A resident has complained that her neighbour waits until they leave the house before parking on their drive - all the time. And she revealed that she even put up a sign with her boyfriend’s number plate up on the driveway - and it was knocked down.
Viewers rushed to offer advice on Reddit and said that they needed to get the local council or police involved - or alternatively buy an old car for £100 and park it behind them. The resident said: “As the title states, our neighbours keep parking on our driveway the moment they think nobody’s home. My boyfriend has a car, but I don’t, so I mostly always catch them.
“We’ve brought this up with them multiple times yet they keep doing it, we even put up a sign with my boyfriends numberplate indicating only he (and obviously our other cars) can park there. I don’t care if the driveway is empty. You. Don't. Do. This. idk what else to do, I don’t want to be the crazy neighbour by calling the cops or something but we do have 2 cars and when both need to be parked they could be in the way. If they would simply bother to knock and ask permission, that’s fine, but they never ask. They once even covered half our driveway with a trash container without asking, which damaged our flowers.”
One person replied: “Park behind them with a 100 quid car and leave it there.” Another added: “This is the way. When they ask for you to move, be super polite with “Yeah, no problem, give me 2 minutes”. Close the door and continue with your life.”
The Metropolitan police has issued advice on what to do if someone parks on your driveway. If it's a designated space outside flats, then it said: "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.
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"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."
They clarified that if it's on the person's property, it is trespassing - but police won't take action over that. Police said: "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."
The RAC said that there is 'no quick fix' for dealing with the problem. "Unfortunately, there is little chance of the law getting involved and the legal action outlined below will take a considerable amount of time and - unless you have the legal add-on as part of your home insurance policy - expense.
"The best thing to do on a one-off is to keep calm and don't let the situation escalate, never take the law into your own hands and do not stoop to revenge tactics that could get you prosecuted also.
"If it's causing an issue, try and speak to the person and resolve the situation sensibly. If you find it is a long-term issue, either happening on a regular basis, or a car has been left on your driveway for some time, the following advice may help."
Take legal action
The RAC said: "If you were to pursue a civil case for trespassing, the courts have the jurisdiction to remove the car from the driveway. Your solicitor would be able to get the civil court’s permission to find out the legal owner of the vehicle involved, and a judge would have to make its removal an order of the court."
It explained another option is to pursue a legal claim for nuisance behaviour on the grounds that the driver is interfering with use and enjoyment of their property. It warned that going through the courts, can be a long and potentially costly process if the person does not have legal expenses insurance.
Remove the car yourself
A quick solution to get rid of the car would be to hire a private tow truck to take the vehicle away, but this is not advised by the police. If the car gets damaged, you could be liable to pay for damages.
The Ask The Police website says: "Don't damage/clamp the vehicle or have it removed by a third party for destruction or storage without first seeking legal advice. If you do any of these things, you may commit a criminal offence or the owner may pursue a civil action against you.
"Under no circumstances would we advocate you merely pushing the vehicle on to a road and leaving it there as you may commit a number of offences."
If the car is leaking petrol, contains dangerous items such as gas bottles or is parked dangerously, call 999 straight away.
Request the car is removed
Local councils have a duty to remove abandoned vehicles, so the RAC said if it is suspected the vehicle is abandoned the best thing to do is to report it to your local authority.
A vehicle is considered abandoned if one of the following applies:
- They have no keeper on the DVLA’s database and are untaxed - check vehicle tax online
- They’re stationary for a significant amount of time
- They’re significantly damaged, run down or unroadworthy - with flat tyres, wheels removed or broken windows
- They’re burned out
- They have number plates missing
Local authorities must give 15 days’ notice before they remove the vehicle. They can’t remove the vehicle if the landowners or occupiers object during the notice period.