How to complain about your neighbour’s caravan

BRITS love the freedom owning a caravan gives them.

However, owning one means storing it for most of the year until you need to use it. Here are the rules regarding where you can park one.

How to complain about your neighbour’s caravan

If your neighbour has a caravan parked on the drive and you don’t like it, the first action to take is to speak to them.

It is best to air your grievances and talk it through with your neighbours before taking the matter further.

If their van is legally parked, then you may not be able to have it moved.

If your neighbour does not want to talk, or you prefer not to speak to them then you can take the issue up with local authorities or the police.

Can a caravan be parked outside your house?

From the perspective of the police authority, you can park there as long as you aren’t causing any obstruction and parking carefully and responsibly. 

A sensible owner must consider whether the way their caravan is parked poses any problem to other residents.

The nearside must face the pavement so that the rear lights face the rear for approaching traffic. This is to let oncoming drivers know what is going on.

It must not obstruct the road or public footpaths.

You cannot park your caravan even across your own driveway unless you are picking up or dropping off passengers. 

Can my neighbour park his caravan on his driveway?

At the basic level, your property will have a clause in the deeds stating that you can or cannot keep a caravan on the property.

Legally speaking you are not allowed to use a caravan as a permanent dwelling on your property without planning permission.

So, for example, you would not be able to allow a friend or family member to permanently reside in a caravan on your drive. 

It also depends on local legislation.

Is it illegal to park a caravan in the road?

The main considerations from a legal point of view is that it doesn’t cause an obstruction, or it isn’t parked dangerously. 

You must make sure you do the following:

• Ensure that the caravan is lit at night
• Park it with the nearside facing the pavement so the rear lights are at the rear and visible for approaching traffic