Parking disputes among neighbours are common, but they don’t usually involve your own driveway.
If you’re lucky enough to have a property with a dedicated driveway or garage, then you probably don’t have to endure the same parking disagreements that many motorists face.
Anyone who has to park on the roadside knows how frustrating it can be to have to park far away from their own home because someone else is parked in the spot they need. We’re all aware that no one owns the kerbside parking, so there’s nothing we can do about it – but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating.
But one man has been left particularly furious with his neighbour’s parking after they not only decided to park in front of his house, but actually chose to drive their vehicle onto his property to leave it in the middle of his driveway.
What’s more, when he confronted them and asked them to move their car, they came back with a flippant three-word response that left him seething as they said: “Sharing is caring.”
In a post on Reddit, the man said he was driving home from work when he noticed a “random SUV” parked on his driveway. After parking his own car on the road, he went to pay his neighbour a visit to ask who the car belonged to.
He said: “I got home from work last Friday, totally wiped, and there’s a random SUV parked right in my driveway. Not halfway in. Not kinda on the kerb. Just fully centred like it paid rent or something.
“I actually double checked the house number, like maybe I was losing my mind. Nope, definitely my house.
“So I walked next door and knocked. Karen opens the door wearing a fluffy pink robe and holding a glass of wine like it’s 2pm at a country club.”
The man was informed the car belonged to “Todd”. He said that because he wasn’t home and therefore “wasn’t using it”, she assumed it was fine for him to park there.
After being told that’s not how private property works, the woman claimed that as neighbours they are a “community” and that “sharing is caring” so he should be willing to give up the space when someone else needs it.
He added: “I don’t even share fries. You think I’m sharing concrete? I told her next time it happens, I’m calling a tow truck, full stop. She got all offended and muttered, ‘Some people are just so unfriendly’. Right. I’m the bad guy for not letting Todd park his midlife crisis on my land.”
Is it illegal to park on someone else’s driveway?
In the UK, there is no criminal law against the indecent act of someone parking on your driveway without consent. However, your driveway is part of your property, so by driving onto it, a person is committing an act of trespassing.
The problem with this is that trespassing is considered a civil offence and not a criminal one, meaning the police don’t have the power to make an arrest. The council also cannot move the car as it is on private property when on a driveway.
If the vehicle has been abandoned then your local council is required to move it regardless of whether it’s on public or private land, but according to the RAC, if the car has up-to-date tax, insurance, MOT and isn’t in a dangerous condition, the council is powerless to do anything.
The best thing to do in a one-off situation is to stay calm and talk to the owner of the vehicle to try and resolve the situation. If it is a long-term issue, then you can consider taking legal action by filing a civil case for trespassing.