Anyone had trouble parking there motorhome outside their house? (1 Viewer)

JimboT

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Have received a letter from my council as they have had a compliant form local resident about the parking of our Motorhome outside our house on a drive way.
When I first got the van I phoned them and asked they said ok if taxed and Moted.
Only been there 4 years strange!
 

old-mo

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If it`s on your drive and you are not on a new estate or a new house tell them to offsod...

Nothing they can do unless it`s a council owned or housing authority owned property..

Some new estates put a block on caravans/motorhomes and commercial vehicles as it put`s potential buyers orft..

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Aug 18, 2011
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Would think unless there is some clause in property covenent there is not much they can do.Tell the Council you will be giving them a list of White Vans in your locality and you expect them to send the same letter to all of them.If its on your drive it does not need to be taxed mot d or insured by law,,,,BUSBY..
 

big map

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Does your property have a restrictive covenant on it?
 
Jan 11, 2010
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Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
I remember buying a new build house back in 1973 and in the list of rules was that you couldn`t keep Poultry, pigeon or pigs and you couldn`t park a caravan on the driveway.

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JimboT

JimboT

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We own the property but the council own the frontage there are a few issues the letter states large permanent parked vehicle, thought if your van was under 8 meters it was not large and also we use it so not permanently parked.
Have emailed them back for clarifications.
A lot of vans parked locally to us in Welwyn garden City
Jim
 

movan

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I parked mine on the ROAD outside the house for 10 minutes so that I could empty the fridge ... my lovely neighbour across the road phoned the police .. she 'didn't pay her council tax to look out of her window and see a big van'.

The police came straight out .. far more quickly than if there had been a break in .. and told me I could leave it there as long as I wanted .. it wasn't causing any problems and was taxed, insured and mot'd. That was on the road so I would definitely query your complainant.
 
Aug 18, 2011
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Had similar problem years ago when we had a parcel business,,I had a tranny sign written parked on my drive and a couple of our drivers lived further down the road..I told the council i would comply when they stopped all the other vans that were parked in our neighbourhood,,,,,told them i would supply reg nos,,,Never heard from them again..If you are worried contact your local councillor or MP. Don't let the bastards get you down,,,BUSBY,,:D2:D2:D2
 
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I do have a restrictive covenant in my deeds that say I can’t park a large van or caravan on my drive. I do when I’m getting it ready for a trip but the neighbours are fine. However if they did say anything I know that they have a clause in their deeds that says they can’t hang washing out, so I would then complain. Daft innit.

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Sue

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Covenent is the word as @busby say`s..

More likely to be jealously .. :swear2:
I know it is often a right to park a motorhome on your own drive, but, I don't think it's jealousy that makes people complain. Some motorhome are so tightly parked and so near to neighbours drives, Windows etc that it must be very annoying for them. I understand why someone would want to stop that.
I think we all have to think about our neighbours after all we have to live together.
 

Blue Knight

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We have houses that contain upwards of 25 covenants in their titles. These include the size and types of vehicle including white commercial vans, caravans and motorhomes, maximum vehicles being parked etc etc.

That said, I do appreciate that some people don't want a huge white plastic box parked in their street so I can understand their grumbles from a non-MoHo perspective too.
 

gerry mcg

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I would have thought that (in the absence of a restricted Covenant) if it was parked on a private driveway, it doesn't even need to be taxed, MOT'd or insured. Simpley SORN'd
 
Jun 22, 2012
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My plumber happily parks his works van on his drive as do a number of other tradespeople who live on his estate. Built in the 70s . One neighbour parked their caravan overnight for a trip and they had a letter from the council saying they couldn't due to a covenant in the deeds. Privately owned houses with large open drives. He is looking into it as he wants a Motorhome. Lots of conflicting advice. Some say it can only be enforced by the original builder but another solicitor did say that although that might have been true in the past, once you buy the house you have agreed to the covenants so the neighbour could take him to court which would be costly. Seems barmy. There are at least 4 works vans parked there every day. It would be good to know the definitive answer before we downsize house, if there is one of course!
 

MillieMoocher

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The interesting thing with restrictive covenants is enforcibility.

AFIK (was told by a property lawyer) the only person who can enforce a covenant is the pension for whose benefit the original covenant was drawn up, and are not enforcible by any one else.

So commonly on a new housing estate, there will be a covenant that says you can’t park a caravan (for example) on your drive. This is because the developer, who put the covenant on, wants the estate to look as good as it possibly can through the development phase while he’s trying to sell houses. Some people are put off by vans/caravans/Motorhome being up drives etc.

But after the developer has sold the houses and moved to the next estate he’s unlikely to be bothered about enforcing the restrictions. I guess an owner could complain to him, and he might do something but he’s not obliged to.

After a number of years it is of course impossible to find who the covenant was drawn up to protect/assist which just makes the probability of enforcement even less.

However, local bye-laws are an entirely different kettle of fish...

Having said all this, @Sue does make a very good point. We all have to rub along, and I’d hate (for example) my neighbours to put a massive trampoline in their garden right next to my conservatory...but I couldn’t stop them!

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Lenny HB

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Park it on the road, especially if it causes an inconvenience and put a note in window saying you can't leave on your drive. :devil::devil:
Most insurance companies won't cover a Motorhome parked on the road when not in use.

I would have thought that (in the absence of a restricted Covenant) if it was parked on a private driveway, it doesn't even need to be taxed, MOT'd or insured. Simpley SORN'd
He said the frontage was council owned, which he gives the impression is where he is parking.
 
