i am trying to obtain any information as to the rights (or wrongs) of parking my caravan at the rear of my property,i own my own home i have a small caravan my neighbours are council tenants but we share a drive in between the properties,i parked the caravan on the drive until such a time when i could get the van at the rear of my property because the gates would not allow me to do so because of the gap and the width of the van,it was there for a couple of nights and my neighbour said she was fine with it and could leave it there as long as i wanted but as long as she could get thru with the bins so i parked it as close to my side of the drive as possible and admit it was a struggle to get thru with the bin and my neighbour has a wider bin,ive sinse found out that the said neighbour had complained as soon as she saw the caravan approaching the house,and frankly i knew she would be like this so i struggled but managed to get it into the rear of my property and thought that was fine but my neighbour has complained before about me having a car at one point and a 4x4 at another as i have had some vehicles over time,this said my neighbours partner has had high backed vans and people carriers parked at the rear on numerous occasions and i have not said a word about it but now she is saying its blocking sunlight from her garden and its only a matter of time before she reports it to the council,at this point i should mention that the sun approaches from the rear and more or less comes straight over our properties depending on time of year but in summer this is the case,so at no point does it cast a shadow on hers of my garden,the said neighbours new partner is now starting to carry out repairs on his vehicle in the shared drive which i know he is not suppose to do but again i have not said anything,so my ultimate question is what rights do i have as regards to the parking of my van at the rear.
parking and storing my caravan
- Thread starter mikeade1962
- Start date
Mel
Moderator
I am not an expert but as I understand it; if it is your land and there is no covenant on the land or anything on the deeds of the property that specifically prevents you parking a van there, then you are fine to do so. You are no longer causing an obstruction to your neighbour, so I don't see what her complaining to the council will achieve.
Suggest you beat her to it and ring them up and ask what you need to know, so that when she tells you she has complained you can tell what the facts are.
mel
Suggest you beat her to it and ring them up and ask what you need to know, so that when she tells you she has complained you can tell what the facts are.
mel
I would like to echo the posts above. I was waiting for a while before I commented to give time to let things settle down, and to be able to evaluate it more fairly.
Its still early days, but I have no doubt the new forum represents a major step forwards. The interface is certainly slicker and faster, we get far more information about replies and views, it all helps to to give confidence in the new forum. And at last a search facility and spell check that seems to work!
Little things like when making a reply, its only two click to get it posted and getting back to the thread, Options such as quick reply, etc do make it a far more comprehensive site.
Its still early days and I'm still discovering new features.
I do have a couple of observations:- The Categories page does seem cluttered, and I think it could be cleaned up by changing some of the spacings and font sizes. The LH column is wider than necessary, If it were reduced to just accommodate the the category title, and the smaller cased comments allowed to wrap, it would allow more space for the other columns. The Topics and replies information could be in a smaller font also allowing the columns to be reduced to maximise the space in the RH column so more of the title of the last post can be displayed.
On the actual posting and composing pages, I find the text uncomfortable to read, I suspect because its grey not black, can they be changed to black to maximise the contrast?
Overall well done Haymarket.
Its still early days, but I have no doubt the new forum represents a major step forwards. The interface is certainly slicker and faster, we get far more information about replies and views, it all helps to to give confidence in the new forum. And at last a search facility and spell check that seems to work!
Little things like when making a reply, its only two click to get it posted and getting back to the thread, Options such as quick reply, etc do make it a far more comprehensive site.
Its still early days and I'm still discovering new features.
I do have a couple of observations:- The Categories page does seem cluttered, and I think it could be cleaned up by changing some of the spacings and font sizes. The LH column is wider than necessary, If it were reduced to just accommodate the the category title, and the smaller cased comments allowed to wrap, it would allow more space for the other columns. The Topics and replies information could be in a smaller font also allowing the columns to be reduced to maximise the space in the RH column so more of the title of the last post can be displayed.
On the actual posting and composing pages, I find the text uncomfortable to read, I suspect because its grey not black, can they be changed to black to maximise the contrast?
Overall well done Haymarket.
mikeade1962: I sympathise with the problem with your neighbours and the possibility they might complain to the council about your caravan being parked at your property. It's one of the reasons I bought a folding caravan; so that no one could complain I was stealing their light! I noted when I bought my house two years ago there was a condition in the deeds that stated that residents living on the estate should not park boats, caravans or motorhomes on their driveways (though interestingly there is no mention of whether you can park any of these at the rear of the property or not!) However, no one seems to take any notice of this ruling at all, as there are plenty of 'vans and motorhomes parked on front driveways on the estate. When looking to buy a caravan I was looking for something small and lightweight, because I didn't want to change the car, but as I say, went for a folder to reduce the risk of getting moaned at! Touch wood, no one has complained about it yet, in fact it has turned out to be something to promote conversation, especially when I'm moving it around with the motormover. I think it's one of these grey areas where as long as you're not annoying other people or obstructing their access, most people tolerate the appearance of a caravan etc; most people, happily, adopt the 'live and let live' attitude. Good luck with your situation, if I were you I'd just try to ignore your neighbours jibes. Happy caravanning!
