Parking issues

[komstak]

We've been living in our PPOR for more than 2 years now. The house beside us has been finished nearly 2 months ago and our new neighbours moved in about a month ago. They have 3 cars... 2 decent ones and one which looks like not road-worthy.

Two weeks ago they've started parking the road-unworthy car in front of our house while one of their cars is parked in their DOUBLE garage and the other one is parked in front of their house. NOTHING is parked on their driveway and one of the garage is still vacant. I'm a bit annoyed and stressed about them making the front of our house their PERMANENT parking space. I know it's not illegal but I think it's rude and very disrespectful of them. What if we have guests? Last weekend their car was parked the whole of Saturday and Sunday. We were waiting for them to remove it so we could trim/edge our lawn freely but to no avail.

I've looked at all of the houses around us and one even had 4 cars and they were parked properly within their boundaries. They have a vacant garage and a driveway, why not use it? It's now stressing me out and I want to confront them. I'm not what you would call a very friendly neighbour but I do just mind my own business and greet my neighbours... but I don't want to talk to them.

It's not just that... yesterday evening they were watching a dvd or something and the bass of their speakers were cranked-up causing our whole house to shake. However after 10 pm it was all quiet just when we were about to call the police... I think their other neighbour complained.

I like te place... it's a relatively new estate and the people around are behaved (even the renters!). But unluckily we ended up with this one. It's home to us but I don't feel it is at the moment. What do you think we should do?

 

[Propertunity]

I would have taken them over a "welcome to the neighbourhood" basket when they moved in. That way you can meet them and at least establish a "hello & wave" kinda relationship if nothing else. Then they may be more likely to listen to a request not to park their car out the front of your place.

But you should really talk to them.

You don't have a legal leg to stand on - as you'd know the footpath & the road is not yours.

You cannot choose your relatives or your neighbours.

 

[Pushka]

We only have a single driveway but four cars. My car is always parked in front of our house, we can fit 2 cars but sometimes our next door neighbour parks there. It kind of annoys me as they too have 2 spaces, but then sometimes we park on the other side of the road so it isnt as though we are innocent either. Nothing you can do about it really -I dont see it as being a sign of disrespect though; just a combination of possibly laziness and convenience.

It certainly does not detract from us feeling like this is home - there are much worse things they could be doing! I think maybe you need to experience some really bad neighbours. This is nothing.

 

[jrc]

Is the unroadworthy car registered. If it is there is nothing you can do. If it isn't tell the police there's an unregistered car parked outside your place

 

[rugrat]

I would start parking your car in that space, just until they get the idea that there are better places for them to park.

 

[komstak]

Is the unroadworthy car registered. If it is there is nothing you can do. If it isn't tell the police there's an unregistered car parked outside your place

I checked it a while ago and it is surprisingly registered. Bugger! Right now we're parking our car in front of our house... but I checked it just now and they just parked theirs in front of the house beside us. I don't think they'd think that they SHOULD use their garage and driveway as that's their purpose... even 5 year olds would know that... it's common sense! After two weeks and we stop parking in front, I bet you that they will again park there immediately.

 

[rugrat]

I checked it a while ago and it is surprisingly registered. Bugger! Right now we're parking our car in front of our house... but I checked it just now and they just parked theirs in front of the house beside us. I don't think they'd think that they SHOULD use their garage and driveway as that's their purpose... even 5 year olds would know that... it's common sense! After two weeks and we stop parking in front, I bet you that they will again park there immediately.

To be fair, we don't use our garage for the car either. Having said that we do put ours on our driveway.

 

[komstak]

We only have a single driveway but four cars. My car is always parked in front of our house, we can fit 2 cars but sometimes our next door neighbour parks there. It kind of annoys me as they too have 2 spaces, but then sometimes we park on the other side of the road so it isnt as though we are innocent either. Nothing you can do about it really -I dont see it as being a sign of disrespect though; just a combination of possibly laziness and convenience.

It certainly does not detract from us feeling like this is home - there are much worse things they could be doing! I think maybe you need to experience some really bad neighbours. This is nothing.

Their convenience is causing inconvenience to others - that's the disrespectful part of it. They're the newbies here and they should be the ones to adjust. They HAVE an enormous space within their property to park ALL their cars. We WANT our space back and don't want to see an ugly dilapidated car everytime we open our door or windows.

Also, we paid a premium for our landscaping and unashamedly we take a look at it everytime we leave home as it gives us a bit of pleasure and pride. But now, there's a car... a vey UGLY car at that that destroys OUR view. I think it's unfair and disrespectful to our "presumed" right to take pleasure of what we have worked hard for. You may not understand but each person has his own small pleasures... this is ours and taking this away from us is causing us a tremendous amount of stress.

 

[Monty Burns]

do you have any friends with trucks get them to come over and park them
in front of the neighbours house half way across the driveway up on the curb/lawn. surely they will get the message

it's a bit spiteful but fun

 

[Perp]

They're the newbies here and they should be the ones to adjust. ... I think it's unfair and disrespectful to our "presumed" right to take pleasure of what we have worked hard for.

