Do your neighbors often park their cars in front of your house or driveway? Are you fed up thinking about how to stop someone from parking in front of your house? Do you want to take legal action against them? If the answer to all the above questions is a yes, you need to read this entire article.
We have all been in such situations in life where we had to deal with problems with people familiar to us; in this case, it’s our neighbors!
And freaking out thinking about how to stop someone parking in front of your house is almost a daily routine because it is not always that you can fight with them or keep a tab at them while they park their cars in front of your house.
However, there are certain ways through which you can ask them not to, or you can also try taking legal actions against them if matters go out of your hand.
But in the midst of all these, it is necessary to know what to do if someone is blocking your driveway and how to stop neighbors from parking in front of your house in the best way possible, without hurting them or causing them any trouble.
So, let us not waste any more time and head straight to the following sections to get a detailed idea about how to stop people from parking in front of your house in the most acceptable manner and learn all the other relevant details of the same.
Is It Illegal to Park in Front of Someone’s House?
The answer to the question “Is parking in front of someone’s house illegal?” cannot be given in a word! You need to understand some basics before coming to a conclusion. While the direct answer might be a No, there are certain aspects that can make it a Yes sometimes.
If the car owner parks in front of your house, which is a public place, they do no offense. It means that if it is a public area, anybody can use it to park their cars without obstructing public movement for that matter.
So, you might be thinking, can people park in front of your house if you own the place?
Well, in that case, it is an absolute No! It is because the place is yours, and no one has the right to use it without your permission. So, you can take legal action against them as suited in such a case.
But it is still annoying if someone parks their car in front of your house for a prolonged period, even if it is a public place. In that case, you must know how to stop someone from parking in front of your house.
You should check for the owner, and if you do not know, you might call the police as the vehicle can also be stolen. If a car whose owner is not known to you is parked for more than 72 hours and blocks the pathway for the common people, it can be towed away, too, with the help of the police or local authorities.
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How to Stop Someone from Parking in Front of Your House
It is evident that if you have come to this page, it is because someone has been parking their car in front of your house regularly. While you must be thinking of taking legal action or looking for other ways to solve the problem, here we present some of the most effective, helpful, and best ways to stop someone from parking in front of your house.
So, without any further ado, let’s find out what to do if someone keeps blocking your driveway and how to stop your neighbors from parking in front of your house. Here we go:
Leave a Polite Note on Their Windshield
This is surely one of the best ideas you can rely on if you want to know how to stop someone from parking in front of your house! Politeness almost never disappoints us and when it’s about our neighbors, being polite is something that can solve bigger problems too!
If you are not able to meet the car owner in person due to time constraints or any other reason, you can leave a note on their car’s windshield with a polite tone. You can explain in the note that parking their cars in front of your house blocks your pathway and affects your movement.
You can also leave your number or any other contact details and ask them to call you up to discuss the matter in detail about what is ruling them from parking their cars in front of your house.
The universe runs on politeness, and when you feel why the neighbor keeps parking in front of your house or what you should do to stop them, follow the formula of politeness to get the best outcome. And if this at all doesn’t work, you have several other ways to rely on. Check out the other solutions mentioned below.
Talk to the Person
Thinking about how to stop someone from parking in front of your house? Well, try the talking method! If pasting a polite note on the car’s windshield doesn’t appear to draw the required results, the next step that you should take is to talk to the car owner in person!
Most of the times, out of courtesy, people listen to you if you ask them to do anything in person. Look for a day off when both you and your neighbor have some time to spare. Visit their house or meet them outside when they are out for a walk or for grocery shopping.
Talk to them and discuss the problems you are facing because of their parked cars in front of your house. Let them know how they can help you by moving their cars to someplace else.
It’s better to sort out the parking issues with neighbors through peaceful dialogue rather than arguing with them or warning them to take legal repercussions against their actions. If at all, they do not oblige to your requests or understand your concern, you can resort to the other options mentioned next.
Put Up Warning Signs or Traffic Cones
Are you still wondering how to stop neighbors from parking in front of your house? Putting up a warning sign or traffic cone in front of your house is one of the finest ways to get through this.
Sometimes, people think that when there is a “No Parking” sign in front of any private property, they abide by the rule of following it. It is the same for most of us.
We all must have also been through such instances in life when we have seen a No Parking sign in front of any property, and we have not parked our cars in that place. And this formula works around the globe too!
When people see a no parking sign, they hesitate to park. If you are putting up the sign, you need to be specific about certain things. You need to make it loud and clear that you are not allowing any vehicle to be parked in front of your house.
Please choose the font and design wisely and make it visible from all corners so that people from any direction easily notice the sign. If you are worried about how to stop someone from parking outside your house, hopefully, this formula shall work in your favor!
Spray Paint Your Driveway
Have you often thought to yourself; why someone keeps parking in front of my house, and how will I ever stop it? It is normal to think of that as most people have faced these issues at least once a while!
Sometimes, things can be solved verbally, while sometimes, you have to take stricter actions to stop them from parking their cars in front of your house. Beyond this, you can also resort to creative means of stopping your neighbors from parking in front of your house.
Yes, you can pick up spray and color and paint the driveway to mark the parking space in it. You can also enhance the street lines so that there is room for more parking and the neighbors can park their cars at a place away from your house.
If you still feel uncertain about how to keep neighbors from parking in front of your house, you can also visit the local parking authorities and ask for their help to do the painting job so that you do not have to take up the task on your own. This will solve your problem easily and will not create any conflict between you and your neighbor as well.
