My neighbour threatened to slash my tyres & key my car if I park outside his home

A FRUSTRATED resident has shared how his neighbour threaten to slash his tyres and key his car if he parked outside his home again.

While parking in front of your home might be ideal, it does not always happen- here are your rights explained.

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Posting on Reddit, the 18-year-old man explained that there are no reserved parking spots and it’s “a first come first served kind of deal.”

After working late one night, the Redditor said he parked in a large spot in front of his neighbour’s house.

He said his neighbour’s 28-year-old son came out to complain, saying he parks there every day and is taking two spaces.

The man said he obliged and moved his car to create more space- only to be greeted by the 28-year-old’s mum who also complained that he parked in front of the house every night.

The Redditor said that it was then that her son threatened to damage his car.

He wrote: “I then explain that it’s not my problem and that people park outside my house too and I just deal with it because there are no parking rules…

“to which her son threatens me by saying that if I continue to park there that my tyres will get slashed and my car will get keyed by ‘someone’ to which a pal who was with me just said that he was a fully grown man and needed to get a grip and walked away.”

Unless you have a designated parking space, it’s “not your right” to park in front of your home.

You might be lucky if you have nice neighbours who will leave the space for you but it’s no legal requirement.

Leaving anything on the road in a bid to “save your space” is against the law.

Provided your street isn’t governed by residents’ parking permits, any member of the public can park there – as long as they are complying with restrictions and not causing obstructions.

A strange legal loophole means anyone can park on your driveway – and there’s not much you can do about it.

In the instance of a stranger parking on your driveway, an issue arises when the line between criminal and civil law is blurred.

If a car is parked on a public road and it’s blocking your driveway, local authorities certainly have the power to issue a fine.

But once the car moves onto your drive, it’s technically on private property – and local councils have no jurisdiction.

Councils are required to remove abandoned cars from both public and private property, but if the motor in question is taxed, insured, has a valid MOT and isn’t in a dangerous condition, they are unlikely to touch it on private land.

Police will acknowledge the car is technically trespassing, but they will classify it as a civil offence, dropping it far down their priority list and meaning you would need an eviction notice from the courts.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “In a bizarre way, the system seems to favour the offender over the victim in this case.

“Because the offence of trespass is a civil matter the police cannot get involved, and as the vehicle is on private land the council cannot help either.

“So the only options available to homeowners seeking to get back what is rightfully theirs, costs both time and money.”