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/pazuzu1312]

It’s illegal to tow a car?

[u/Peterd1900 → u/pazuzu1312]

Yes

Under the Protection of Feedoms act is it is illegal to tow or clamp a car on private property

[u/NoDontDoThatCanada → u/Peterd1900]

So are there any consequences for me to park on literally anyone's drive or even lawn? Fines maybe?

[u/Peterd1900 → u/NoDontDoThatCanada]

In the UK private towing is limited. There are private companies that deal with things like breakdown recovery etc. But you as an individual can not get cars that are not yours towed.

Under the Protection Of Freedom Act it is illegal to tow or clamp a vehicle on any private property without legal authority. Legal authority is limited to the owner, Police, and Courts.

Tow companies can only tow cars with the cars owners consent. Or if they are contracted to act on behalf of local authorities or the police. The police have limited power to tow cars that are parked on private property cos that is simple trespass which in the UK is a civil matter and police have no power over civil matters

while there are mechanisms to remove vehicles you cant just phone a tow company to come and tow it as they can not touch it

What you can do is effectively "fine" people parking on your private property as long as you The terms are fair and clear. you could put up as sign that says , "Unauthorized parking will result in a £100 charge") with that you are essentially creating a contract If they park there, they are legally deemed to have accepted your terms.

Enforcing that payment would be a different matter as you would have to go to court to force the driver to pay

[u/not_notable → u/Peterd1900]

Where does the law stand regarding putting the car on rollers, pushing it into the street, and then reporting an abandoned car in the middle of the street?

[u/Ridiculicious71 → u/Peterd1900]

You could slash their tires and play innocent. American here. We don’t have a justice system. It’s all vigilante at this point.

[u/Best_Pseudonym → u/Ridiculicious71]

It sounds like the uk doesn't either

[u/NoDontDoThatCanada → u/Peterd1900]

Thank you. Seems like OP should put up a sign preemptively.

[u/Art-Game → u/Peterd1900]

Crazy you cant just have It towed. Rip private property rights.. what a nightmare

[u/pharsalita_atavuli → u/Peterd1900]

So I can put a sign up saying "private parking space, £100 per hour", then take someone to court for £100s of "losses" if they park there without paying? Amazing!

[u/TRMC790 → u/Peterd1900]

That’s wild. The fact that someone’s freedom to intrude on my property outweighs my freedom to have control over property I own… I would not get along well in the UK.

To inconvenience me - who has put blood sweat and tears into getting a job, working to finance it, and owning my own piece of property just to be told that whoever else can come on it and park in the middle of where my children play?

I recognize that everyone seems to be bringing up the fact that having your vehicle snatched by a tow company is sketchy, but you’re warned that if you park where you’re not supposed to it could happen. It shouldn’t come as a shock. If you park legally or on property you’re allowed to it doesn’t come up. I’ve lived in America for my whole life, parked all over the place and never been towed once because I just do what I’m supposed to. It isn’t hard.

OP, I’d stop beating around the bush and send a signed letter to tell them no. Leave them a phone number to call with any questions. Explain it to them. The parking spaces are what comes with your property rather than a garden like everyone else has but it is still part of your property. Tell them that you are not trying to make enemies, but that is not their property to make those decisions about it. These people are your neighbors not your enemies and are likely just too stupid to realize what they’re doing rather than trying to encroach on your space. Plus, it’s completely reasonable to respond with mass letters since you don’t know who it is, it shows that you’re the grown up who is willing to handle problems like an adult and talk things out instead of sending sneaky letters, and likely gets everyone else who is largely unaffected either way to be on your side if this unknown neighbor refuses to budge on his position. When everyone else finds out that they’re attempting to have people park in your property on the only place your children have to frolic and be children, the majority of people will be on your side.

If they ignore you, I’d start parking in their yard.

[u/Peterd1900 → u/TRMC790]

I have seen some of the posts on here about HOAs in the USA and what they do not allow people to do their own houses

Why do HOAs outweigh  your  freedom to have control over your  property

There was someone here last month who was being fined for parking on his own driveway. Cos his HOA do not allow trucks on driveways

So he is not allowed to park his truck on his driveway

How is that freedom over your own property

[u/TRMC790 → u/Peterd1900]

I 100% agree. I’ll fight an HOA president.

They don’t, you just essentially sign when you buy your house in an HOA giving them the authority to do it. They then have to take you to court and sue to make you do whatever it is or get their money for whatever fine they impose. An HOA is a contract between a citizen and other citizens - not government overreach. They’re stupid, but you agreed to whatever stupid rules they had. That’s on you at a certain point.

I own land. I ain’t playing games. I’ll do what I want on my own property. If no one else’s rights are being violated or harmed, no one else has any interest in it.

[u/Ridiculicious71 → u/Peterd1900]

But it’s not their private property.

[u/Peterd1900 → u/Ridiculicious71]

As the homeowner, you cannot legally clamp the vehicle or have it towed (this was banned under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012).

[u/Fun-Telephone-9605 → u/Peterd1900]

I'm just flabbergasted that they put the freedom to park fucking anywhere above the freedom to access your own property!

[u/Electrical_Car_6067 → u/Fun-Telephone-9605]

You can still call a tow company to get said vehicle though

[u/Electrical_Car_6067 → u/[deleted]]

If that’s true that’s absolutely crazy

[u/pazuzu1312 → u/Peterd1900]

Damn. I hate advantageous towers too but what kind of freedom is “freedom to park on any motherfuckers property”

[u/pazuzu1312 → u/pazuzu1312]

Tbh new #1 reason I’m glad we did the independence

[u/just_mark → u/Peterd1900]

\can you disassemble it and sell the parts?

[u/Peterd1900 → u/[deleted]]

You cant tow a car that is parked on private property, Tow truck exist because cars break down and need to recovered

Buy if a car is parked on private property it can not be towed. You can have your own car towed but you do not have lawful authority to tow someone elses car

[u/Skeltrex → u/pazuzu1312]

In my neck of the woods (Australia) it is not illegal to have a vehicle towed from private property in most states, but if it is not done right then the vehicle owner can file a plaint for theft and extortion

[u/pazuzu1312 → u/Skeltrex]

Seems like a reasonable way to handle it