A caravan is parked just down the road.
A caravan is parked just down the road.
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condor

Original Poster:

8,837 posts

278 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
As the thread title states - there's a caravan parked up just down the road....but viewable from bedroom window.
It might well be 20 odd years ago since I bought this house - but I can certainly remember the ' no caravans in the drive clause' ...has this been repealed?
Can someone just park up in a caravan on a rural, residential street and just move in? The car that towed it to it's resting place seems to have vanished - but the caravan has been there for nearly a week !!
Any ideas of what is the legit way to get it removed? -
as a btw there seems to be nearly 10 people sharing a 2 person house...and presumably the arrival of the caravan is extra room for them

leftie

11,838 posts

265 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
I recall a caravan is a tralier and cannot be left overnight without lights on a road.

zzr

913 posts

281 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
Sounds like a call to customs and excise might be due.....

falcemob

8,248 posts

266 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
Are you a snob, whats wrong with a caravan in your street? If they are living in it, phone the council, they would be grateful for the extra council tax

>> Edited by falcemob on Tuesday 8th November 18:44

condor

Original Poster:

8,837 posts

278 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
falcemob said:
Are you a snob, whats wrong with a caravan in your street?


Well I'm guessing it shouldn't be there...but am checking out PH knowledge first.
My main complaint is that it's ugly and spoils the view - because it spoils the view and I pay a large amount of council tax ( as do a lot of people) and I remember from 20 years ago that you can't have a caravan in your driveway ( was in the deeds/ solicitor type stuff when you bought the house)...so I don't think it should be there.

Kentish

15,169 posts

264 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
I had this problem where I used to live, all the houses were large and the house next door but one had been converted into flats and the standard of tenants dropped off and a pikey type moved in knocked down the front garden wall and sub-let the space someone in a caravan who lived there for about 3 months.

The stench was horrific in the summer as they let the toilet just drain across the pavement

The tenant who sub-let the parking space didn't pay his rent and was pursued by the landlord and tenant got upset by this and set alight to the flat 3am one morning endangering the lives of the other people above and his neighbours, what a w@nker!

Anyway, landlord learnt his lesson and refurbished the property and let it out to nice decent families instead.

condor

Original Poster:

8,837 posts

278 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
A bit of googling later - and it does seem it's illegally parked and shouldn't be there.
Some help on the next steps would be appreciated

jessica

6,321 posts

282 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
condor said:
falcemob said:
Are you a snob, whats wrong with a caravan in your street?


Well I'm guessing it shouldn't be there...but am checking out PH knowledge first.
My main complaint is that it's ugly and spoils the view - because it spoils the view and I pay a large amount of council tax ( as do a lot of people) and I remember from 20 years ago that you can't have a caravan in your driveway ( was in the deeds/ solicitor type stuff when you bought the house)...so I don't think it should be there.


I am afraid I agree with Caroline.
My neighbours have a caravan it lives all year nearly on there drive it looks a site.
other neighbours have a van but it is tucked away around the corner of there house out of site .
Therefore not an eyesore.

Cyberhuss

1,940 posts

276 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
condor said:
A bit of googling later - and it does seem it's illegally parked and shouldn't be there.
Some help on the next steps would be appreciated


Balmoral Green

42,561 posts

278 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
It shouldnt be on the road, if it is on the road, a call to the council should sort it out.

If it is on a drive, then that is different, if your deeds say no caravans, fair enough, you could assume their deeds say the same thing. If their deeds dont have this bylaw though, then tough, they can keep it on the drive. But nobody can live in it though.

There are a few caravans on drives around our estate, I cant say it bothers me at all, but they do tend to be nice shiny new ones, on immaculate block paved drives in front of double garages.

condor

Original Poster:

8,837 posts

278 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
tonker - they're not immigrants...and not 'typical' travellers either. Just a young English couple that turned up with a very tatty caravan - left it parked in the 'Close' unhooked the car - car has gone...caravan stayed.
I'm guessing they were delivering it - but will speak to the council tomorrow.

condor

Original Poster:

8,837 posts

278 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
Thanks Balmoral Didn't think it was legal.

