“My neighbors keep parking in front of my house. How do I get them to stop?”
Many people have this issue. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can solve the problem and ensure that your front door is no longer blocked by parked cars or garbage trucks.
This post will cover ten ways to keep your neighbors from parking in front of your house, each of which is ideal for different situations — we guarantee you’ll find more than one solution.
1. Communicate
If you’re up for it, just talk to your neighbor.
How do they feel about the situation? Maybe they weren’t aware that their parked car was blocking anyone’s path in or out of a driveway. Perhaps your neighbor doesn’t even realize that they are causing a problem. If that’s the case, then it will be easy to solve this problem with some kind words.
If you feel like talking to your neighbors is too risky, or if it’s not the right first step for you then move on. The other nine ways should be able to help solve this issue without having to deal with anything uncomfortable at all.
2. Strike a Bargain
Raise your hand if you’re willing to go through the trouble of putting together a formal contract and getting it notarized.
If your hand isn’t raised, then consider coming up with an informal agreement. For instance, how about if your neighbor agrees that they will only park on one side of the street as long as you agree to allow them to park in front of your house when they have guests over. Similarly, you can switch off every other week, so one person always has to park around the corner.
Even though this isn’t a legal contract, make sure that both parties are okay with what’s being agreed upon. If not, then it probably won’t be effective at solving the issue.
3. Put Up a No Parking Sign Outside Your Home
One of the simplest ways to prevent your neighbors from parking in front of your house is with a no parking sign. The sign will make sure that people know that they’re not allowed to park in front of your property.
One thing to note here is that you should ensure that the sign is clear and easily visible by just about anyone. Otherwise, people may misinterpret it or don’t even see it.
Putting up a no-parking sign is the best option for you if you’re looking for immediate results with minimal effort on your part.
4. Park Before They Do
Parking before your neighbors is another easy way to fix this issue. The more time you do this, the more chances are that your neighbor will look for another spot where they can park regularly.
5. Get a Resident-Only Parking Permit
In some situations, the area in front of your home may not be utilized by your neighbor but rather by their friends.
It can be aggravating if this happens on a regular basis, and your neighbor keeps inviting his or her pals over every other day. In such a situation, you could appeal for residents-only parking. You could also join forces with other neighbors who have similar issues and bring the issue to city hall.
Since each city has its own local laws, we recommend consulting a lawyer before making your case to the city hall.
6. Install a Fence
If you’re willing to spend some money and effort, then consider getting a fence. Putting up a fence will make sure that your neighbors won’t be able to park in front of the property at all — it’s as simple as that!
Just make sure that you get permission from the city before putting up any kind of barrier. If not, they may fine you or remove the fence altogether without so much as a formal warning.
7. Install Security Cameras
Wouldn’t you be more hesitant about parking in front of a house with security cameras? Your neighbors feel the same way. So If you put up security cameras at the front of your house, then people are less likely to park in front of your property and more likely to look for another parking spot.
8. Send a Formal Letter
Trust us, nothing works like a formal warning. Your neighbor is far more likely to take you seriously if they receive a written complaint.
So you should write a demand letter to request compensation for your property being blocked. You should demand either a parking fee or a written apology. You should also mention the legal actions you intend to take if they don’t comply.
Here are the five things you must specify in your demand letter:
- Your and the neighbor’s information, including names and address
- The problem you’re facing
- The solution you believe is reasonable
- Your contact information
- Your intentions if they refuse to cooperate
9. Call the Police
Did your neighbor refuse to comply with your request even though it was totally reasonable? Then it’s time to stop being a mister nice guy.
If the car parked outside your house is blocking your driveway or if it blocks other drivers or pedestrians, you should call the cop. They will either get in touch with the owner and solve the issue or they will make preparations to tow the vehicle.
10. Contact Parking Enforcement
In case the police are unable to help, you should gather evidence and file a complaint about illegal parking to your local parking enforcement. Valuable evidence for this complaint includes:
- Pictures
- Videos
- Witnesses
Conclusion
There are a lot of ways to keep neighbors from parking in front of your house. Some methods work better than others depending on where you live and the situation at hand, but we’ve compiled some general tips that should help you out no matter what neighborhood or problem you might be dealing with.
So which method do you think will work best for your specific needs? Let us know by dropping a comment below!
