neighbor parking in my driveway (vinyl, room, build, vent)

[luckyduck]

A guest of my neighbor parked on my lot on the grass (not even on the driveway!) because they thought no one was home (I didn't have a car but I was home). Since I am new to the area, I didn't want to pi$$ off my new neighbors with a rude New Yorker reaction, so I politely wrote a note -- "please don't park here"-- and left it on their dash. As I was walking away, the owner of the car apologized profusely and said they were visiting and didn't know where to park. (Of course, that is not justifiable because the neighbor they were visiting could've told them.) They were on their way out anyway, so they left right away.

Yesterday, my husband came home to find not one, but TWO cars, parked in our driveway! He honked for several minutes and the car owners were guests of the neighbor and said they had nowhere to park. My husband, who has a shorter fuse than me, yelled at them and told them it was not a private driveway. My husband also had cargo to unload and could not wait (our block is no standing, no parking), so he pulled in with the two cars still in our driveway. The car owners had no intention of leaving!

So my husband left his car there, blocking the two cars, and when the two cars were finally ready to leave, they honked, but my husband refused to come out. The two cars somehow learned how to maneuver themselves off of our driveway.

Anyway, I told my husband he should've called the cops or have had the cars towed. But as we are first time homeowners, our reaction time is a bit delayed and we are still very much trying to avoid pissing off our neighbors (who have been living here longer than us.) I'm tempted to build a fence on our property line (complete with a gate!) but I don't want to ruin the aesthetics of my home because just because my neighbor is an inconsiderate fool. I also worry that they'll think they have free rein to park here when we are away on vacation.

Further, I wonder if these people suffer from a delusion of grandeur, making them to feel entitled to park their Mercedes, BMW, and Cadillac in our driveway... my husband and I drive a Honda! Still, it doesn't give them the right to park on private property, but I wonder about that, too.

Well, thanks to all for letting me vent. Even if it has nothing to do with neighbors parking in your driveways, I'd love to hear your stories about neighbors being inconsiderate and what you've done to alleviate your situation.

[Southside Shrek]

I am glad I never had that kind of problem and don't want it either.

My reaction is that you need to politely but firmly talk with those neighbors to ask them to instruct their guests/friends/relatives not to park on your drive. If that doesn't work, then a more drastic measure is needed. see if a talk works first.

the more drastic step would be to put up a NO PARKING SIGN-VIOLATORS WILL BE TOWED sign. of course that is a hideous kind of sign to have to put up by your driveway but it's better than having one or more unwanted cars in your drive.

[Cattknap]

I so completely feel your pain...we had a neighbor who parked in front of our driveway entrance...she would do this and instruct her company to do so too. One day I came home with groceries to unload to find one of those use car transport trucks parked in front of our house and completely blocking our driveway...I live on a busy street and was stopped in the middle of the street. The husband of the crazy lady next door was standing in the street talking to the driver (who was seated in the truck) - he looked at me after I gave a soft toot to my horn and continued to talk, not moving for about 3 or 4 minutes.
There was room in front of his house and driveway to park the transport....

The next day when he saw me out in the yard he told me "my friend in the car transport doesn't like to be disturbed when he is talking."

Fortunately those people moved (got a divorce - how surprising since they truly were meant for each other).....haven't had anyone park in front of my driveway since then - but it was a constant source of aggravation.

[cleosmom]

Do your neighbor's not have their own driveway for their guests to park on? If speaking with them politely and asking they not park there doesn't work, then can you put a fence up that will add curb appeal to your home?

[Cornerguy1]

The polite but firm talk with neighbour sounds like a reasonable first effort, even though it shouldn't be necessary.

If the problem continues, have the vehicles towed. Nothing like a $200 tow bill to reinforce the point.

[luckyduck]

I guess if I count, I've had 1) polite note on their dash from me and 2) stern verbal lecture about private property from my husband. I called information and they told me the next step would need to be calling the cops or tow company if they park here again, with all tow charges going to the neighbor.

I will also look into a low fence to separate my driveway from the neighbor's... but it will need to wait because I want it to look right and not something I just slapped on because of them, and plus it is not in my budget! And yes, they do have a driveway... theirs fits 2 cars, while mine fits 4 (or 6 if you park on the grass like that first guy did!)

I still worry about what they will do when I go away on vacation... it irks me that they will see I'm not home and just take free rein over my lot. This is why a gate would make sense, but it would look hideous as the houses in my neighborhood are mostly not fenced in. *sigh.

Thanks to everyone for their valuable 2 cents. At first I thought I was crazy and I even wondered if letting my neighbor park here was a neighborly thing to do. Also, my mom keeps warning me not to unleash the New Yorker side of me since my new neighborhood here in Jersey is otherwise nice and quiet.

(p.s. Cattknap, I hope these actions will help me out so I can avoid the *constant* aggravation you endured! That key word is scary... *constant*!)

[riveree]

I assume you are sharing a driveway or your driveways are very close? If so, that is difficult.

Fences can be beautiful when well thought out.

Keep in mind they and/or their guests may damage your fence, intentionally or otherwise, so look into a very sturdy fence - maybe a vinyl or trex-type fence with the posts cemented into the ground? I'd also go for the maximum height allowable by your city - with these types of neighbors, relations may not get better (sorry !).

Claim your space - with fences or hedges or both. You've tried being nice, now it's business. This is land you pay for in your mortgage and taxes and it's your investment - they have no right to encroach on it .

[luckyduck]

Yeah, our driveways are really close. Their driveway is separated from mine by a 1-car-wide/2-car-long patch of grass (my property!) So it is very easy for them to park on my patch of grass, or to park in my driveway completely. Another reason I've been avoiding the fence is because their driveway would become very narrow and I foresee that they would definitely bang the fence, even unintentionally. And like I said, fencing is pretty rare in my neighborhood.

A hedge might work though! Didn't think of that!

[BlueWillowPlate]

Wow, I have experienced and seen some parking hassles before, but the situations I am reading about here just blow my mind.
People can be so inconsiderate.
I think a hedge (well-trimmed, but nice and prickly) would be a good solution to your problem, luckyduck.

[rubytue]

Originally Posted by luckyduck

A hedge might work though! Didn't think of that!

Oh, with that patch of grass between the two driveways, a hedge might work perfectly. You run the risk of having the inconsiderate fools drive over or into the new shrubbery. But it would look better in a neighborhood without fences