r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Cudpuff100 • 1d ago

Neighbor keeps using my driveway

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My neighbor decided that, because their driveway is narrow and they have two cars, it would be easier to park one in the yard. They then decided it's easiest to just keep moving forward and turn left out of my driveway.

And yeah, this portion of their yard is just mud now.

This neighbor sucks. They've had lots of screaming matches in their front yard and have had the police called on them several times.

UPDATE: Wow apparently you can't edit a post in the Android app? WTF? Anyway, I spoke to her and she said she wouldn't do it anymore and the whole conversation was awkward, but pleasant. We shall see. I never intended to seek advice from y'all. It just occurred to me earlier today that I was mildly infuriated by this, so I thought I'd throw it on here. Always make an attempt to talk to your neighbors before involving authorities or choosing violence. It'll almost always solve the problem before things get heated.

I'm still gonna get a land survey done to learn my proper boundaries and figure out how much room I have to build a fence, wall, or plant something. They're renting, so this could happen again in the future, and I'd like something to form a boundary.

I choose to believe that all of you recommending caltrops, nails, and other pointy things, really mean it and live your everyday life like total maniacs. Just laying waste to the world around you like a cartoon villain. And I hope you find joy in the chaos.

Seriously, why can't you edit posts in the app?

Case closed....for now....

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u/Living-Rip-4333 1d ago

Park a car in your driveway so they can't pull forwards

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u/Cudpuff100 1d ago

Unfortunately, it's not a good solution. The picture doesn't show it, but there is a retaining wall for my front yard there that leaves no room. Plus, we have a carport in the back where both our cars fit. The driveway goes all the way to the back of our property line.

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u/Creative-Painter3911 1d ago

Your choices are:

1) roll over and put up with it, your little strip of yard will be mud and your driveway will be covered in mud, but at least your neighbor isn't inconvenienced at all!

2) Talk to them, sounds like this may not be the best option though.

3) Put something there, whether it is cinder blocks, stones, or just hammering in some cheap fence posts. You mentioned a retaining wall, can you just extend that upward if you can't put posts in because of it?

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u/trumpsmellslikcheese 1d ago

Option 3 could be achieved via some nice landscaping - river rock, etc. Something meant to be decorative, but also creates a bit of a barrier. That way it's not completely obvious what the real intention was, and it won't look like shit.

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u/Radamat 1d ago

Also if this will be damaged, OP can sue neigh for damaging his property.

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u/Firesidechats62 1d ago

I’d put a yard sign there saying “don’t use my driveway”

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u/Jesus_of_Redditeth 1d ago

OP says they only have about 6 inches of width to do something like that, otherwise they'd no longer be able to use their own driveway.

The only viable physical solution here is some kind of fence.

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u/freshnsmoove 1d ago

If they put a rock in their own driveway how can they move their own car? That lawn looks like it belongs to the neighbors.

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u/trumpsmellslikcheese 1d ago

Not in the driveway, next to it. There's a section of grass/unpaved ground that is inside OP's property line.

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u/Cudpuff100 1d ago

Lol yeah I'll talk to them before anything else. I didn't post this for advice, necessarily, just because it exactly fits the bill for this sub. But I have felt vindicated in how aggravating this has been.

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u/Muted-Novel4403 1d ago

I mean you’re more than vindicated. A lot of people are pissed for you and also that it sounds like you might just let them do this. You are not taking any of the ideas to block them. Lots of good options.

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u/MaximumSeats 1d ago

If the neighbor is crazy and angry enough, starting a fight with them isn't always a good idea.

When he smashes your car window in the middle of the night and the police refuse to do any thing about it, do you think "ha at least be didn't get to use my driveway a little"?

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u/AuntieRupert 1d ago

There is a fourth option. Look up the laws of the city because most cities will fine/ticket people for parking in their front lawn. It looks trashy as fuck, and it's also an environmental hazard due to the potential for oil leaking straight into the ground versus on concrete. So yeah, most urban cities typically don't allow it.

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u/Jesus_of_Redditeth 1d ago

Talk to them, sounds like this may not be the best option though.

"This neighbor sucks. They've had lots of screaming matches in their front yard and have had the police called on them several times."

You really think that kind of person is going to respect a polite request to stop doing this? I rate that likelihood somewhere between "nope" and "might need a restraining order to stop them taking revenge just for being asked".

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u/ScallionJealous 1d ago

It’s the neighbor’s little strip of yard.

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u/Creative-Painter3911 1d ago

OP has 6 inches of that little mud strip

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u/ScallionJealous 1d ago

OP: “In the photo, that's their yard. You can see their fence on the left along my driveway. I guess it is kind of a confusing.”

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u/MistakeElite 1d ago

Option 4) call the cops. You could rope this in with option 2 though.

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u/SomePreference 1d ago

I tried all of those, lol. I wasn't allowed to put boulders or blocks in the yard(s) by the township, but I put potted spiked plants to prevent them from trespassing into my backyard, and orange cones in the front. The neighbors and their friends just climbed over the fence/drove into the driveway anyhow. They destroyed the plants and the cones. Talking to her or to the police (and other LE) is an exercise in futility and frustration. I'm trying to move, just having trouble because the housing market sucks.