[Darranvps]

Neighbours! Who needs them?
After moving back from Bulgaria in February this year. I moved into a nice quiet cul de sac – or so I thought.
I chose the house because it was private and had a decent driveway for my car and van.
The business name was chosen and the van was sign written........
Weeks later complaints from the neighbours started coming via other sources, I finally went round to confront them and asked what the problem was? They said the van was illegally parked blah blah blah. I had a good word with them and they told me that whilst sitting inside their house they could see the van through the window. I invited myself in to take a look – sat down on their sofa as if watching TV and couldn’t see the van. They pointed out that if you lift yourself up, turn your neck at an impossible angle you could see the bit of the van above the driver’s door? I politely asked them to stop moaning about nothing, which they seemed to.
Weeks went by....................

Then on Wednesday night this week a guy from the council came round and politely told me that I would probably have to move my van, I asked him what he meant by probably and he said that they would seek legal advice and sue me. I asked him to check out the local laws etc and he said he would. The next day (yesterday) he phoned me and said they did not have a chance to sue me because there was nothing written on the deeds saying I couldn’t park the van on the driveway. So Victory goes to me so it seems......................

Perhaps I could sue them for weeks and weeks of harassment?

Have any of you had this problem or is it just me who has stuck up snobby neighbours who don’t like living next door to window cleaners, just because they THINK they live in a posh area.

What else is really funny, their son apparently owns a big window cleaning outfit in the locality..............

I guess I need to find out who he is and follow him round and steal his contracts, maybe not fair, after all it is his parents who are at fault, but they are old and I don’t wish to disrespect them directly, even though I should.
 

[darren clarke]

there is a thing with ur council tax,  where if you keep work vans at home and run a business from it, then they can make you apply for a change of use for you property from domestic to commercial and pay more in rates,  but i think you should be ok 

they want you out of the way, so you aint compo for there son,  how high is ur fence as you can put a fence up to the legal height and nothing they can do

we had a problem with our neighbour over a tree that is in the garden, basically she cant be nosey over the street,  she was always moaning about it, we told our landlady who went around and told her to stop moaning or she wouldnt allow here vehicle access across her land to get to her house, only foot access which is all she allow according to the deeds on the estate

[Ian101]

I would buy an old wreck of a car and start doing some long term repairs on it whilst playing heavy metal music very loudly oh and buy a chopper motorbike and join the local M.C.C. telling them you like to have parties every other weekend 

[gto]

could be worse, on the way to a friends house the road is narrow, and there is 2 work vans parked so that you have to slow right down and squeeze from one side of the road to the other to get through. one of them normally has a trailer with a mini digger in as well.

luckily i dont go down there that often, but if i did i would have definatly complained. atleast your is on the drive and its not a vehicle you just happen to bring homw its your business and you van.

go and get a new van in bright yellow, see if they like that better.

[tws]

is it the purple rhino that,s humping your name or were they complaining before the van wrap ?

[cleewindows]

Park it on the road outside there house,aslong as you pay road tax they cant do a thing pal!

Neighbours! Who needs them?
After moving back from Bulgaria in February this year. I moved into a nice quiet cul de sac – or so I thought.
I chose the house because it was private and had a decent driveway for my car and van.
The business name was chosen and the van was sign written........
Weeks later complaints from the neighbours started coming via other sources, I finally went round to confront them and asked what the problem was? They said the van was illegally parked blah blah blah. I had a good word with them and they told me that whilst sitting inside their house they could see the van through the window. I invited myself in to take a look – sat down on their sofa as if watching TV and couldn’t see the van. They pointed out that if you lift yourself up, turn your neck at an impossible angle you could see the bit of the van above the driver’s door? I politely asked them to stop moaning about nothing, which they seemed to.
Weeks went by....................

