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My neighbour has just told me that I have to park my car front first into MY drive instead of reversing as the fumes are making her "ill" when she's in her kitchen or sitting outside!! I've parked here for the last 6 years while owning type r, hilux, m3 and now the RS4 (4 months). I can reverse into my drive in one move if I'm to drive in head first will be 3 moves. She then told me if I don't she'll be taking it further.

This is where the car parks
You can see her kitchen window next to the grey vent and she sits behind that fence.


What can I do?

Is your drive a legal drive? Ie was built with the house/had proper planning permission when built? If so tell her to do one and just leave your car idling each time you leave/come home!! Mwahaha!!

I can't deal with people like that!! It's your drive do what you want! I would!

Ignore her, she can't 'take it further'. Tell her to get out the house once in a while! Maybe get a job.

If she'd asked nicely instead of threatening action you might have felt more compelled to change the way you park. But there's nothing wrong with it anyway.

Hmmmm well there's a problem right there! Where the car is used to be grass, I dug it up 5 odd years ago and put down stones so I could park closer to my house and have the cars out of sight from people walking past my drive

KGRS4 wrote:Hmmmm well there's a problem right there! Where the car is used to be grass, I dug it up 5 odd years ago and put down stones so I could park closer to my house and have the cars out of sight from people walking past my drive

The only thing she can do to "take it further" is raise court action as its a civil matter - which would be very costly for her initially and then subsequently whomever lost the case. Check your title deeds to your house to see if there's anything that prohibits you from doing anything around parking vehicles or what you can and cant do on your property. It would more than likely come back to these as to what you can or cant do on your property as its a civil matter and raised in the lands tribunal court, usually there would be nothing in your deeds explicitly around parking on an existing garden area (upon your own property unless you have a shared parking area etc), but it should state what you can/cant do.

KGRS4 wrote:She then told me if I don't she'll be taking it further.

Call her bluff.

If you car passes emissions tests (which it must have done to have a current valid MOT) then AFAIK there's nothing legal that she can do.

You're entitled to use your land in any way that is legal, doesn't contravene any restrictive covenant on your deeds and doesn't require planning permission - and changing a lawn into extra parking doesn't require planning permission, so worth checking your deeds I would say.

The above is my understanding of the position, a lawyer may offer a different opinion.

Subject to not having any exclusions in the title deeds, the surface is permeable and shouldn't need any planning permission for your previous extension to the drive way area. It maybe different for Scotland?

Can't see how she can stop you to be honest but it's never nice having moody neighbours. Do you start the car and leave it running, or do you just get in and drive off?

I suppose my next step should be to find my title deeds then seek some legal advice or a lawyer if some sort?

Surrey Sam wrote:Subject to not having any exclusions in the title deeds, the surface is permeable and shouldn't need any planning permission for your previous extension to the drive way area. It maybe different for Scotland?

Can't see how she can stop you to be honest but it's never nice having moody neighbours. Do you start the car and leave it running, or do you just get in and drive off?

I let the fast idle finish until it's back to normal idle then drive off.

KGRS4 wrote:I suppose my next step should be to find my title deeds then seek some legal advice or a lawyer if some sort?

Find your title deeds, read them and if you're in any doubt seek legal advice (I'd suggest maybe the Citizens Advice Bureau first to avoid a bill).

PetrolDave wrote:

KGRS4 wrote:I suppose my next step should be to find my title deeds then seek some legal advice or a lawyer if some sort?

Find your title deeds, read them and if you're in any doubt seek legal advice (I'd suggest maybe the Citizens Advice Bureau first to avoid a bill).

That's for the advice

Am I right in thinking I can obtain a copy of my title deeds from the solicitors I bought my house from?

KGRS4 wrote:Am I right in thinking I can obtain a copy of my title deeds from the solicitors I bought my house from?

If you asked them to retain the Title Deeds then yes, but (at least in England) it's not automatic.

KGRS4 wrote: I let the fast idle finish until it's back to normal idle then drive off.

Try just driving off for a month or two and she may then calm down, as you've made a change to a routine which she is now obviously tuned into. A little give and take can go a long way even if you are in the right.


Your solicitor should know the whereabouts of the deeds; if the property is mortgaged then the lender often has them.

PetrolDave wrote:

KGRS4 wrote:I suppose my next step should be to find my title deeds then seek some legal advice or a lawyer if some sort?

Find your title deeds, read them and if you're in any doubt seek legal advice (I'd suggest maybe the Citizens Advice Bureau first to avoid a bill).

+1 PetrolDave

The CAB is an excellent staring point. Failing that, this query shouldn't really take up more than 30 min of time for a high street lawyer to give you an answer. If it's a real concern, and if you're a worrier about these kind of things, just given any firm specialising in conveyancing / residential property work (ideally with smoe expertise in property litigation) a call and you might even be able to blag a free initial consultation.

The title deeds will likely be held by your conveyancer, to the order of your mortgage company (if you have one). I think it unlikely the deeds will contain an explicit provision dealing with air pollution from a car, so you might need to consider the issue more widely - are you in a smoke control area by any chance? If so she could maybe try to push that angle.

If there isn't an issue, de-cat it!

I had a neighbour moaning about the smell of paint from me shed the once...
I went down the route of moving the dog <beep> bin ( o its a big bin.) behind the fence she likes to sit in the sun.. then left the lid of it every day i went to work,made me sick to be honest
I then had a question of can you smell dog <beep>,.,, Why yes i think i might be able to sort that out for you which i did ..

For some reason the smell of paint has never come up again..