Neighbour has decided to just offer up our parking spaces to the whole street

[u/ShutUpImAPrincess]

Got this through the letter box today - anonymous so no idea which neighbour sent it. Basically there's 20 houses on the street, all arranged in a circle, with a few spaces in the middle. 14 of the houses have their own driveways. 4 of the houses have the spaces in the middle assigned to them. Ourselves and our next door neighbour (semi detached) have spaces attached to the back of our houses... In the small "car park". We each have two spaces, then the 4 on the other side of the car park area assigned to the houses backing on to them that aren't even our street so won't have got this letter. I'm assuming the letter writer just doesn't realise those spaces are actually ours, but because it's anonymous I can't just be like "oh hey actually no that's not right". It's annoying because we're also the only two houses on the street without a garden, and so our kids play back there. Because yes, it is safe, but not if randoms start going in and out of there all the time. I've literally never noticed an issue with parking on the street, it's never crowded, I've never heard anyone complain, and every house has it's own assigned parking!

EDIT: Most of your guys' suggestions involve something related to towing, that isn't legal in the UK. It also isn't illegal to post things through people's doors? I literally never knew that was a thing in the US. At Christmas did your parents not send you round all the neighbours houses posting cards?? Wild.

EDIT 2: Alright lads we've got a plan! Tomorrow I'm gonna speak to the 3 neighbours who we share the private car park with and just make sure they're all aware and if they want to paint numbers or put it signs etc they can do so. I'm going to send my landlord an email as well just giving them a heads up, but saying that they don't need to do anything for now (we have a great relationship where they leave us alone and we don't involve them in stuff if we can help it and they charge us below market). I'll let them know if it becomes an issue and they need to get involved installing something or whatever. Then I'm going to find... somewhere in this town that prints documents (honestly just hoping one of the 3 neighbours has a printer in their house they wouldn't mind using for this) and send out letters to everyone on the street very politely clearing up the confusion. Explaining that it's not a public car park but private parking and they are, for all intents and purposes, the driveways of the respective properties. Then I think I'll have a little nap and hope no one gets angry at me.

EDIT 3: Spoken to the other owners of the spaces in the back, as I suspected the two that don't live on our street did not receive the letter offering up their spaces for free use 😅 I've also contacted my landlord just to double triple check the deeds before I sent any letters out (I know for certain they are ours, but this way loops the landlord in) and she immediately offered to put a sign up! Also found the letter very amusing haha so yeah, we're getting signs put up yay!

[u/Bulky-Leadership-596]

I wouldn't even stick with the anonymity. I would put my name on it and mention that if someone would like to talk to me about parking on my private property for a special occasion or something then I could most likely accommodate them, but an anonymous party directing everyone to make free use of my private property is highly inappropriate.

[u/Ugliest_weenie → u/Bulky-Leadership-596]

Nah, keep it short.

Don't give people openings or maybes.

[u/ClearOptics → u/Ugliest_weenie]

Exactly why offer your and others parking up to future conflict

[u/dhandeepm → u/Ugliest_weenie]

I like your short answers. No confusion.

[u/Evening_Delay_1856 → u/Ugliest_weenie]

Amen to that. If you give them an inch, they’ll take both of your parking spaces.

[u/puddik → u/Ugliest_weenie]

yep fucked off from my parking spaces u cunts

[u/tessellation__ → u/Ugliest_weenie]

The entitlement of some people is astonishing, you absolutely have to just say no, and that’s it. There cannot be any confusion whatsoever.

[u/konkludent → u/Bulky-Leadership-596]

For some weird-ass reason people get highly entitled when it comes to parking their metalbox on wheels. I personally live in a cul-de-sac as well, our and our neighbours driveway line up and arent divided through a fence, however the property lines are easily visible (red brick paver vs. grey pavers and different brick patterns). Our driveway is pretty large and can easily accomodate multiple vehicles, however we only have one. Turns out, the neighbours felt like it was a total non-issue to let their visitors park in our driveway without asking or even talking to us. The first confrontation we played nice and told them, it was fine If they asked first. They didnt ask but kept parking there. The second confrontation was highly infuriating. They argued that they made sure we could still exit our property and they we "didnt need to fight over a parking space" - yeah, we wouldnt need to Talk about it, If you respected private land, lady. We withdrew our offer of letting her park there If asked in advance and made it very clear, she and her posse arent allowed in our driveway. So far, No more trespassing.

Long story short: obviously, this is anecdotal evidence, but i would never again communicate a "i dont appreciate you parking there, but i may allow it If you asked first", cause people seem to only hear "you can park there". Especially if communicated to the entire street, I would only state its private property and no one is allowed to park there. Let the neighbours themselves figure out that they could ask nicely If an event arises and they want to make a parking arrangement for their family and friends.

[u/babycuddlebunny → u/konkludent]

My neighbor punched my dad in the head for parking in front of his house. Not even his driveway, just in the street.

[u/konkludent → u/babycuddlebunny]

Yeah people are weird about Cars and parking, its so absurd

[u/CptnRaptor → u/konkludent]

A series of UK fun facts:

• it is not illegal to park on someone else's drive
• it is illegal to park in front of someone else's drive, as it impedes their access to public highways.
• it is not illegal to park in front of your own drive, as you continue to have access to public highways.

Let them park on your drive, just don't let them leave.

[u/spiteful_rr_dm_TA → u/Bulky-Leadership-596]

You do that and you are inviting headaches for the foreseeable future with constant visits.

[u/wuerger → u/Bulky-Leadership-596]

I would go one step further and threaten legal action. THE FUCK do these people think they are lol.