Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Clive McDonald on April 09, 2009, 08:01:36 pm
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I live on a housing estate and know that by rights i shouldn't park my van on the drive, covenants enforceable by the developer are there to stop vans, especially sign written ones, and caravans etc, from being parked there.
Most estates have this, and it stems mainly from when the builder is first trying to sell the houses and wants to keep the place classy at least untill he has scarpered.
Anyway, quite a few have vans on my estate, and no one complains. I have two, ones a ducato, and the others a scudo.The scudo has full slumpbuster livery.
What i'm asking you fellas is, i'm thinking of getting another. Is three vans too many? And would my so far perfectly reasonable neighbours have every right to complain?
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i guess you have a car or 2 aswell ?? ?
if you lived next to me, i wouldnt be too happy with 3 vans and 1 or 2 cars
people on my estate have been told to park vans away from the estate
to be honest the covenant is for a reason, so stop the estate looking like a gypo site
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Never took you for a snob Matt. in addition we have a little chevrolet/vauxhall aveo that was made in korea.
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i personally wouldnt have moved somewhere that tells me what i can and cant park on MY driveway, its mines, i paid for it, if you have somewhere to put the van then go ahead and buy it, if someone complains then move it, if not dont worry about it
and anyway, even if you dont move if off the drive, what can they do?
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Covenants cover such things as not being able to put a wall at the front of your garden- as an estate might be, and often is open plan. In the small print hardly any estate allows a caravan or a van, but in practice people rarely complain.
You must have seen a caravan before that blocks the next door neighbours window?
I just wondered what you all thought was acceptable.
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You must have seen a caravan before that blocks the next door neighbours window?
they deal with it in different ways in the kind of estates that ive lived on
personally i wouldnt bother, but im not in any way shape or form snobby, so it really depends on what the area and your neighbours are like, way i see it is your van is your bread and butter and i wouldnt ask anyone to park it that far out of their site
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Clive why not ask your neighbours, I'm sure they're all quite friendly on the Chatsworth Estate ;D
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If the neighbours complain, replace the vans with an artic ;D
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Can't the employee drive it home - or will he live with you?
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If they complain park it on the road outside their house. I was told by someone from the council that as long as the van is taxed and legal you can park it anywhere on the road side but not on the drive.
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If they complain,buy a drum kit, get a pit-bull and let it c**p on their lawns,washing line in front garden, paint your house turquoise, settee on the lawn,plaster the whole house in xmas lights and turn them on all night all year round and get a Harley and rev it up at 5 in the morning. They'll soon ask you to get the van back.
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If they complain,buy a drum kit, get a pit-bull and let it c**p on their lawns,washing line in front garden, paint your house turquoise, settee on the lawn,plaster the whole house in xmas lights and turn them on all night all year round and get a Harley and rev it up at 5 in the morning. They'll soon ask you to get the van back.
lol ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I like it Luther, i used to live somewhere like that, but dont forget the homemade beer table in the front garden made of old bakery boards and a B&Q plastic cement mixing bucket to chuck ya cans in...lol
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Never took you for a snob Matt. in addition we have a little chevrolet/vauxhall aveo that was made in korea.
working class snob, thats me ;)
on a serious note, just like to live somewhere nice and if you treat your neighbors as you would like to be treated, this world would be a better place
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Matt i agree, but you wouldnt argue with my old neighbours mate, I,m up for all that nice stuff but half of them had a pig in the corner of their house to use as an air freshener!
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If they complain park it on the road outside their house. I was told by someone from the council that as long as the van is taxed and legal you can park it anywhere on the road side but not on the drive
Thats correct mate! i know a roofing company with about 5 vans and they used to park them on his drive was a big house! person over the road complained a idiot and council said the same. There no problems on the road as long as taxed and insured can complain all they like then.
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I wouldn't appreciate my neighbour having 3 vans on the drive at all. Way to much. Nothing to do with snobbishness.
Just my $0.02's.
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I wouldn't appreciate my neighbour having 3 vans on the drive at all. Way to much. Nothing to do with snobbishness.
Just my $0.02's.
would you prefer it if he parked them outside on the road right outside your house everyday?
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I live on a housing estate and know that by rights i shouldn't park my van on the drive, covenants enforceable by the developer are there to stop vans, especially sign written ones, and caravans etc, from being parked there.
