People said they ‘couldn’t imagine’ the level of entitlement and loved how the ‘revenge’ was handled
Having a driveway outside your house can sometimes be a luxury that others take for granted. In some cases, people have taken matters into their own hands when “entitled” people take advantage and park on a driveway that isn’t theirs.
After “months” of battling the issue, one person claims they decided to teach their serial driveway hogger a lesson that won’t be forgotten in a hurry – and shared the act of ‘petty revenge’ on Reddit. Posting on the ‘petty revenge’ forum, the user explained: “My neighbour has been parking in my driveway for months.
“I’ve asked him not to a bunch of times but he always goes ‘it’s just for a sec’ and shrugs it off. Came home last Friday and yep, there he was again. Only thing was, I was heading outta town for the weekend. So, I pulled in behind him, locked up, grabbed my stuff and left.
“A couple of hours later, I had a bunch of missed calls and a text like ‘dude??’, but I didn’t answer it. Hope he had a relaxing weekend to think things through!” People responded in their dozens. One said: “This must be a strange driveway situation, because I couldn’t imagine anyone thinking it’s okay to park their car on someone else’s property and just leave it there!”
Another asked: “Who’s entitled enough to park in other peoples driveway? I feel guilty if I’m even close to a driveway opening when I do a quick street park!” A third commented: “I’m not seeing a problem, if you park in someone else’s driveway (not parking spot) I dont see why you should be upset about anything that happens. You’re technically trespassing.”
More were quick to share their own tales of petty revenge, like someone who shared: “Same happened to me many years ago. I parked my beat-up old pickup truck behind his car. I parked an inch from his bumper, then took off on a two-week holiday. I knew my truck couldn’t be moved without my permission. I knew the cops would not get involved.”
One equally petty commenter suggested: “Text back: ‘Hold on, I’ll just be a minute. ‘” Another put forward: “Text back: ‘Google say I be there in 10’.”
What can you legally do if someone parks on your driveway in the UK?
Coming home to find someone else’s car parked in your driveway can be nothing short of frustrating. But, before you resort to calling for help, there’s a legal loophole that means, technically speaking, this type of behaviour could go unpunished.
According to the RAC, while there is no criminal law stopping someone from parking on your driveway without your consent, your driveway is part of your property, so by driving onto it, the person is committing an act of trespassing. Trespassing, however, is a civil offence, not a criminal offence, meaning the police don’t have the power to make an arrest.
It is advised to “keep calm” and “not let the situation escalate”. It adds that people should “never take the law into their own hands” or “stoop to revenge tactics that could get you prosecuted”.
Instead, pursue a civil case for trespassing as the courts have the jurisdiction to remove the car from the driveway. Another option is to pursue a legal claim for nuisance behaviour on the grounds that the driver is interfering with your use and enjoyment of your property, but going through the courts can be a long and potentially costly process.