Your home should serve as your sanctuary from the outside world. Within reasonable limits, you’re free to do as you please within your property’s boundaries, and this includes the garden and driveway if you possess them, as whilst they’re outdoor areas, they remain part of your estate.
However, one gentleman has learnt that certain individuals fail to grasp they hold no ownership or authority over others’ possessions, as his neighbour has attempted to prohibit him from parking on his own drive.
The chap explained on Reddit that he’d been residing in his house for five years without problems, but circumstances shifted when his new neighbour relocated there six months prior.
The fellow said the troubles commenced when his neighbour began taking his equipment without permission, then escalated to the neighbour welcoming visitors and permitting them to park on his driveway – once more without consent.
Matters have deteriorated further now, though, as his neighbour has started employing drastic measures to attempt getting him barred from parking on his own drive, presumably so the neighbour can utilise it himself.
He penned: “Yesterday, I came home to find a giant ‘NO PARKING – TOW AWAY ZONE’ sign planted right in the middle of my driveway. Brand new, shiny, professionally made. I thought it was some kind of prank. It was not.
“He came outside with a folder of papers and told me I was trespassing and if I parked there again, he would call a tow truck. He even tried to hand me a fake-looking notice with his signature on it, like he was a landlord evicting me.”
The man defiantly parked his car and dared his neighbour to call whoever he wanted. A tow truck did indeed arrive, but the man had been proactive and had already alerted the police, who warned his neighbour that he would face harassment charges if he persisted.
He added: “Now he is sulking and blasting music at all hours, like that is going to scare me. I am documenting everything because I have a feeling this is only the beginning.”
In the comments section, the man revealed that he has purchased cameras and plans to install them on his property to gather recorded evidence should his neighbour attempt any further antics.
Commenters on the post urged the man to “establish boundaries” on his property, such as erecting a fence or obstructing access with shrubs and other plants.
One person advised: “Lock up your tools and establish visible boundary lines if possible, ie fences and shrubbery.”
Another chimed in: “He really made a fake eviction notice? That’s next-level unhinged.”
Is it illegal for someone else to park in your driveway?
While it may be an annoyance, there is no criminal law against the indecent act of someone parking on your driveway without your permission. However, as your driveway is part of your property, the individual parking on it is technically trespassing.
Trespassing, though, is categorised as a civil offence rather than a criminal one, which means the police don’t have the authority to make an arrest.
Under the Road Traffic Act 1991, local authorities now hold responsibility for parking enforcement, meaning they are the ones who issue penalties for incorrect parking on public roads. However, when a car is parked on a driveway, it’s technically on private property – and the council has no jurisdiction to remove it.
If a car has been abandoned on your property, then the local council can take action to remove it, but if the car has up-to-date tax, insurance, MOT and isn’t in a hazardous condition, the council is powerless to intervene.