Parking on my own private land

[dlp01]

I have a driveway that will hold 10 cars. Most of the time i have 6 cars parked on my drive. My husband is in the motor trade so we drive a different car each week. All of the cars are registered to either myself or him but i have been told by the council that i cannot park that many cars on my drive. They will not tell me how many cars i can park but have said that if we are caught trading from the drive which we arent then we will face a �20k fine. How can this be right if one of us owns all of the cars

[spaced]

its obvious that a car trader, with 10 cars parked on their drive could be trading from their own address. unless you have 10 people living in your house, each with their own car, stop trading and move them. Council dont muck about

[johnny37]

Also, I suggest, if you use your drive merely to store the cars, it is 'trade use'.

[dlp01]

they arent there for storage we have 4 cars that we use on a regular basis the others that come and go are because i like to drive new cars - i really dont see what my neighbours problem is apart from of course jealousy as their cars are not in the same league most of the time.

[Doc Spock]

It occurrs to me that you are fiddling. I doubt that the cars are taxed, insured and individually registered.

Get real and stop pi55ing your neighbours and the council off.


People like you make me sick. " Look at what I have got"

[Doc Spock]

I presume your username means you are a fist class dipstick.

[dlp01]

dlp does not stand for dipstick you brain dead moron and you like my neighbours must be jealous. and no i am not fiddling - fiddling what exactly all of my cars are taxed insured mot and everything else that makes them roadworthy the cars that i drive on a regular basis are also registered with the DVLA in my own personal name and are each covered by individual insurance policies. Do you honestly think that i would drive cars on the road that can be worth up to tens of thousands of pounds with no insurance - what if one of you morons hit me?

And Zac who is a snob - me?

[Gromit]

If you are not running a business from your home I do not see why tyou feel threatened by the �20k fine. If you husband is in the 'motor trade' then he will have premises and a registered address. You will be able to prove from your tax records that you are not selling the cars.

Don't see why you want 6 - 10 cars? It does sound suspicious.

[dlp01]

and if im a first class dipstick what are you a first class nerd - my god this website is a total waste of time the only people that respond bar redheadisbac are a bunch of cretins. I thought i would actually get some real answers not opinions of narrow minded jealous little wannabes.

[Gromit]

Do you pay business rates and Corporation Tax on your premises? If not, and you are selling the cars (irrelelavent that the transaction takes place on your drive or not), then you are fiddling.

[dlp01]

gromit - i drive them on a regular basis - i love cars i enjoy them in every way possible if we werent in the trade i would be an enthusiast. I have been issued a letter that says about the fine but since i received it i have been unable to speak to anyone at the council as all the people that would deal with it are unavailable. If i could have spoken to them then i wouldnt have come on a site like this. you have made me feel better as i can prove that the cars on the drive are for my personal use as i said before.
i am not aggressive - spock called me a dipstick he started it so i will finish it for him.

[dlp01]

its DLP not DIP but thats okay - i think i will contact citizens advice - thank you xx

[SeaJayPea]

Hi, let's hope we can give you a sensible answer. If anybody is running a business from a private address, it doesn't really matter what it is, then business rates should be paid, I think in addition to Council Tax (I may be wrong there).
You say that your husband is in the motor trade, and it seems from one of your answers that you think that a neighbour has reported that to the council. The council will have to act on the information is has received. If they think you are running a business from residential premises, they have to prove it.
It looks as though, at this stage, all they've done is send out a warning letter. If you respond to that saying what you've said earlier, then the chances are you'll hear no more about it.
If they do impose business rates and a fine, there is an appeals process.

I hope this helps

[Compostella]

DLP, you have my sincere sympathies.

I have had to state before that this site is called answer bank, not judge-me bank.

I stopped asking motoring questions on here because it seems to be overun with left wing hippies passing judgement over people instead of answering any questions. They probably have stifled views that they do not have the balls to say to anyone in person.

I feel really sorry for them, in their world nobody strays from the beaten path. If all people were like them then the human race would still be in caves.

Good luck to you with all your cars, hope common sense prevails here. Wish I had the space for all the cars, let alone actually having them.

[dlp01]

thank you to seajaypea and compostella - i think some of the comments were hurtful to me 'people like you make me sick' i honestly dont know what i have done to make somebody feel like that towards me i really dont. I think you are both right that i have been reported and the council therefore have to act on what they have been told - i think i just worried when i saw how large the fine is when i dont actually think i am doing anything wrong. Thanks again to you both xx

[gouldc]

Didn't the government bring out recent legislation (say recent, poss about a year ago) about having more than a certain number of cars for sale in a residential area being against the law?

Been a while since I dealt with motor trader policies, but I would have though this could be a bit of an issue if your husband is known to be in the trade, hence the warning about the �20k fine - also you would have to take into account all the associated taxes the local council want to have you for.

I know a couple of guys who have big houses (and driveways), and often have a multitude of cars on the drive - some are his own (although he would sell if the price was right!), and the other's are for selling on.

In response to Johnny, whilst I see his point of view about storing cars you intend to sell on your driveway, you could also suggest that someone who runs a shop who stores some goods in their house should be liable for business rates at thier home address - I assume you have a seperate premises for the motor trade business you are involved in?