caravan storage at home

[Nigel_5041186]

We have stored our caravan at home on a purpose built extension to our drive for a little over 3 years. Our neighbours have now said that the view from their lounge window is resticted and they want us to explore other ways to store our caravan when we are not using it. I don't want to fall out with our neighbours but where we store the caravan is realistically the only option we have for storing it at home, which is for us is of course far more convenient and cheaper than having it stored at a site.

Does anyone know the where we stand legally? The caravan is about 4 metres from our neighbours property. There are no covenants on the storage of caravans at our property. Whilst the enjoyment of the view from one of their lounge windows might well be affected it does not restrict any natural light from entering their property. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[woodsieboy]

Hi Nigel, the fact that you do not have a covenant forbidding the caravan from your garden would seem to indicate that you can legally store it where it is. While I support your view that you do not want to upset the neighbours, 4 metres seems a reasonable distance away. I think we are all subjected to things we don't like nowadays but if you are not breaking any laws your neighbours will have to accept the caravan view, I can think of lots of worse things to look at.

 

[Damian]

Nigel, you need do nothing. Your neighbours have no "right" to any particular view, light or anything else.

Unless your local council has a ban on storing vans on private driveways, which is unlikely, the neighbours will have to live with it.

Dont be too concerned about their feelings, after all, their "feelings" wont do much if your van is stolen from any other storage place, and who will be upset then, not them,i bet.

 

[BOING]

understand your problem.

for

 

[eric_5040344]

After 3 years they try to lay the law down. They sound as if they want to fall out with you. If you give in and move your van they'll find something else to moan about. Live your life and let them pick on someone else

 

[colin(bridgend)]

As there are no covenants written in your deeds regarding the storage of your caravan at home the only other redress that could affect you is the local authority planning intrepretation.

When you purchase a property you do not buy the view - how would the neighbours react if you were to erect a permanent structure on the site which does not require planning approval e.g. timber garden shed.

As they have taken three years to complain I think that you would be quite at liberty to tell them that you are going to continue storing the van there and there is nothing legally that they can do to have it removed. This could upset a friendly relationship but at the expence where you have to pay for storage and possibly have the van damaged/pinched whilst in storage.

I have my van at home and fitted with a hitchlock, winter wheels and lock nuts on both hubs. The drive is also blocked by either my own or son's car thereby making it harder to steel the van. If they want to pinch the van, no matter where it is they will take it. My advice is therefore to keep the van where it is and ignore the neighbour.

I hope the advice is acceptable as I have had previous experience in this as a Building Surveyor

 

[Ian_4966001]

At the time of replying three out of four respondents say "stuff thy neighbour - do what you want". So I ask myself, "Do I really want to go out and buy a new caravan to be surrounded by neighbours like these?"......

Think of the image you portray before you answer folks - you don't come across as nice people (even if you are so law abiding that you never speed...)

 

[jaffsdad]

we stored at home for over 20 years, 3 consecutive ajacent neighbours said it was OK etc. when we had house for sale the agent suggested we put it storage, and we were so supprised how much better it looked and felt for us... then after moving the neighbours admitted they didn't like it,,, but guess what,,,, the new people had a beat up caravet.

 

[Gary_5039903]

Some people just look for things to moan about. I can think of lots of things less pleasing to the eye than a neutral coloured caravan. They look no different to a white van parked in the drive. If the neighbours don't like it, they shouldn't look at it.

 

[JandP]

Our van is stored on the front drive but before I put it there I asked my neighbour (a marvelous elderly gentleman living on his own) if he minded. He said he didnt but I suspect he didnt like it very much. I had nowhere else to put it so I didnt give him a chance to change his mind and he was too polite to mention it again. Sadly he died last week ( 92 and still driving his car and digging his garden) and I assume the house will be sold. I will leave the van where it is for now but if the new neighbours object I will have to reconsider my options. Legally I have a perfect right to keep it there but past experience has taught me to try to respect the neighbours point of view (litterally!) and hope they will do the same for me. If you can make other arrangements it may pay off in the end (just make sure they understand how much trouble you are going to!).

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Nigel,

I am sorry to read of your neighbours recent comment, however as most of your respondants have stated, you or your neighbour have no rights to a view. I think your wish to retain good relations is worthy, and may I suggets that you talk to your neighbours, about the problem, ask them if they have any suggestions, you never know they may have a bright idea that you have over looked. Point out your reasons for keeping the van at home, It would be far better to come to mutal solution. How about inviting them to vist you at a local site so they can see and experience caravanning? you never know you might actually convert them to caravanning. What price

peace?

 

[Mike_5041089]

Nigel, be careful about getting into a dispute with your neighbours, as should you ever want to sell your house any hint of neighbourly disputes will send buyers running a mile. Perhaps you could put up a trestle screen with climbing flowers etc to break up the view?

 

[Steve L]

Having read a new posting regarding someone's loss of their new van 4 days after it was put into storage, I reckon keeping your van where you can see it is probably the safest. We actually have two vans on our property that is in the middle of a housing estate. One of which belongs to the wife's disabled parents.I have screened the twinaxle van from a public walkway and put the other one on the front garden behind a low wall. We have had no complaints for the last five years. While I don't know how big your van is most vans are equivilent to a transit size comercial. Now if that was parked there they might be able to say about sign writing being an eyesore. If your neighbours have accepted the situation for three years then it could well form a "custom & practice" as they have not complained say within the first six months of the situation. You could talk to them and suggest that as a matter of courtisy you would be prepared to errect a decorative fence/trellis to try to screen it off, but actually you need do nothing at all. I'm afraid these days the old "live and let live" attitude has gone and most people think they can dictate to others what to do. I'm speaking with some experience as we were dogged with false reports of accidents and local news paper reporters wanting to print stories when I parked my VW LT35 commercial van on my own drive and outside my own house. The plaintif had moved into the road two yaers after us and now her hubby runs his plumbing business from their house with his transit obliterated in sign writing parked there. We ended up having to threaten court action to the papers to avoid the bad press and the police cautioned the plaintif about the faulse reporting of accidents and I had to put a notice on the van stating "polite notice, this van is parked legally". They even rang my factory and tried to report the driver as sciving off at 3pm on a Friday afternoon. My father answered the phone as it was a family business, and the plaintiff got quite a shock after the second time of ringing as he informed them that as I'd started work at 4am, 3pm was a reasonable time for his son to put his feet up having driven 400 miles around the country. But take heart, not all "good neighbours" are as ruff as mine were. But I do believe in my home being my castle, wheels or bricks. Don't let them spoil your hobby.

 

[Sue_5041660]

dear nigel dont put your van in storage we had a dispute with the old man next after our van had been parked on our driveway for 6 months my husband made me sell the van for many reseasons one of them having it parked on the drive all the time i miss it every weekend and i am so envious reading of all of you caravaners on the pc forum i did not want the van stored as it cost