This is so typical of how neighbourhood disputes can get way out of hand. I'd be willing to bet that it hasn't even occurred to your neighbours that you give a toss where they park their car. You expect that they know all these unwritten "rules" that you live by; the problem is, those rules are just your rules! You're getting exceedingly stressed at them "flaunting" rules, which they probably aren't even aware exist. Each time they park there, you're adding another "insult" to your list of grievances, and they're just thinking "aaah, can't wait for dinner".

I think anger is the path least likely to get the desired outcome. If you want to get a good outcome - rather than vent your stress - then I recommend you befriend these people. When it seems appropriate, you could try saying to them "I know that we don't own the street in front of our home, but we take great pride in our landscaping, and we'd love to have a space available in front of our home for our visitors. Would you mind parking your car over there [insert appropriate alternative to suggest], please, as a favour to us?"

If you get angry, you're going to LOSE. I know if I were the neighbour, and you got narky with me for violating imaginary and unenforceable rules, I'd park there every day to spite you. Petty, yes - but so is nearly blowing a gasket about somebody parking a ratty car in front of your house.

PS Look at this as an opportunity to make a new friend, with whom you have a great story to laugh about in years to come. "Remember how when you first moved in I thought you were a rude ***** for parking in front of my house? And you were completely oblivious to how stressed I was!"

 

[Pushka]

We WANT our space back and don't want to see an ugly dilapidated car everytime we open our door or windows.

Also, we paid a premium for our landscaping and unashamedly we take a look at it everytime we leave home as it gives us a bit of pleasure and pride. But now, there's a car... a vey UGLY car at that that destroys OUR view. I think it's unfair and disrespectful to our "presumed" right to take pleasure of what we have worked hard for. You may not understand but each person has his own small pleasures... this is ours and taking this away from us is causing us a tremendous amount of stress.

A few points from your post.

Your angst stems from three things:

1. the fact that you see it as a sign of disrespect that people are parking in 'your space'
2. The car they are putting there is old and messy and impacting on your view.
3. That these people are newbies and they should adjust

So, my points as follows:

• The road and footpath in front of your house isnt your space, it belongs to everyone. We might like to control what happens on the road or footpath, but we cant.
  
• Your view would also be affected if the neighbour across the road decided to park their old car there too (if they had one).
• If that neighbour had been living in the area for more than the two years that you had, would you still feel the same - because then it would be you having to adjust!
• If it was a porsche would you still object? I dont know whether it is the messiness affecting you or the neighbours presumed 'rights' to your space.
• Have you spoken to your neighbours about this anyway?

The thing is, I do understand why you feel a little angry about this, we experienced the same, except when it happened to us, WE were the new neighbours. So I thought about it and realised that it simply didnt matter.
We never park all our cars in the driveway during the day. At nightime, only two are. OK, we use the space in front of our house when we can, but we dont think we are being rude if we park in front of someone else's house.

In another house, our next door neighbours actually objected to other people DRIVING down our street. One time, he bailed someone up because he wanted to turn into his driveway, but someone coming in the opposite direction would not stop to allow our neighbour to turn across his path! Our neighbour's argument was that he had right of way because he LIVED there. This poor 20 year old, just minding his business was stuck in his car because this stupid neighbour had simply parked his car across the road and stopped him. WT!

As Ozperp rightly says, get over it or sort it out. Getting angry isnt the way to go.

 

[lizzie]

if you don't feel like talking to them direct, perhaps a pleasant note under the windscreen saying that you need the space for (whatever reason). telling them, even politely, that you don't like them parking their because their heap of junk is spoiling your view is rather rude imo.

i know exactly how you feel. we had lived in a ppor for 7 years. it backed onto a bush reserve with lovely views and was very peaceful. then new neighbours moved in an adjusted their extremely noisy pool pump, that would rattle the fence, to run during the evening. the time of day we liked to sit on the rear deck and enjoy a wine while watching the birds and trees and sunset.

when i politely approached the neighbour and asked if it were possible for them to change the time so the pump ran at night she got really shirty. the husband also used to listen to scifi movies cranked up at full volume so the blasts and fights would thud thru their double brick and our double brick. i'd give them until 11pm then lean on their doorbell (had to wait for breaks in the thudding otherwise they couldn't hear it). they never came to the door but the sound was always turned down. didn't stop them next time tho.

unfortunately some people and just inconsiderate of anyone other than themselves.

however, we don't have a parking problem in front of our place there's a very attractive biiiiig boat parked right across our strip.

 

[marg4000]

In another house, our next door neighbours actually objected to other people DRIVING down our street.

We had a grumpy old man living in the next street who actually told my kids not to walk on the footpath in front of his house. He told them to cross the road and walk on the other side !!!
Marg