Q: Our neighbors park their huge RV on the street all winter. It’s an eyesore and makes pulling our car into and out of our driveway tricky. Can I ask them to move it?
A: Sure! Tell your neighbors that you need their help with a problem. Say, “You probably don’t realize it, but parking your RV on the street makes it difficult for us to see oncoming traffic when we’re maneuvering out of our driveway. Is there somewhere else you could keep it?” If they do move it, be sure to thank them. If they don’t, there’s not much you can do other than be cautious when driving to or from home.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
You should call your city hall (or whoever has municipal authority in your area) and ask if there are city bylaws governing where RVs may/may not be parked and for how long. I think you can bring the bylaw to your neighbour’s attention if there’s one and if there’s a bylaw and they won’t comply, I think it’d be reasonable for you to lodge a complaint with the bylaw officers.
In my city, any vehicle marked without moving for 72 hours is considered abandoned (applies year round). We also have specific rules for RVs (can be parked on the street for x hours during spring/summer but cannot be parked on the street during the winter). I hope your city has such a bylaw!
I’m not sure I’d just be more cautious if there isn’t a bylaw and they won’t cooperate. If you get into an accident because of their RV, you’re going to be stuck with the ramifications. I’d ask around in your area to see what other recourse you may have. Good luck, I hope you and your neighbour can resolve this in a friendly fashion!
I would take R’s advice first and call your municipality and speak with a code enforcement officer and let them handle it. That way, the neighbor will not know who lodged the complaint and hopefully, neighborly relations will remain intact.
The only thing I would add to these excellent analysis is to warn your neighbors that you intend to exercise whatever rights you have — be it talking to a code enforcement officer or filing a suit for common law nuisance. This way, no one can say that you didn’t give your neighbors every opportunity to remedy the situation without getting others involved.
We’d hope this kind of escalating confrontation could be avoided by trying the more benign options first.