Most estates have this, and it stems mainly from when the builder is first trying to sell the houses and wants to keep the place classy at least untill he has scarpered.
Anyway, quite a few have vans on my estate, and no one complains. I have two, ones a ducato, and the others a scudo.The scudo has full slumpbuster livery.
What i'm asking you fellas is, i'm thinking of getting another. Is three vans too many? And would my so far perfectly reasonable neighbours have every right to complain?
what would the parking be like if everyone had 4 vehicles outside their house ???
but well done for being in a position where you have that kind of problem ;D
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I've not heard of this 'vans not being allowed on a drive' before, but if someone complained, you could park it on the road, as long as it's taxed/insured/MOT'd and not blocking a drive, then I can't see that being a problem.
On the street behind me, the people there actually own the ROAD area to the middle of the road outside their houses; although the council does maintain them.
Why? because these used to be army married quarters and when some of them were to be sold off, the 'army' didn't want squaddies parking their cars all over the place; they wanted them parked in a designated protected area because there was a threat from the IRA at the time.
So when they sold them on, they sold the road too; so the house owners could 'shift' any squaddie's car on if they parked outside their house.
It causes all sorts of problems and arguements with 'visitors' to the area not knowing and parking on what looks like a street, but is actually private property ;D
Not for me though; I've loads of parking.
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Probably also find in the covernent that you are NOT permitted to run a business from your home either so if someone grassed you up you could be in trouble with the council for running a business from a residential property (self employed, one man bands are classed as working FROM home and not of running a business)
Just think yourself lucky you don't live in Bradley Stoke in Bristol as part of their covernant states that you are not permitted to hang out the laundry nor to have sign written vans parked overnight outside your property. Thats ANY van, not just one belonging to you.
Personally I would say let the staff take a van home as it will stop the estate looking like an industrial estate.....
Regards
Mr H
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Probably also find in the covernent that you are NOT permitted to run a business from your home either so if someone grassed you up you could be in trouble with the council for running a business from a residential property (self employed, one man bands are classed as working FROM home and not of running a business)
Just think yourself lucky you don't live in Bradley Stoke in Bristol as part of their covernant states that you are not permitted to hang out the laundry nor to have sign written vans parked overnight outside your property. Thats ANY van, not just one belonging to you.
Personally I would say let the staff take a van home as it will stop the estate looking like an industrial estate.....
Regards
Mr H
I think the "running a business from home" law/covenant means if you have customers visiting your house.....
not a self employed man running his business from there..
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One of my neighbours who hasn't worked for four years has damaged cars delivered and spends his days fitting new wings etc. He had seven cars on his drive and roadside last week ::)
Might get my dialling finger warmed up.
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I think 3 vans and whatever cars you have would be too much. Though i wouldn't complain to anyone.
I would put a tracker in the van and let the best employee take it home.
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just be careful if you do let employee take van home, 'cause it might get you into company car territroy if you do that.
I'm sure one of the many experts will know more about it ;D
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If they complain,buy a drum kit, get a pit-bull and let it c**p on their lawns,washing line in front garden, paint your house turquoise, settee on the lawn,plaster the whole house in xmas lights and turn them on all night all year round and get a Harley and rev it up at 5 in the morning. They'll soon ask you to get the van back.
Live near me do you by any chance??????? ::)
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I park 3 vans in the street, the neighbours really love me, in fact on of them has taken a vow of silence and wont speak to me.
One of them even phoned me up to say i was taking a Liberty washing one of my vans outside his house.
Another even left a kind note on my winscreen to inform me that , it says on his deeds he cant have a commercial vehicle parked in front of his house.
A few of them even huddle in groups and whisper, and go quiet as i walk by and say hi.
Such a lovely street to live on
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they are going to make our road permit parking imagine that.
its allready ilegale to drive down the road unless you live here.
point is theres two or three roads like this allready in the town wheres sh
stuff like this going to end.
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It seems its always best to park on a drive.
I was rudely woken this morning by this...........
(http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2009Q1/DSCF0489_1.jpg)
(http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2009Q1/DSCF0487.jpg)
(http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2009Q1/DSCF0488.jpg)
(http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2009Q1/DSCF0490_1.jpg)
(http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2009Q1/DSCF0491.jpg)
(http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2009Q1/DSCF0492_1.jpg)
My van was unscathed as you can see. The Ford Ka was my Mums, which we took ownership of when she died last year.
