Private parking space

sheriffwoody

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Will try and keep this short.

After 2 years of parking in a gravel car park at the bottom of our development it turns out that there is a private parking space for our apartment within a little secure area (coded barrier) just outside our place - which is a 10 second walk from our front door rather than a 3 min walk.

Having only just noticed the parking space and the note in front of it I decided to let myself into the secure parking (obtaining the code from another occupant) and started to park there.

I get a couple of notes saying "this is a private space" left on my car and then a huge bit of A3 paper with "THIS IS A PRIVATE PARKING SPACE, PLEASE MOVE YOUR CAR!"

at this point i am aware i am ruffling someone's feathers, but i don't know who. Since parking in the space i always left a note in the windscreen letting people know where I lived, just incase i was infact annoying someone and they wanted to come and speak to me personally.

The person leaving the notes refused to come and see me and continued to leave notes. I moved the car back out of the space on Sunday and back into the gravel car park for fear that "they" might start damaging my car.

Anyway, it turns out, after a phone call to the letting agent, the parking space is owned by my landlord (think they were an extra option when the flats were built) - and he has become very angry at me parking there.
So angry and upset, yet he still won't speak to me personally.

The sign infront of the space clearly says "Private parking for Apartment xxx" - which is my apartment.

My landlord lives in the new development over the road, about a 5-10 min walk away. I don't see him parking in "my" space during the week, so i can only assume he has his own parking space for where he currently lives. I was only getting the notes during the weekend, and I am taking a guess that he is letting his daughter park there to go and visit him/go into town etc (she had her mail forwarded to us over the xmas period as well).

Now, do you think i am within my right to park in this space, or should i just give it up? Each apartment is given one parking permit regardless of if you have your own private space or if you have to park in the gravel car park. I have a parking permit - so where is he getting another one from in order for him/his daughter to park there?

Part of me doesn't want the hassle and will just go back and use the gravel parking (have done for 2 years), but part of me wants to use the private space for my apartment - it makes taking shopping up a lot easier (plus i can keep an eye on my car).

Do i give it up, or park it there in the hope i can catch him leaving me another not and go and speak to him about his issues with me parking there?
 
If its for your apartment then I'd definately be parking there.

We have two spaces outside our house, it couldn't be more obvious they belong to us yet some daft cow thought it was fine to park in the middle of them both. I blocked her in and luckily she hasn't been back...
 
is it in your lease? if not it is just something the landlord owns which he doesnt want to lease out to you. seems odd he doesnt want to discuss with you.
 
Well the parking space technically belongs to the leaseholder (your landlord). If your rental agreement specifies the space than I'd use it, but it sounds as if you've just rented the flat and your landlord has kept the space in which case I don't think you've a right to use it.
 
I would send your landlord a note/email saying you're getting upset that someone is putting anonymous notes on your car telling you not to park in your space and could he try and find out who it is and stop them? :) ie play the innocent and pretend you don't know it's him. If he then wants to say he hasn't rented you the space, just the flat then hopefully he'll now say so.
 
i can't recall seeing it in the lease, but still - he must have his own parking space at his new place because i never see a car in the space outside mine.

we have his address to tempted to go and find him, but he doesn't seem to want to sort anything out.

re the xmas post we took for his daughter. within it was a £50 john lewis voucher for his daughter who had just got married.
they knew we had it at the start of january, but wanted me to forward it on to his daughters new address rather than come collect it in person, so i refused, based on the fact that if it went missing for what ever reason in the post i would be liable. i asked if the landlord could come pick it up as he lives such a short distance away.

middle of march comes along and nobody has picked the voucher up, so i get more grief from them via the letting agent and i again tell them i won't be posting it, so he should come get it - eventually his son in law comes and picks it up. very strange attitude tbh.
 
I would send your landlord a note/email saying you're getting upset that someone is putting anonymous notes on your car telling you not to park in your space and could he try and find out who it is and stop them? :) ie play the innocent and pretend you don't know it's him. If he then wants to say he hasn't rented you the space, just the flat then hopefully he'll now say so.

i understand now that if i am only renting the flat and not the space then fair enough - however as i said each apartment only gets one permit - and i have that permit.

so even if he wanted to park there, he technically can't.
 
It does all seem rather bizarre...
 
is your landlord in prison? or abroad? thats all i can think of. very odd as IG says
 
Maybe he is collecting money from someone who does not live but parks there. If its your space park your car. Any damage to your car call the police.
 
If you're paying rent and the parking space comes with the apartment then use the space. Also do you have to pay for a parking permit? If you do then all the more reason to use the space. If the landlord objects see what he says to a request for a reduction in rent.
 
Got/get a dash cam?
 
Raise the matter with the solicitor who arranged for you to lease the property and ask him for advice
He should be able to help at little cost. The lease should detail the situation quite clearly
You may well find that arrangements include some requirement for you to advise those who control the car park of your vehicle reg no or display some sort of authorisation on the vehicle
The alternative is that the lease did not include the right to use the space without an additional charge which was not taken up by you or the original tenant
I wouldn't think it necessary to start any sort of confrontation at this stage but equally I think you should politely pursue your right in a polite and firm manner
If you are entitled to use the space you should arrange for your solicitor to enforce the right or negotiate some financial compensation
 

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