Problematic neighbours!

[jem_bob]

Not sure if this is the right section but it\'s really getting me down, so I guess the soul would be about right? Basically we\'re having some real problems with the parking situation at our block of flats. We are part of the part-rent part-buy scheme, so we own 40% of our flat and we share the block with a number of housing association households. This means that the whole block and the grounds are maintained by the housing assosciation, who we go to with any issues we have. Long story short, there are not enough parking spaces; 6 spaces for 12 flats. We have a designated parking space as we own part of the flat. Same for 3 other households. The other 3 spaces are a free for all. This means that we have a number of cars being \'dumped\' in non-designated areas (usually blocking our car in). There is one car in particular who\'s owners just don\'t seem to give a damn about where they leave it. To make matters worse they have 2 cars down there, which is unfair when there aren\'t enough spaces for each houeshold to have one. Having just returned from holiday, we see some new people have moved in and decided to keep a bl**dy great commercial van down there. It is constantly \'dumped\' in a non-designated area and this morning it was totally blocking the entrance/exit to the residents car park. My boyfriend had to ask them to move it, the owner tried to make and joke of it and then tried to argue that you \'could get a bus through there\'. You couldn\'t. You couldn\'t even get a bicycle. My boyfriend was then late for work... not acceptable. I\'m at the end of my tether, I want to cry. I wish to God we\'d never moved to this place because I\'ve never come across such a selfish bunch of people. Fag butts on the lawn, beer cans/bottles in the bushes. It\'s a lovely block of brand new flats and they\'re ruining it. We\'ve worked so hard to afford to live there and it\'s just horrible. The housing assosciation have said they will \'write a letter\' to the residents. Forgive

[andy-hughes]

This is a common situation, and the same rule applies here as everywhere else - start being nice, then you have 'nasty' to go to - if you start a war of attrition, then you will lose every time.

Start with a polite note on the windscreen - 'Please park with courtesy for the benefit of all residents' - nice and friendly, non-specific, non threatening, will hopefully work.

If not, a polite word at the door, do not get into an arguemtn, remember, never upset someone who'se co-operation you need.

If these matters fail, look at your legal rights as a part-owner - do you actually own rights to a parking space? If so, you can engage a solicitor to send letters advising that you are going to embark on legal enforcement of your parking rights.

Good luck.

[4getmenot]

I kinda have same problem at back of my flats. But there is enough spaces thing is the owners of thebrestauranmt I;m above have 3 cars in there sometimes and theres only 5 spaces. Just park across front of them and say well you couldnt get in space. After a while of keeping coming to ask you they will soon get fed up and park elsewhere. Play them at their own game.