 units of accommodation with 10 visitor spaces between them all. That equals each unit of accommodation has a "fair share" use one visitor space for half the week.

You do have to rather divide number of visitor spaces into number of units of accommodation using them. There may be enough spaces for everyone to have loads of visitors all the time on the one hand or the ratio is that several households are sharing one visitor space worth on the other hand.

Mallotum_X

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I do think its a valid point re how many visitors are coming round for any unit of accommodation - be it rented or owned.

Say, for instance, there are 20 units of accommodation with 10 visitor spaces between them all. That equals each unit of accommodation has a "fair share" use one visitor space for half the week.

You do have to rather divide number of visitor spaces into number of units of accommodation using them. There may be enough spaces for everyone to have loads of visitors all the time on the one hand or the ratio is that several households are sharing one visitor space worth on the other hand.

Unless the lease States this then there is no fair share. It's first come first served.

FBaby

pimento wrote: »

Is there? Why? Either you have the right to use the spaces or you don't.

Maybe just out of courtesy for neighbours? Not everything is written in black and white because it is common respect for others.

If indeed that's what OP is doing, I can totally understand that the neighbour is fed up if her one and only occasional visitor never gets to use the parking. However, we don't know if it is the case.