Flat in Fifth

48,837 posts

281 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
My take on this is that if the trailer is being parked on a road maintainable at public expense then there are potentially a number of offences being committed. Most would involve council input, depending upon specific circumstances you might have something on them which requires plod intervention but unlikely any action if otherwise no bother.

If van parked off road on drive and this is in contravention of a deed of covenant clause on your and other properties then this is a civil matter.

A lot of developers put these clauses upon first sale because they want to keep the estate looking "nice" whilst they sell the remaining plots. You might get one developer who thinks he is in line for some design award after site completion and is willing to enforce for some time after. In general though once the builder has sold all the plots, exchanged contracts on the last house and handed over the roads to the council thne they won't get involved unless legally forced, which is again a civil matter.

You have to find out if such a deed of covenant applies to the house in question and get your solicitor involved which of course is expensive.

Depending upon the area, the people who live at the problem address and rather also dependant upon whether in real life you look like John McVicar or Timmy Mallett might a visit to the premises with a couple of neighbours and a bottle or three be a more workable solution?

If they are from :ahem: overseas, they may have absolutely no idea that their behaviour grates a little. Lets face it on th roads we see behaviour every day which would be considered totally cool in downtown Istanbul but which cause bristles to rise on the Aldwych.

rude girl

6,937 posts

289 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
You've probably considered this and discounted it already, but are you sure they haven't just bought the house and getting new heating put in or something? If so, they might only be there a couple of weeks, and could turn out to be really good neighbours in the future.

condor

Original Poster:

8,837 posts

278 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
Thanks FiF good advice there
Rude Girl - I'm more inclined to think it's a bunch of students - who are trying to cram in as many people as possible in a very small house - and thinking a batterred caravan will add extra bedding down places.
On the positive side they're not partying all night - but apart from the caravan, they've got about 7 cars. This is only for a house that should accomadate 2 people - so there are too many cars for the Close...we all have driveways that can accomadate 2 cars - BUT, we also have friends that might want to visit and park ....and with one small house taking all the extra parking spaces ( and now a caravan to boot) it's just not on.

bmgm3

10,480 posts

273 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
My place of work is at the end of a country lane, which is also a dead-end.A few months back a couple of caravans attached to Transit vans were spotted parked just up the road. Given all the trouble we have from thieving gypsy bastards turning up every summer, knocking down the fence to our field and parking-up for a couple of weeks, you can imagine the police were called PDQ.
By the time the boys in blue arrived, they were parked at the end of the lane and fully in the road.Basically, there's nothing they can do to stop them being there for as long as they want to be.

rude girl

6,937 posts

289 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
condor said:
but apart from the caravan, they've got about 7 cars. This is only for a house that should accomadate 2 people


That sounds pretty rough If they're students, then they're probably renting the house. How about having a word with the Landlord - he might not be terribly pleased if there's 7 people living there and only paying for 2. A long shot, but might be worth a letter?

falcemob

8,248 posts

266 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
OK, sorry for my first post. I would contact the council housing or rates dept in the first instance as these people will no doubt not be allowed to live in the caravan due to planning laws etc. We have a caravan at our stables, somewhere to make tea or coffee and get out of the wet but we don't live in it.
One of our snotty neighbours contacted the council and told them we were living in it and we had a visit from them. I would say the council would be your first port of call, I am sure they will be interested. With that many people living there, the environmental health may be a good bet to get on the case as well.
BTW, are the cars taxed?

MJK 24

5,679 posts

266 months

Tuesday 8th November 2005
quotequote all
condor said:
A bit of googling later - and it does seem it's illegally parked and shouldn't be there.
Some help on the next steps would be appreciated


Get a car with a towbar and drag the thing away. For effect, this is best done at 3am using bright lights and air horns. Take it about 30-40 miles and offer it to a local scrap merchant in that area.

Job done.

redistributor

21,189 posts

276 months

Wednesday 9th November 2005
quotequote all
condor said:
Any ideas of what is the legit way to get it removed?
I suggest you phone Richard Hammond. Soon be gone.