This old boy was coming down the road, reckons he had an appointment at the hospital at 10.15 for his eyes. Ironic what!!
So the cars a write-off without a doubt, but Im glad I didnt leave the van on the road, it could have neded up like the Ka.
The old boys didnt sound good when they dragged it onto the back of the recovery truck, some damage underneath by the sounds of it as well the externals.
Witness reckoned the Ka left the ground, it moved 30' anyway.
Matt
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At least your wheely bin looks ok
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At least your wheely bin looks ok
;D ;D
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It must be a day for accidents my daughter went to work this morning at 6 am and hit a parked car just up to road from me she only drove about 50 yards.
Her little 1994 peugeot 106 had to have a new front wing and new bumper, new headlight and new indicator and a plate rewelding on under the wing.
The car she hit was a 06 ford focus which just folded up she hit the front corner on the drivers side and it just caved in and also rippled the door frame so drivers door won't open.
I hope she pays more attention from now on.
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Clive, I always got the impression you were a sole trader. Why do you need 3 vans?
One family in our close has 4 cars and only park one on the drive. This is a pain as it takes up a lot of the limited parking space in the cul de sac (only 2 members of their family drive).
Personally if you run a business from home I don't think having a lot of vehicles parked outside your house is considerate to the neighbours. Let your employees park them outside their house.
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At least your wheely bin looks ok
PMSL!!!
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At least your wheely bin looks ok
I was going to say it must be a window cleaner's car because it went for the wheelie bin but then I read the other posts :) .
Just enough to be thankful that no-one was hurt I suppose.
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I was asking for your opinions because i respect them, and three vans on my drive or around my house may be asking for trouble. A lot of my neighbours have businesses themselves and are fairly tolerant, and so i probably shouldn't abuse that. Dave surprised me; i remember him posting that his back garden was full of piles of spent resin.Again, not trying to sound better than anybody else, but i have obscured my ibc with a garden screen, so a visitor would never see it. I admire his strenght of character but in my case i would get it in the neck off the wife. If the neighbours were whispering about us i would have to lose a van or two.The legal situation is that covenants are enforceable by the original developer. So in my case a somplaint would have to be made to david wilson homes and they would have to instruct a solicitor. A lot of biulders can't be bothered with something they did 15yrs ago, or have since gone bust, so to that degree these covenants may be unenforceable.
I am a sole trader but thinking of employing when i get back from egypt. I use a scudo for window cleaning, 650l + reel+ bottle, so with two men the weight might be a problem. I do get through 600l on my own in 6hrs, so two of us would use more. I can fill up from home but there is a time issue.
The easy answer would be to junk the scudo and go bigger. It cost 8k two years ago. I imagine all the water bits apart from maybe the tank would be reusable.But it is such a brilliant van and money machine that i don't want too.
The other van is for market trading and during the day it stays at home empty.This van could be used if i could figure a way of loading full wfp kit on and off it every day.
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builders often pass them covenants onto the local councils after a set time, i know some1 on my estate complained to the builders only to be told " we have finished on site now, its for your council to deal with "
they did, and the caravan had to be moved
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Another option could be go even bigger- movano- and leave wfp kit plus stock on, and then come home mnus stock and use van. assuming the total load was 2000kg would the van take this?
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Hi Clive, you must have a high flow rate to use 600l in 6 hours. Do you use a flow controller or on/off valve on hose/pole?
As you use a hot system I would have thought this might cut down the amount of water you use.
Business must be going well though if you are looking to expand. Would think you would lose some efficiency with 2 working from same van. Good luck. Let us know how things go.
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The flow is high because of the heater- which is bad- because of this heavy flow i can work very fast indeed and almost never get any faults or complaints- which is good-
I sometimes feel a bit guilty about the speed and the rates i hit, but when you're good, you're good. I also have an electric reel which helps.My little scudo has to be the black pearl of the window cleaning world and scorches it's way through a premium priced george list like you've never seen. (thats why i want to keep it)
I'm less confident about employing though, but i don't see why i should have to do all of the work all of the time.I've put a lot of thought into creating the kudos that makes the customers seek me out instead of someone else and if i can maintain that as i grow without the quality dropping i'll be happy.
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Do you use hot water on all/most of your work?