A homeowner has been left concerned after receiving a threatening note from a neighbour over a parking dispute. The note warned that if the homeowner parked near the neighbour's driveway, the neighbour might accidentally hit their car.
Parking Dispute Escalates
Posting on Reddit's 'Neighbours from Hell' forum, the homeowner explained that other neighbours were deliberately taking up two spots on the street, making it difficult to find parking. They wrote: "When I get home early, and the only spot available on the street is in front of their house, I park there. They've left notes warning me that if I park near their driveway (on the street parking in front of their house), they may hit my car by accident."
The threat appeared to become a reality when the homeowner noticed their neighbour had parked "touching their car" despite "plenty of spaces" available. They added: "I've confronted them about other things before, like them blowing trash on my car, and that resolved nothing but making them more aggressive towards me. I wouldn't park in front of their house if I didn't have to, but sometimes that's the only parking on the street."
Reddit Users Advise Caution
In the comments section, users urged the poster to "avoid confrontation" and instead to "let documentation and if needed, law enforcement or insurance handle it". One said: "Yeah, direct confrontation clearly isn't improving anything here. Photos, timestamps, and a boring paper trail are probably a lot more useful than winning an argument on the sidewalk."
Someone else commented: "If they're intentionally bumping your car or threatening to, that's not just a parking dispute. Please do report any damage." A fellow Redditor wrote: "Exactly, once they're deliberately making contact with the car, it stops feeling like normal parking drama. Documenting every incident seems way smarter than getting dragged into another confrontation with them."
Parking Law Explained
It is entirely lawful to park outside someone else's home on a public road. Motorists neither own nor hold any automatic right to the stretch of public highway directly outside their property, meaning anyone can park there. The RAC said it becomes unlawful when a vehicle is parked over a dropped kerb or is blocking access to a property's driveway. Local councils are able to issue penalties or arrange for the removal of vehicles obstructing a dropped kerb, should the homeowner make a formal request.
Additionally, parking in breach of local regulations, including resident permit zones, double yellow lines, or school zig-zags, is forbidden. The Metropolitan Police highlights that parking which obstructs traffic flow or hinders emergency vehicle access constitutes an offence. However, deliberately touching another person's vehicle is unlawful.
