Should I continue bothering?

Coffeegirl1994

Hi all,
First time posting on the forum :j

I live in a rented property by Guinness which I got 2 years a go. I feel like I am living in a nightmare. It is a bunch of semi detached houses where the drives have all been confused with faded numbers and bays.

In front of my house, there are 2 bays. 1 for me and 1 for my neighbor. In front of the neighbors house, there are no bays. The HA say there is allocated parking and 1 vehicle per house however next door have one in the bay and 2 in front of their house and many more on the yellow lines with a disabled badge. One of their vehicle is a camper van (not allowed to be kept anyway according to tenancy) and another one is a massive works van that was 'broken' for about 2 years and used as a storage shed. Then the HA say there is no allocated parking but then complain to me when I park in anywhere apart from my front step.

I feel trapped in my home and am feeling so depressed all the time. I checked my tenancy and it says no allocated parking. Next door have been really demeaning and telling me that because i came later, it is tough and that all the neighbors are laughing at me and that he has managed to have those parking spaces for 12 years and has managed to keep me quite for 2 years.

I had a housing officer who straight out said to me that I was never going to have any space and that I should just shut up as she won't allow it. She went on maternity and was replaced with another officer who was excellent and has slowly but steadily listening to me. Now this officer has suddenly come back even though I was promised that the nice officer would continue with my complaint.

The officer from maternity has come back and literally phoned and threatened me to move my car and also said that because the neighbours have been living there since 2007 - she can't say anything to them and that she already told me in the beginning that I should drop this. She also said that I was told about the parking from the beginning when in fact in no one mentioned anything as I saw property and signed tenancy at the same time. Now she is turning it into a my word against yours so there is nothing you can do.

I am so lost and just hate going to my home.

Slithery

Coffeegirl1994 wrote: »

I checked my tenancy and it says no allocated parking.

Unfortunately that is the only relevant piece of information in your post. If parking was so important to you then you should have rented somewhere that did come with allocated parking.

Smodlet

I imagine about the only thing you could do is record conversations with this godawful woman, whose customer service skills sound appalling. It would not surprise me to learn she is somehow related to these ignoramuses who think parking on a public road grant them possession of title or whatever it's called.

It will not change the terms of your tenancy agreement but just might be of some use with a transfer request to another property; who knows?

I feel for you, I really do.

MysteryMe

I would find out from the friendly housing officer who the head of department is and put in writing your complaint against the scumbag housing officer, details what has been said to you and ask if this is in accordance with their code of conduct. Ask them to confirm in writing where you may park and then park there. Demand in writing that you be returned to the friendly housing officer as you had been promised and state that all future verbal communications will be recorded and if you are spoken to and/ or threatened in the manner you have previously you will be passing the recording to your MP / Shelter / local press. I would not deal with the neighbour, ignore what they are saying about people laughing at you. They aren't. That is just the lies of a bully tying to undermine you. You can deal with the HA though. They cannot treat you like dirt.

Smodlet

They can treat you like dirt but, unlike the neighbour, there should be repercussions. If you would not take it from your energy or telecoms provider, why should you take it from your local authority?

Coffeegirl1994

Hi,

Just to clarify. The bays had my number and next doors number on them. They are faded with age. I didn't see them when I viewed the property. From front it appears as any semi detached house.

The problem is tenancy says no allocated spaces but the HA are saying that I can only park in faded bay outside my front door and next door can have their whole front as a garden and a bay in front of my house.

None of this was explained when I signed the tenancy and now they keep telling me conflicting information.

Coffeegirl1994

MysteryMe wrote: »

I would find out from the friendly housing officer who the head of department is and put in writing your complaint against the scumbag housing officer, details what has been said to you and ask if this is in accordance with their code of conduct. Ask them to confirm in writing where you may park and then park there. Demand in writing that you be returned to the friendly housing officer as you had been promised and state that all future verbal communications will be recorded and if you are spoken to and/ or threatened in the manner you have previously you will be passing the recording to your MP / Shelter / local press. I would not deal with the neighbour, ignore what they are saying about people laughing at you. They aren't. That is just the lies of a bully tying to undermine you. You can deal with the HA though. They cannot treat you like dirt.

I did put in a complaint through the website which was passed to the housing officer. It's been almost 2 years now. And they keep calling me rather than emailing as I do and I keep asking them to give me a resolution so that I can go down the next route however they don't. So frustrating! Thanks - I'll continue trying

[Deleted User]

If you have any written proof that they are telling you you must park in front of your house, you can use this to say 'how can there be no allocated parking if you keep telling me I must part in front of my house and nowhere else? Its either allocated to me and so are all the other bays (allocated to specific houses) so I and only I can park there, or its not and I can park anywhere, like everyone else'. Include photos of the neighbour or anyone else using the space in front of your house and say 'if it is allocated, why can neighbour park here, preventing me from parking in that space as directed by you'?

If you haven't already, talk to your MP or councillor. See if they will help. Give them a copy of the letter. Write, don't do it on the phone. You need this sorted and the only way to stop the word games is to write.

It sounds like its all getting a bit much for you. Are you able to get out and remove yourself from such bad vibes at all?

markin

Check the deeds?, if its allocated to the house can a tenancy legally assign it to a different property?


My bet is they simply caved in with next door so removed it from the tenancy, I doubt they are renting the space to next door, they would have just said that if it was the case.


If its not on the deeds then its just a public space.

Coffeegirl1994

markin wrote: »

Check the deeds?, if its allocated to the house can a tenancy legally assign it to a different property?


My bet is they simply caved in with next door so removed it from the tenancy, I doubt they are renting the space to next door, they would have just said that if it was the case.


If its not on the deeds then its just a public space.

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. I have actually checked the deed for my house and I couldn't work out anything. It seems that the HA brought a plot of land and the red line surrounds all the houses in the area as well as the driveway land.

I will put up some pictures and the title plan when I am home from work for a better understanding.

bouicca21

I’m a bit confused. You don’t actually say next door are using ‘your’ bay. They are using one bay, their garden and the yellow lined area according to your first post - or am I missing something?