Then on Wednesday night this week a guy from the council came round and politely told me that I would probably have to move my van, I asked him what he meant by probably and he said that they would seek legal advice and sue me. I asked him to check out the local laws etc and he said he would. The next day (yesterday) he phoned me and said they did not have a chance to sue me because there was nothing written on the deeds saying I couldn’t park the van on the driveway. So Victory goes to me so it seems......................

Perhaps I could sue them for weeks and weeks of harassment?

Have any of you had this problem or is it just me who has stuck up snobby neighbours who don’t like living next door to window cleaners, just because they THINK they live in a posh area.

What else is really funny, their son apparently owns a big window cleaning outfit in the locality..............

I guess I need to find out who he is and follow him round and steal his contracts, maybe not fair, after all it is his parents who are at fault, but they are old and I don’t wish to disrespect them directly, even though I should.
 

[P @ F]

Good job my neighbours like me then , thats where the vans stay , council would have a field day with me !
Mind you i reckon i just got chuckled at a bit 5 mins ago , it was lashing down and the grass cutters turned up , im now a tad wet !

 Rich

[DaveG]

If there was any laws about parking vans on drives/roads they would have a field day around here! Just in our cul de sac there are 4..... As long as youre legal there is nothing they can do about it . I would park your van on the road (outside their house maybe??) as long as it taxed!!

As far as running a business from home, that only applies to businesses that have customers visiting their house, not leaving your house every day to go to work!!

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

Sometimes on the deeds of the house there will be a clause to say that you can't park a works van on the property.  This is to try to keep up the appearance of the estate, however looks like you are in the clear.  Sounds like you have a case of parents trying to protect the business interests of their son.  I would just be pleasant but ignore them in this regard.

Simon.

[prestige cleaners]

some people eh! if their son is such an established wc, why are they worrying? i think i would give them 2 weeks of harrasment to pay them back, as mentioned earlier, park outside their house for 2 weeks. 

[craig mcneil]

Park it on the road outside there house,aslong as you pay road tax they cant do a thing pal!

Yup. I remember someone else having a similar problem and the council told him that he could park on the main road outside his house and there would be no issue.

[lyndy]

I've got this problem right now,the house sent me a letter saying I was in breach of coventant by parking my van on driveway,the coventant says a light delivery van is ok,I told the builder to get stuffed as my van is an expert,I'm waiting to see if he takes me to court

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

canvass the street mate that will p em off cheap prices for local custies looks like competition with the neighbours son

[Paul Coleman]

I hope not. I do a few around there. :-)

[Darranvps]

I hope not. I do a few around there. :-)

I've already passed you one on round here

I think their son has a very reasonably sized commercial window cleaning company within the South East area, we will be watching!

[gewindows]

I would buy an old wreck of a car and start doing some long term repairs on it whilst playing heavy metal music very loudly oh and buy a chopper motorbike and join the local M.C.C. telling them you like to have parties every other weekend 

Thats my neighbour down to a tee.

He's had 4 cars in the last 6 months, each with an exhaust the size of a dustbin on it. He spends hours working on them, probably trying to make them louder.

I said to my missus I dont know why he doesnt just buy a car that works; save all the aggro. He's a window cleaner too.

[bobby p]

reminds me of a neighbour i once had ,known as "the tinkerer" , late in the evenings he was Always in his garden shed,with a buzz saw ,grinder,  power tools of every sort were whining as he made his latest project -the bloke just could not stop tinkering,even though his wife and kids were sitting alone in the house . I remember he even changed his house staircase position just for something to do 

[Darranvps]

Thanks for the replies, all appreciated.
I might glue up their car door locks, stick potatoes up their exhaust pipes etc etc

[darren clarke]

darren  who done u van design, u can email me at bmwc@live.com,  so then i can delete this thread

[Paul Coleman]

I hope not. I do a few around there. :-)

I've already passed you one on round here

I think their son has a very reasonably sized commercial window cleaning company within the South East area, we will be watching!

And I thank you for that Darran.
I've not had time to see him yet as I've just got back from holiday but I did phone him to let him know I would arrange to visit after returning.