Install Security Cameras
Have you thought to yourself of late, why is a car parked in front of my house for days? Does the owner have some wrong motives? If yes, you must know who has done that and how to get rid of the parked car in front of your house. And the best way to do that is to install CCTV cameras in front of your house.
Not only in your driveway or the road leading to your house, but you must also install CCTV cameras all-around your house to check who all are parking their cars around your house. When you have security cameras around your house, it will also help you get knowledge about any criminal activities taking place around your house.
In addition to that, if you do not know who the car belongs to, you can identify the person who left the car by checking the CCTV camera images. It is more like surveillance to know the car owner and prevent any mishappenings in the future.
This way, if you think an unknown car is parked in front of your house, you can easily identify the owner!
Park There First (If Possible)
Wondering how to keep neighbors off your driveway? Well, this is a practical solution you can look out for! Have you heard about the “first come first serve” quote in several sectors of life?
Be it a line for application for your visa or taking your vaccination, the one that comes first grabs the chance of getting the services first. Likewise, when you park your car first in front of your house, there’s no place left for others, or your neighbors to be precise, to park their cars in the same place.
Sometimes things become complicated when you have a good relationship with your neighbor or if you are too shy to tell them that they are causing trouble to you by parking their cars in front of your house.
In such cases, this formula works. You can park your car in front of your house whenever possible so that others do not occupy the place. On top of that, if the area in front of your house is not public and you own the land, then there is nothing to worry about!
The moment you park your car in the place, no one else would be able to ask you to remove it or free the space for parking their cars! Thus, if you think of what to do if someone parks in your driveway, consider parking there first!
Apply for Resident-Parking Only
Have you ever thought to yourself; how to report a car blocking my driveway? You must have! You can do that when you apply for resident parking only permission and acquire it for the front place of your house.
The resident parking only permission is given to residents of certain apartments or houses, and beyond them, no one else can park their vehicles on the acquired permissible land. It also works for people who reside in a particular area and has acquired permission for resident parking in that area. So, people who don’t reside in that town or area would not be able to park their cars in that area.
Though it mostly fits people from outside of the town and has minimal effect on your neighbors parking their cars in front of your house, what you can do is choose a designated parking space that will only be used by you and none else!
This will save you from a lot of trouble, and you will know how to stop cars parking outside your house in the best way possible!
Contact the Authorities
If you are still wondering how to get people to stop parking in front of your house, you can consider this last solution worthy of consideration! When you have applied all the given methods to stop your neighbor from parking their cars in front of your house, the last solution that you can resort to is contacting the authorities.
Be it the apartment you live on or the street you reside on, there must be some local authorities who look up matters that are beyond your personal interests. You can reach out to them for help against people and situations that are no longer in your control.
In worst cases, you can also call the local police or local towing company to move the vehicle parked illegally in front of your house and causes hindrance in your movement.
It is better to contact the local authorities in situations where you feel that your approach to the neighbor can create a quarrel and cause harm to both parties. Thus, if you were wondering who to call when someone blocks your driveway, call the local authorities or the police for help!
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Is It Legal to Put a No Parking Sign Outside Your House?
If you have been facing issues of your neighbor’s car parking in front of your home very frequently, you must have questioned yourself whether or not can you put a no parking sign in front of your house, isn’t it?
In short, you can obviously put up a no parking sign in front of your house to prevent people from parking in front of your car. But that is only out of courtesy that they will follow the signs, and it will work. It is because there is no such law that prevents any person from parking in front of your house or any area for that matter by putting up just the no parking sign!
So, if you ask, is it legal to put a no parking sign outside your house, the answer is, of course, a Yes! But how effective it would be, depends on how grueling nature your neighbor has.
Sometimes, there can be various repercussions to this action if you do not do it properly. Like if you use offensive words or signs to put up the no parking board, it may trigger legal actions against you only. Meanwhile, if the land in front of your house is public and someone puts up their vehicles in front of it, there is the least minimum that you can do to stop them!
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Can You Have a Car Towed for Parking in Front of Your House?
If a car has long been in front of your house, you must have thought; Can I have a car towed from in front of my house? You can, but there are certain instructions that you need to follow before towing the car from in front of your house.
You have to be sure you follow the rules first before ensuring that the person parking the car is breaking the rule. So, how long can a car be parked on a residential street?
If the car has been there for more than 72 hours and you do not know who the owner is, you can tow away the car by either calling a towing company or the police.
If you know the owner, it is better to call the towing company to do the towing process. On the other hand, if you are thinking about what to do if someone parks in your driveway when you own it, in that case, also you have to wait for 72 hours to start the process of towing the car.
Sometimes a parked car can block public communication and create a hindrance to the free movement of people, and thus you can also tow such vehicles even if it is parked in a public place. So, now you know who to call when someone blocks your driveway, right?
How to Stop Neighbors from Parking in Front of Your House
It is a very annoying experience when people park their cars in front of your house. And what is more irritating is when the people are your neighbors, and they do it repeatedly even after asking them not to do so! In such instances, you would wonder how to stop neighbors from parking in front of your house in the best ways possible.
In this article, we have discussed a lot on this issue and we have come to some feasible solutions too! But it is not always that you are capable of following all the given solutions to prevent the parking issues with neighbors.
And thus, I have shortlisted a few among the given solutions to be proactively effective in dealing with such problems. Here are my suggestions
- Talk to the Person (Because every problem can be solved by dialogue).
- Install Security Cameras (To identify the actual troublemaker).
- Contact the Authorities (Best to let the people in power handle the problem).
If I see a car parked in front of my house, I would resort to these few options to keep them away from doing so repeatedly! However, all the other solutions mentioned above are trustworthy and effective and shall help you deal with the matter generously. You must choose the ones that best suit you!
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