‘My new neighbours have made parking at home impossible’

With millions of cars on the road, parking spaces is a common issue, especially if you live somewhere that doesn’t always guarantee a space. But, it can be even more frustrating when someone takes up your space.

In a Reddit post under the “Neighbours from Hell” sub-section, a user wrote: “I recently moved in, as did my neighbours. Opposite our front doors are a row of parking spaces – half mine and half theirs – with only a partial (but obvious) line to distinguish between the two areas.

“The neighbour pulls over the edge of my space when they get home. Instead of straightening up, they’ve been leaving their car over the corner of my space, which means that if I have visitors, then they don’t have room to park properly.”

The Reddit user asked the internet how they should approach the situation. They said: “Should I tell the neighbour to take more care? I don’t know how to approach it.

“I don’t want to create tension when we’ve both only just moved in, but I also don’t want them taking liberties. It might seem a small thing, but I’ve experienced things like this before that got worse and worse so I want to set the right boundaries.”

Some suggested that re-painting the “partial (but obvious) line” might be enough to solve the issue. One user said: “Painting the line might save everyone a lot of awkwardness. Some people genuinely suck at parking and don’t notice until it’s pointed out visually.”

Someone else said: “Maybe they can’t see easily? Paint a bright reflective strip.” But, others suggested more ‘petty’ ways to resolve the matter.

Another user said: “Park right next to the boundary line, then they can’t park over into your space. It seems the simplest answer to me, unless this is always happening when you’re not home, in which case you will have to … be as inconvenient as possible so they can’t get in their car from that side to make the problem obvious.

“Maybe that is passive-aggressive and petty but it seems like that gets the point across without even having to confront the person. If they are so dense that they don’t get the point, maybe consider putting some kind of decoration or plant there.”

What are the rules on shared parking spaces?

When two properties share space in the UK, such as a driveway or parking spaces, specific rules apply. In this case, both homeowners have the right to use their allocated parking.

But, when one person is blocking access – be it intentional or not, the other person has a right to complain and potentially seek legal action if their space becomes obstructed.

Under the Highways Act (1980), applicable in England and Wales, a person mustn’t obstruct a highway, including a shared driveway. This covers anything that prevents someone from using their space, including parked vehicles.

Local councils can issue fixed penalty notices, potentially reaching £80, for persistent obstruction if complaints are lodged and deemed valid. People could escalate the matter further and involve solicitors if the problem continues – but these legal battles can quickly become expensive for both sides.