Parking by unscrupulous neighbours

It is difficult now with many households having multiple cars. Many houses were built before the car or when perhaps one car per family was a luxury or even the norm.

Relationships with neighbours can go pear shaped so easily too.
In a road running off ours there is a family who feeds the seagulls, which seems a benign sort of thing until you look at all the cars with poo all over them and the noise from first light.
The family have been doing it for years and simply ignore all and every complaint.

In retrospect I agree it's not worth getting into a dispute over. But if it were me I'd be very curious about the two covered cars - are they taxed and insured, do they own them (legally) ? One of my sons has a friend working overseas on an annual contract, and as he didn't have a car at the time, she gave him her car to use rather than leave it sitting for a year. (It is an old BMW, very nice to ride in). It could be something like that with the neighbour, a friend or relative couple may have gone overseas and left their cars with him until they get back. Due to lack of space he pebbled the verge rather than take up other people's spaces, but it could probably be reinstated easily. In the absence of evidence of anything more nefarious, I would be grateful for small mercies (while keeping an eye out for anything seriously damning! ). Or perhaps he feels uncomfortable and defensive about it all and that is why he doesn't speak to anyone, fearing a rant. How about a drinks evening to break the ice?

I agree about not falling out unless you have good reason. One of my next door neighbours doesn't make much of an effort with the front garden, but they are good neighbours and having had nightmare neighbours, I know which I'd rather have.

mewsmuse I'm glad you realise about trying to sell your property when there's been a dispute. The value of your property really only matters if you're looking to sell now.

I refuse to fall out with neighbours especially about parking. My X fell out with all of the neighbours for one misdemeanour or another and it was hell to live here .
After we divorced I spent time building bridges and now we are all on friendly terms . It is just not worth it unless your life is in peril !

So funny Greyduster !!

Tell him if he doesn't get his act together we know a man with a tank!

Thank you all for your input. Deeds say nothing about grass verges. They do say 'no caravans' but another resident nearby has one parked discreetly and does not wish to get involved with this in case he his forced to move his. The deeds also say no business other than professional ones should by run from homes, though we know many businesses are being run from various other houses and they refuse to get involved for fear they come unstuck if that clause in our deeds is enforced. The two vans coming and going from opposite are clearly a business operating from there. (He sometimes sub-contracts the driving of the larger van and the sub-contracted driver arrives in his own van and parks it all day on the road, NOT in the off road space vacated by the van he is picking up.)
When the car washing takes place, he moves some of his vehicles onto the road so his has more space for his power washing and minor mechanical repairs to his vehicles. This man and his family talk to no-one so approaching him would only be met with a 'no comment'. I will look into what his boundaries now are to see if he now owns the land he is parking on. Finally, the last thing I want is to further injure the sale of my property in the future if I have to declare a dispute.

Our house deeds actually state that no caravans can be parked on any land here, so might be worth having a read. Don't know what you do about it though ?

I think you should talk to your neighbours and if they are willing to share the cost of seeing a solicitor (who specialises in property issues) do so.

You say you have spoken to 'the council', have you spoken to your local councillor? Councillors have to get elected and usually know their patch better than the council.

Surely the OP is more about the possible misuse of the grass verge and the cutting of the tree rather than this person usurping others spaces. In fact by doing what he has, he's avoided parking in front of others houses or blocking driveways.

I love your tank trumps car post * Greyduster* .

All round yours when WW3 breaks out then eh?

We could fall out with our immediate neighbours as they have 6 cars coming and going at all times of the day and night as the Mum Dad and 3 children now all drive and 4 work, all sorts of different shifts, one is continually parked outside our house whenever my daughter (a temporary stay) isn't in the space. The others come and go some in the drive some on the road and some across the driveway .
We don't fall out because we give and take , they are very friendly and I know I could call on them if there was an emergency and I can't be doing with bad feeling all the time. Also starting neighbourhood dispute if I was to ever sell the house would mean declaring it to buyers.

Understand your angst but be careful what gets stirred up.

The only extra thing I can suggest is act as a group if you can. And not let him know who is the leader.
Then hopefully, he wont take things out on individual households. Even if he suspects he knows who is leading it.

If we are in the mood for 'mine trumps yours', we have a neighbour opposite who has four land rovers, three of which are in varying states of dismantlement (not a word I'm sure, but it'll do!), two private cars - and a tank! Yes, you heard correctly... a Warrior tank complete with tracked wheels and A GUN! All these are very discretely parked around his house, so they are not in the least an eyesore and if WW3 breaks out, who knows, it might be useful to have him on side! Our next door neighbours have, at various times, three cars and a van to park. Once or twice one or other of their daughters has encroached on the area of our drive, but they are, in every other respect, very good and helpful neighbours so we don't make a fuss. They would move them if they were asked to.

This is a tricky situation and someone else has mentioned you don't want to get into a war with the neighbours.

We have lived in a 7 house cul de sac for 25 years with no problems. But our new neighbour has let all the rooms in his house, so we have gone from roughly 2 cars a house to at times 8 outside his house.

They block the pavement and dropped kerbs and at times park outside our house. Im afraid we have no compunction in going out and telling them to move. I refuse to be blocked on my own drive.

Currently , our neighbour who lives there still and owns the house has been reasonable and had the cars moved. But it wouldn't take much to fall out.

I'm not really sure what your solution is but i totally understand your feelings.

We had similar when I bought this house. I also live in a mews and one fellow had a full time job but sold cars as a pastime. We each have our allocated car park space and there are a few spaces for visitors. He took up all of those and parked a car outside many of our houses so if friends came it was impossible to park. I almost felt like throwing a party when he moved, the mews appeared to be empty! Good luck, you have an uphill struggle.

Mews, just a wee word of warning. Be very careful what you begin here. Where I live, there was a fallout between neighbours who live near to me. I have no idea (and don't want to know) what it was about.
However, one of the neighbours has went seriously vindictive and this has spilled over onto parking. The neighbour concerned seems to take over as many parking spaces as possible to annoy the other, though they don't realise they are really pi**ing half the street off as well.

Something that begins small can have a horrible habit of escalating. I understand the frustration over parking spaces, it is exactly the same in my own street BUT be very wary. Ask yourself is it really worth the animosity and grief between yourself and other neighbours, especially if the neighbours live right next door to you? These situations can spiral.

Have you read your house deeds? There might be something in them about parking and verges. Even if there is a covenant however, it may be difficult to enforce, if you are willing to spend some money, you could get legal advice. The fact that the development is only eight years old should make it easier. If the houseowner bought the verges you might be able go find out from land registry records or council planning permissions records.

My thoughts are "bloody cheek"
If you've approached the council to no avail then all I can offer is sympathy.
If everyone in the close is annoyed maybe you could think about a solicitor??