Parksy
Moderator
mikeade1962 said:
If you block or cause an obstruction in a shared driveway police and local authorities have wide ranging powers to remove the obstruction and this will also incur costs so it's not a good idea to leave your caravan on the shared drive at all.
As Mel mentioned, unless there is a covenant prohibiting the parking of your caravan, 4X4 or whatever on your property you have the right to store the caravan there.
It's worth remembering that with rights come responsibilities, if your caravan is blocking your neighbours light or inconveniencing them is the bad feeling between your neighbour and yourself really worth the trouble?
It would appear that there has been more than one minor dispute, can't you resolve the situation between yourselves amicably over a cup of tea?
I shall try and get the right comment into teh right section this time!
Hello Mike,
Neighbour disputes are invariably difficult for the parties them selves to resolve, but sometimes backing down can defuse a situation. However I am not suggesting that is necessarily the best solution in your case.
In general shared accesses should be kept clear at all times, obviously there can be the few moments it takes to unload the shopping, but longer obstructions should be avoided, unless there is a very clear agreement between the parties involved. This allows for things like building repairs or maintenance.
In your case, there will be three parties who have a vested interest in the shared access, you your neighbour, and the landlord (e.g. Council).
As other have pointed out the storage of large units like caravans Boats, or commercial vehicles may be subject to covenants in the deed of your property.
I will make an educated assumption that if you have a shared drive, and your neighbours are council tenants, then I have a strong suspicion your house was originally a council house and was bought some years ago.
This might mean the rules the council set out for their tenants concerning what you can and cannot use the land for may still apply. No one on the forum can tell you what those covenants are, you have to review the deeds of your house.
The business of blocking sunlight may be a red herring. There are rules about construction which restrict light, (as distinct from direct sunlight or a view) but I don't know if that applies to temporary situation like a caravan etc. However there have been cases of nuisance where hedges have been allowed to grow to an unreasonable height (Leylandii trees) where the offending owner has been forced to remove or at least trim them.
I suggest you first check to see if you are within your rights to keep a caravan on your property. If you are, then in the interests of good relations consider if there is anything you can reasonably do to prevent your caravan from interfering with your neighbours light, perhaps move it further down or across the garden.
If you find you are not allowed to keep your caravan at home, then obviously, this immediate problem is resolved, However you would need to check with your solicitor, but in some cases such covenants restricting parking of caravans are not enforceable, or can be lifted.
I hope it can be resolved amicably.
Hello Mike,
Neighbour disputes are invariably difficult for the parties them selves to resolve, but sometimes backing down can defuse a situation. However I am not suggesting that is necessarily the best solution in your case.
In general shared accesses should be kept clear at all times, obviously there can be the few moments it takes to unload the shopping, but longer obstructions should be avoided, unless there is a very clear agreement between the parties involved. This allows for things like building repairs or maintenance.
In your case, there will be three parties who have a vested interest in the shared access, you your neighbour, and the landlord (e.g. Council).
As other have pointed out the storage of large units like caravans Boats, or commercial vehicles may be subject to covenants in the deed of your property.
I will make an educated assumption that if you have a shared drive, and your neighbours are council tenants, then I have a strong suspicion your house was originally a council house and was bought some years ago.
This might mean the rules the council set out for their tenants concerning what you can and cannot use the land for may still apply. No one on the forum can tell you what those covenants are, you have to review the deeds of your house.
The business of blocking sunlight may be a red herring. There are rules about construction which restrict light, (as distinct from direct sunlight or a view) but I don't know if that applies to temporary situation like a caravan etc. However there have been cases of nuisance where hedges have been allowed to grow to an unreasonable height (Leylandii trees) where the offending owner has been forced to remove or at least trim them.
I suggest you first check to see if you are within your rights to keep a caravan on your property. If you are, then in the interests of good relations consider if there is anything you can reasonably do to prevent your caravan from interfering with your neighbours light, perhaps move it further down or across the garden.
If you find you are not allowed to keep your caravan at home, then obviously, this immediate problem is resolved, However you would need to check with your solicitor, but in some cases such covenants restricting parking of caravans are not enforceable, or can be lifted.
I hope it can be resolved amicably.
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