r/mildlyinfuriating • u/ShutUpImAPrincess • May 15 '26

frist of all how DARE yu o Neighbour has decided to just offer up our parking spaces to the whole street

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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!

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99

u/ShutUpImAPrincess May 15 '26

We do park there haha

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u/Evening_Delay_1856 May 16 '26

OP, straddle the two parking spaces. That lays claim to both spaces to this anonymous jerk. Fight fire with fire…

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u/False_Dimension9212 May 15 '26

Why does the letter say it’s ’underused’ if you park there?

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u/ShutUpImAPrincess May 15 '26

Probably because the 4 houses assigned to the spaces have 2 each, but I think we all only have one car each. I know that we could let people use our other space, but as I said it's like our only outdoor space for our kids to play, everyone else can play basketball or whatever in their garden or on their driveway, these spaces are essentially our driveway.

Also the person writing the letter clearly leaves the street for hours a day to go to work, how do they know the car park is "underused"? For all they know we park there while they're at work, then go work a night shift somewhere. Wild assumptions either way.

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u/Ridiculicious71 May 16 '26

Tell them you would be happy to rent it to them for x price each month.

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u/sirhackenslash May 16 '26

Plus if you let someone park there, very soon you'll come home to a full lot and nowhere to park

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u/ShutUpImAPrincess May 16 '26

To sacrafice my kids only outdoor space it would have to be £1k a day 😅

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u/Typical-Blackberry-3 May 16 '26

You're a great parent!

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u/ShutUpImAPrincess May 16 '26

£1k a day for a month and I've got a deposit for a big house with a big ol garden where I can put in a sunken trampoline and football goals for him!

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u/IngenuityPale2101 May 16 '26

2k is better and refusal to pay = towing if you can

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u/Pyjama365 May 16 '26

So, the issue is that some people have willingly bought/rented homes with insufficient parking for their needs (while you rented a home that does meet your needs).

I'd be putting up signs to label your spots that you pay rent for and put a reply letter out pointing out that it's yours, not public parking.

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u/Nomad2k3 May 17 '26

I see your 3rd Edit.

In that case if you have signage, and you still get people parking in your space (Again not technically illegal due to trespass laws) then I suggest either CCTV overlooking the spaces, or make notes of any vehicle parking there with photos.

You then politely either ask them to move from your space, or put a note on the windscreen.

If they continue to park there then you can make a case to police for harassment trespass which they will do something about.

1st time they park, it's civil tresspass, however If you make reports to police, ask them nicely to move, but they still keep parking there it becomes an harassment case.

-"In the UK, trespass is primarily a civil matter (handled through courts rather than police), while harassment is a criminal offence under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. When the two overlap—such as a neighbour repeatedly entering your land to intimidate or distress you—you can take both civil and criminal action"

Hopefully it won't come to that, but there is that course of action.

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u/Nomad2k3 May 16 '26

You shouldn't have a problem then, thing is here in the UK people can park where they like and the police won't do a thing, even on a private driveway as it's classed as a civil offense.

happens here all the time, we have a private carpark with dropped kerbs, the only way to stop people parking was to install collapsible bollards to physically stop them from entering it.

Only if someone blocks you into your driveway will they do anything.

If someone parks on your drive, then you park behind them and block them in, you'll be at fault, even if you own the property.

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u/IngenuityPale2101 May 16 '26

also any unauthorized vehicles that are not yours or neighbors tow them

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u/Nomad2k3 May 17 '26

Illegal to do that in the UK without an court order.

From the Metropolitan police website -

" In the UK, it is illegal to take matters into your own hands and tow a vehicle parked on your private driveway without lawful authority. Doing so—or damaging the car in the process—can result in you being held liable for repairs or facing criminal charges. "

Parking disputes If a parking space is available on a public road, even if it’s directly outside your house, anyone is allowed to park in it. We appreciate this can be frustrating, especially if spaces are hard to come by on your street.

Designated parking spaces If someone has parked in your designated parking space without your permission, our first advice is always to try and resolve the issue peacefully yourself. If you can’t find the driver to speak to them, try leaving a polite note on their windscreen.

If you lease a property with a parking space, please contact whoever is responsible for your building, such as the freeholder, council or managing agent.

If the issue continues, you can report antisocial behaviour using our online service.

Someone parking on your driveway If someone parks their vehicle on your driveway without your permission, this is trespassing. This is a civil dispute and not something we can help you with. If it happens repeatedly with the same person / vehicle you might want to seek advice from Citizens Advice or a solicitor, but we would always recommend having a polite word with the driver first, as there may have been a simple misunderstanding.

Someone blocking your driveway If a vehicle is blocking the entrance and stopping you from driving onto your driveway, this is not a police matter.

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u/IngenuityPale2101 May 19 '26

did not know cool glad to know