Oct 29, 2008
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I would tell them that its not large, not permanently parked and has been parked in this way for X number of years (not permanently). If there are no covenants tell them, and if their are covenants you can ask them how they can enforce them, which they probably cant as most are with only enforceable by the company which wrote the covenant.
I would also tell them you will park it on the road which will cause more issues. If the council still are not happy I would send a letter round my local neighbors who I think may have complained explaining that you have had a complaint and if the council continues you will have no other option than to park on the street if the van is forced to be moved.
 

movan

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The interesting thing with restrictive covenants is enforcibility.

AFIK (was told by a property lawyer) the only person who can enforce a covenant is the pension for whose benefit the original covenant was drawn up, and are not enforcible by any one else.

So commonly on a new housing estate, there will be a covenant that says you can’t park a caravan (for example) on your drive. This is because the developer, who put the covenant on, wants the estate to look as good as it possibly can through the development phase while he’s trying to sell houses. Some people are put off by vans/caravans/Motorhome being up drives etc.

But after the developer has sold the houses and moved to the next estate he’s unlikely to be bothered about enforcing the restrictions. I guess an owner could complain to him, and he might do something but he’s not obliged to.

After a number of years it is of course impossible to find who the covenant was drawn up to protect/assist which just makes the probability of enforcement even less.

However, local bye-laws are an entirely different kettle of fish...

Having said all this, @Sue does make a very good point. We all have to rub along, and I’d hate (for example) my neighbours to put a massive trampoline in their garden right next to my conservatory...but I couldn’t stop them!

Slight aside ... I once had a gorgeous biker neighbour where I lived. I also had a horrible neighbour (lone woman) who complained about EVERYTHING AND NOTHING. Everyone was walking on egg shells.

One Summer the guy had just had enough when she complained that his kettle whistle annoyed her when she was relaxing in her garden.

He went out. Bought a trampoline and erected it next to her fence. Stripped naked and bounced all afternoon whilst she was in her garden with her other female friends... :)

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PeteH

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When I moved in here, I was given the same information by My solicitor:- QUOTE. "The only people who can enforce any "covenant" inserted by the Builder Developer, IS, the Builder/Developer. The council, can only enforce bye-laws, the Police can only enforce on the grounds of Safety or obstruction of passage on the highway. UNQUOTE. Your neighbour had no more right to have it moved, than you have over their screaming brats. In our case the Builder went into receivership within months of completion of the Estate!, and the company no longer exists.

Maybe you should ask said neighbour if the are going to pay for your secure storage?.:D2
 

maxi77

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There are some people who are allergic to caravans and motorhomes, we lived next door to one, tried to make it difficult for the builders when the drive was extended and in the end we called the police who had a chat with him and he was as quiet as a mouse after that.
 
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As others have said, covenants are to all intents & purposes unenforceable, even if you've got one. Developers are only interested in them keeping motorhomes / vans / caravans off of driveways until they've sold all the houses.

You say the Council owns the frontage, is that were the van is parked? I'd just reply saying that the vehicle is not permanently parked as it is in regular use, it is taxed and MOT'd and is not causing any obstruction. Easy enough to show regular use, the online MOT record records the mileage each year. If it's parked on land you own on your private driveway I can't see any possible grounds for the Council to take action. You must have a neighbour with nothing better to do than write & complain!

Councils can take action against "parked" vehicles on private land that are SORN'd but it has to be extreme cases - we had one in our local paper the other day, a couple with about 20 decrepit vehicles in their garden have had enforcement action taken against them.

We had a neighbour in a previous house years ago, who had the type of house where you'd wipe your feet coming out, they had old sofas and fridges as garden ornaments. They had a totally decrepit VW camper parked on the "driveway" which was actually across a council owned verge so technically a highway, even though it only went to their house. The camper was a total eyesore, broken windows the lot, and had been there for years with nothing being done to it. One of the neighbours got fed up and reported it as being parked unlicensed on a highway and that finally made them get rid of it.

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Oct 29, 2008
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I have a Tw@t opposite my house who complains about all sorts. He has had the sense to not mention my van because he knows I will then park it on the road in front of my house which would mean he wouldn't be able to park outside his house.
 

mike mcglynn

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We had a chap not far from us who collected Jaguars all in various states of repair I counted 22 one day as I passed .All on his front garden !:D

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Aug 26, 2008
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Does your property have a restrictive covenant on it?

It is a common misconception that only the original builder or developer can enforce a restrictive covenant. If you read the summary on this link, you will see that in some cases your neighbour(s) can enforce it. The common situation is the "building scheme" which is basically where the houses are on an estate and all have similar covenants in their title deeds. That also applies to older estates, not just new builds. Even if the original builder no longer exists, the covenants on your property may still be enforceable by the owners of other nearby houses.

A lot depends on the attitude taken by your neighbours towards your MH and whether they are willing to take legal action to enforce the covenant against you. Building good relationships with your neighbours is far better than lawyering-up and fighting them.

If you get complaints about parking your MH on your drive, you really need to get professional advice on your covenants ASAP. Otherwise you could be dragged into a bitter dispute that can quickly end up in court costing you thousands. Even bankrupt you.
 
Mar 16, 2010
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When we were looking for a bungalow here in South Wales we were very interested in a new build we had a conversation with the builder about wether there would be a convenant restricting parking the motorhome on the drive ...he laughed and told us no and as he was going to live in the house that he had built next door he said no problem whatsoever.
 

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