I Share a Driveway with My Neighbours, But They Think It's Only for Them

The houses have a shared gravel driveway.

A woman is having problems with her new neighbours because they keep blocking her parking spot, even though they share a driveway.

Most people want to get along with their neighbours because it makes life easier. Sometimes, neighbours become friends, but sometimes things can become tense and awkward.

This is what's happening to a woman who shares a gravel driveway with her new neighbours. They started blocking her parking spot and driveway almost as soon as they moved in.

The first time it happened, the woman asked her neighbour to move her car so she could leave. She was polite because her neighbour had a toddler with her.

When the woman asked her neighbour not to block the driveway, her neighbour said, 'This is my driveway.'

The woman didn't want to argue in front of the child, so she left. Now she feels like she needs to ask her neighbours for permission to come and go from her own house.

Her neighbours take a long time to move their cars, and they ignore her when she tries to talk to them. They just give her a mean look.

One night, they had a party and many cars were blocking her driveway. One of the cars belonged to a police officer, and she had to wait 20 minutes for him to move it.

The woman asked for advice on Reddit because she's lived in her house for 20 years and is stressed about the situation her neighbours have caused in just two months.

One Reddit user said, 'It's typical for new neighbours to act like they own the place.'

Another user advised her to get a survey of the property line and put up steel posts to mark the boundary. Then, she could pave her side of the driveway.

The same user wondered why people buy properties with shared driveways, since it often leads to problems with neighbours.

A third user said she should have argued with her neighbours instead of being passive. Now she needs to make it clear that she won't be treated like a doormat.

A fourth user said she should have explained to her neighbours that the driveway is shared, and that she can say it politely without arguing.

The woman's brother, who owns the house she rents, gave her documents that prove the driveway is shared.

Now that she has the documents, she plans to give a copy to her neighbours and warn them that if they block her in again, she'll call a tow truck.

She may need to work with a tow truck company and put up signs to make it clear that she has a right to use the driveway and park on her property.

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