‘My neighbour keeps parking across my drive – people say I’m petty asking them to stop’

A woman was so fed up with her neighbour’s friend parking over her drive, so she headed online to draw a diagram to illustrate what was happening – and people gave her advice

Sometimes, when you live near people, it can be difficult to maintain a good relationship. You want to assert clear boundaries with them, whilst also being friendly and accommodating to them. But if your neighbour was parking across your drive, meaning you couldn’t access a door on your property, you’d probably take issue with it and want to know how best to address it.

One woman took to Mumsnet to explain that one of her neighbour’s visitors keeps parking on the shared path and partly on her drive, and she wasn’t happy with it as she and the neighbour ‘have part ownership of the path’.

She wrote: “Between my drive and my neighbour’s drive there is a shared path that leads up to a door on my property. The problem is one of my neighbour’s visitors keeps parking on it and partly on my drive. See attached diagram.

“The shared drive is in the centre of the picture over the shared path and partly on my drive. Right next to their car is neighbour’s front door on the side. Me and neighbour have part ownership of the path.

“Am I being unreasonable to expect them not to partly park my drive and across the shared path? I’m concerned that the path could end up getting damaged by them driving a car over it, only I feel petty because they say they are disabled, they can walk but slowly. They also do it when their drive is full of cars due to people visiting them.

“I’d appreciate your thoughts, vote I’m being unreasonable if I’m being petty.”

People were quick to tell the woman that people should not be parking on their property, no matter what the circumstances.

One wrote: “You are not being unreasonable. He shouldn’t be parking on your property.”

Another commented: “I’d put plant pots on my drive along the edge of the shared path. That will at least stop part of the problem.

“I get that you’re worried about damage to the path if it isn’t meant to be driven over but, other than that, does it affect you? I try to take a deep breath before getting too worked up about stuff like this and think about how much it matters. Doesn’t always work mind you!”

Someone else said that they needed to be told, writing: “Tell (don’t ask) him to park elsewhere. That’s pretty outrageous. Tell your neighbour you’re unhappy.”

“If this happens regularly I do not think you are being petty”, a Mumsnetter reassured. “Your neighbours could park their own car on the road to allow their disabled visitors to park close to their front door.”

What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments.