'A consistent eyesore!' Homeowner fears drop in property value due to neighbour's driveway

A homeowner looking to sell their property has been left at a loose end after dealing with their neighbour's messy driveway for the past two years, branding it a "consistent eyesore" that could affect the sale price of their house.

By Phoebe Cornish, Senior Lifestyle Reporter

Driveway/ skip on a driveway

'Used as a garden shed!' Homeowner angered by neighbour's 'consistent eyesore' driveway (Image: GETTY)

Off-street parking is a luxury for many homeowners, but even when you have a driveway of your own, nightmare neighbours can make it hard to use when they constantly park over it or claim it as their own. However, according to one  user, the appearance of the driveway next to your own is also something to consider before selling a . In a recent post on the popular forum, the concerned woman explained that her neighbour's driveway is constantly "piled high with random stuff", making it an "eyesore" for potential buyers.

Going by the username Financial-Breath-564 on Reddit, the homeowner revealed that the driveway next door at the front of her house had been "a consistent eyesore" since she first viewed the property before moving in.

She explained that the residents of the "incredibly small" two-bedroom rental included two adults and three children, which could contribute to the cluttered mess on their front drive.

The author of the post said: "As much of an eyesore that was when purchasing the property, we paid five percent less than asking due to it.

"However, we were informed they would be moving soon, due to outgrowing the house and this doesn’t seem to be happening."

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Male neighbours argue over fence

The Reddit user explained that several attempts to resolve the issue had failed (Image: GETTY)

According to the forum poster, the residents had caused several problems over the driveway in the two-year period.

She noted that they consistently block her driveway but will shout abuse at anyone who blocks theirs - even on their move-in day. They also park untaxed vehicles on the public road, which have been reported but often just get moved without a long-term solution.

The Reddit user added: "They have two old non-running cars on the drive/front garden that overhang onto our driveway. They are rusting, moulding, and falling apart. Whilst piled high with random stuff as if they are used as a garden shed.

"They consistently leave their rubbish on our driveway and they use our driveway as an access point to their house due to the state of their own drive."

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She noted that although the tenants seemed to be "perfectly nice people" while they were looking to purchase the property next door, this had changed since owning the house.

The forum poster, Financial-Breath-564, said: "They’ve been consistently awful and rude to us and other members of the street as though they own the street.

"They are renting the property and my question is: how do we raise this, we are looking to sell/rent our house next year, and know this will pose issues when doing so."

According to the Reddit user, the nuisance neighbours had previously "hurled abuse" and made threats to people when confronted about the issues.

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The post attracted mixed advice from other users, with one person who goes by the name superduperhosts stating that the author of the original post walked into the problem.

They replied: "You bought next to the place. At a discount, seems like you made a bad deal."

Another Reddit user added: "Agreed. In my opinion, what people choose to do with their own property, as long as it isn’t bringing rodents etc to yours, is their choice. I hate the 'it’s bringing down our property value' argument."

However, one person added that the Reddit user Financial-Breath-564 should keep reporting their nuisance neighbour.

Two driveways next tohouses

Driveways are a crucial part of curb appeal when it comes to buying and selling properties (Image: GETTY)

They replied: "Just keep reporting them to the relevant authorities/get their cars towed/report them to their property manager/real estate agent/landlord etc."

According to the Citizens Advice Bureau, the tenant's actions could be classed as anti-social behaviour. An expert explained that dumping rubbish can cause "nuisance and annoyance", and you can take steps to stop it from happening.

They said that if you're not sure, it is best to visit your nearest Citizens Advice to talk it through with an adviser who can give you the correct guidance, or you can go straight to the council if they rent the property but you don't know who from.

To do this, you should give the neighbour's address and name if known, along with a report of how often the problem occurs, how it affects you, ways in which you've tried to solve it, and who else it has been reported to.

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