Are shared driveways usually a problem for neighbors?
Question:I've saw and heard of some really nasty "wars" breaking out between families/neighbors over this. Have you had any expereince with this?
Answers:
I recently moved from a condo which had a shared driveway ... it was a 2 family residence and there was a fair bit of animosity between myself and the family upstairs because of the driveway.
Each unit was allowed 2 space - 1 of which was a garage space. The unit above me chose to use their garage space to store furniture but they still wanted a second parking spot so they would constantly pull their car behind mine and block me in. At times they would also take my spot if they came home before I did and then they would wake me up at odd times of night to jockey cars.
I always thought that rational adults would be able to share space cordially but after my recent experiences I will NEVER live anywhere with a shared driveway again.
Personally, no. But I have heard of a problem that a relative had. There was a hassle with paying to have the driveway resurfaced.
the outcome was that the lawyer group that owned the property bought my relative out, so they owned both apartment houses.
Personally I wouldn't buy a property with a shared driveway!
I see neighbour across the street and down the street all year trying to fit in tight spots or shoveling snow without putting too much snow on the other side ,and then park their cars ,sometimes they block the drive and the neighbour need to knock on the door just because either their visitors or themselves block the access . It might be good if you have a good neighbour but people move, so you never know whom is going to be the next neighbour.
It depends on the neighbor. I once lived where we shared a drive way. We had the understanding ever wanted something done to the driveway they paid for it.
I owned and rennovated a 1919 cape cod which had a shared driveway. We each had our own garage, so the drive split into a Y halfway up leading to each of our garages with a grass patch in between. Eventually, the neighbor filled in that grass patch to create a large parking pad.
Here were a few of the problems. Any contractors I had delivering appliances, materials and supplies had to pull up into the parking pad and haul the items back down the drive to the front door. If they would have parked and unloaded at the door, the driveway would have been blocked. With each neighbor having 2 car garages and 2 cars, any one visiting would have to park directly in front of the garages. There was only enough space for 4 visiting cars and no street parking. That made Thanksgiving, Christmas, parties at my house a bit of a problem because there was not enough parking. In addition, because only the driveway separated our homes, we could pretty much hear what was happening in each other's houses, even with the windows closed. And, in case of an emergency only one car at a time could go down the driveway making a hasty evacuation next to impossible. Finally, the neighbors had children who enjoyed playing on the driveway. But, since their home obscured the view when entering the drive, I always had to enter slowly to make certain there was no one playing there. Finally, because the home was located in the snow belt, the old game of who was going to shovel the common drive area and who paid for the rock salt became an issue.
We really didn't have too many "nasty" ocurrences, it was more like an inconvenience that we were both aware of and irritated by. As a result, I doubt seriously that I will ever own another home with a shared drive.
I had a shared driveway. Mine was actually two driveways next to each other. The neighbor installed a curb up the middle (legally) and it still caused problems. It was also an issue when selling the house.
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