[Soupy]

You should tell him to become a rug muncher or pressure washer. At least then people won't point and laugh at him.

His neighbour probably thinks having a window licker on the street lowers the tone, rightly so.

[Pete Thompson]

Newer estates all have Restrictive Covenenats that usually prohibit using your house for business, parkeing commercial vehicles etc.  There is one on my own house.

I asked the solicitor about it, and he enquired of the builder.  The builder (a big house building co) said no flexibility whatsoever.  They are legally enforcable as they are written into the deeds and have nothing to do with the mortgage.

In practice however, from what I've seen these covenants are widely ignored!  I always keep my van tucked away in the garage (which is still breaking the covenant actually) but I can see at least 4 or 5 vans on drives just on my estate.

The only time this will cause a problem is if you really take the mick (like parking a 16 wheeler outside or running a shop out of your garage etc) and then even reasonable neighbors will probably complain.

Or if, as you have seen, you just get a nightmare neighbor who is determined to cause trouble.

Problem is, they do have the law on their side, and you can be forced to comply with the covenant.  If it happened to me, I would rent a commercial unit, but so far I have been lucky not have idiot neighbours.

I agree with what's been said, it's better to try to smooth things out with a neighbor, because you basically don't have a leg to stand on.

[dazmond]

surely he can do whatever he likes on his own property!

i would also tell him to mind his own business!!

if he s just purifying water at home and filling his tank up in the van every evening and a bit of admin from the comfort of his sofa/desk he cant do anything.

what has it got to do with him anyway?

some people need a slap IMO.

[Dave Willis]

No he can't if he lives on a modern estate. They all have rules set in place particularly if the estate is still under construction. No caravans, no hedges above a certain height, no walls to be built etc etc. Sign written vans are not permitted either.

Generally after a few years the rules become ignored/relaxed. Somone wanted to rent a property on my estate a fewyears ago  but couldn't because of his sign written van.

I've got away with it so far (three years) but the neighbours would be well within their rights to complain. Just depends how long the covenant is set for.

[Soupy]

That's all conjecture. No one has said whether or not there are covenants or burdens in place.

[dazmond]

who makes these rules?unbelievable!

how an earth are you supposed to earn a living if you cant have a sign written van on your OWN drive used to make money to pay your rent/morgage?

the worlds gone mad!!

[Soupy]

Not really a new thing. I thought it was a throw back to a bygone era, where farmers would sell off buildings but stipulate that the owner could not use the building as it was initially intended, thereby effectively setting up in competition.

I am surprised to hear that newer estates put these clauses in to be honest. Surely cutting potential buyers out of the equation is a bad idea? I could understand if they wanted to drive the prices up in an affluent area that stipulating 'no sign written vans' may put the price of each house up a bit, but on a normal 3 bed semi type estate this seems idiotic.

The OP is in Scotland, as far as I'm aware the rules for such things are slightly different up here. Best speak to a solicitor I reckon....

[Soupy]

.....or just quit.

Much easier.

[Perfect Windows]

Our deeds (house built in 1922) have a covenant written into them that says we cannot have a fairground ride on our land.  It made me wonder whether to buy the house.

Vin

[Perfect Windows]

who makes these rules?unbelievable!

how an earth are you supposed to earn a living if you cant have a sign written van on your OWN drive used to make money to pay your rent/morgage?

the worlds gone mad!!

It's not a case of "rules".  It's a matter of what you agree to when you buy your house.  If you buy a house, you accept the terms of the deeds.  And a covenant like that increases the value of houses, which is why they are put in.  Like it or not, people will pay more for a house where they think they aren't going to have vans strewn around their lovely estate.  So builders put the clauses in, people buy the house for a little more and everyone's happy.  

If you don't read your deeds, it's not your neighbour's fault.  They can't be applied retrospectively, so it's up to you to check when you buy.

Vin

[Johnny B]

I rent my house (bungalow) privately, it's in a quiet cul-de-sac. I have no garage, so I leave my van (plain white Fiesta with ladders on top) outside on the kerb, while my wife's car is on the driveway.

Chap across the road works for a building firm and parks his Connect van similarly to me. I am unaware if there are any rules or regulations in my locality, but it's never caused any problems here.

John 

[Dave Willis]

as I said it's the newer estates. Can't keep chickens either or any livestock.

[Pete Thompson]

In fairness, I am actually quite glad about some of the restrictive covenants, as they do make the neighbourhood nicer. For example you're not allowed to park a caravan on the property, and IMO that's a good thing as they make the place look scruffy. Also, you are not allowed to keep animals other than small domestic pets.

This is a good thing, as anyone whose ever lived next to chickens will know!

Some neighbors of my wife's parents started repairing motorbikes out of their garage, and very quickly that became a major nuisance. It's good to know that if that happened here.

[DaveG]

Park on the road. That's owned by the council.....

[Johnny B]

Park on the road. That's owned by the council.....

... True. However, our road is too narrow to avoid parking on the kerb. We are next to the end, and always leave enough room for any pedestrians to get through on the pavement.

As I said, it has not been an issue, and doesn't look as if it is about to become one.

John

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

Aslong as he is declaring his income and paying his taxes, whether he's trading as a sole trader or limited company, he can do whatever he likes from his home and it's got absolutely nothing to do with his neighbour.

depends on where he lives and the by laws in place you wait until a council gets in mits in to you like they did with use when we had 5 vans parked in the street let a lone whats wrote in the deeds if he lives in a new house as some bluiders like bellway have in small print that no vans are to be parked on drives along with caravans ect ect ,

but heres a tip like what we used to stop a court case in its tracks if all comes on top , don't claim for any bills on the tax then hes classed as not trading FROM HOME  because hes tradeing from the rear of the van job done 

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

also if they start about vans being parked on new estates cut out two side window , in the middle of the van , you can get your sign writer to fully sign over the window so it looks like a van still so no worries there

fit in one rear seat then change it class from a com.  van to a car diverted van or a people carrier then its court case over again remember where rules  you can always get round them