Business parking spaces

At our rented offices, we have a number of spaces allocated specifically to us, which we have put signs up on each of the spaces. We have been here for many years, so its not like the car park has changed recently.

It's just enough spaces for my staff and our work van.

What can I do about people visiting other businesses, who have no spare spaces so just dump their car in one of our spaces, ignoring the signs.

Yesterday, I left a polite note on someones car. When they returned 4 hours later, they wrote "Go Do One" at the bottom of the note and chucked it out of their car window.

I could tow the offending car out of the space with my defender, but I am guessing thats probably not sensible.

Are there any sensible things I can do?

Have removable bollards put in front of each space?

Park behind them and go for a nice night out?

Get those annoying stickers which are a nightmare to peel off that say "do not park here" and stick on their window.

While cars don’t have letter boxes, they do have air vents.....

I have a friend who is a bit of a 'loose cannon' and took it upon himself to drag an inappropriately parked car out of their carpark using the loading chains on their skip lorry.

It didn't end well for him at all.
But it did remove the parking problem....

As above -you need to steer clear of criminal damage (or risk thereof), but rising bollards are effective, but a bit of a PITA. Blocking a vehicle in is OK if by doing so you're not creating other problems of course (ie blocking other people of causing an obstruction). Plan C - which I hate, is contact one of the Private Parking management companies who will 'ticket' offending vehicles and pursue (or not) penalty charges..........many are shadowy organisations though so tread carefully:They don't charge much but pocket the tickets as their income by and large.

Buy a wheel clamp, put a sign up advising them of the risk, and the releasing fee?

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Originally Posted by Saint-Just

Buy a wheel clamp, put a sign up advising them of the risk, and the releasing fee?

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Illegal in the UK (excluding NI for some reason).

As it is a business premise? I bow to your superior knowledge but there is such a sign in Ashford.

A note printed on A3 paper fixed to the windscreen with 3M Spray Mount used to do the job for us.

Can you see the parking spaces easily from the office, or could you use a camera? Is it customers or staff of one particular business or many? Are many other businesses affected in the same way who could ally with you? Is it employees of another block or random visitors, or visitors to other nearby locations?

If you have the time, block them in with the work van or your defender. Move the van at the times that are convenient to you rather than them, i.e. we won't be able to move it until next break. When they come to ask you to move it, identify the business they have visited and start complaining to them, and to the management company about them. Alternatively, could you proactively monitor it for a period or use the removeable bollards.

Thank you for your replies. Its interesting as a lot of whats been offered I had considered, but felt the law isn't really on my side.

I agree with the bollards, that would obviously fix the problem but I know I will end up with the staff moaning about them.

All the problems come down to customers of a hairdresser thats near by.
I can quite easily block them in, without impacted other spaces, so perhaps that is the option to go for. However I really didnt want to be that guy.

So many times I've wanted to block non residents parking on our private property at home, but I always bottle it for fear of retribution to my car or house.

It seems a 'polite' note is the only option unfortunately

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Originally Posted by Saint-Just

Buy a wheel clamp, put a sign up advising them of the risk, and the releasing fee?

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Whether it is legal or not most people would not park there if there is a sign. Actually using it, which I would, is another matter - charging seems to be the main area of contention, but then the inconvenience of having to wait to be released is the issue the drivers might like to avoid

I'd suggest you consider whether the people parking in your spaces are regular offenders or just the occasional one-off?

If they are regular offenders then you need to take whatever reasonable steps you can find out who they are and where they live. You can then consider the cost effectiveness of getting a solicitor to point out that they are causing a nuisance and if they persist, that you will obtain an injunction and send them the bill for that pleasure. Plainly you will want to take that solicitor's advice having regard to all the details of the matter.

If they are not "regulars" then possibly the most effective (although far from failsafe) deterrent will be signage threatening clamping et cetera, also bollards as suggested. You might also have a neighbourly chat with the hairdressers, pointing out your reluctance at this stage to go down the paper bag/letterbox route by way of returning the favour for their customers' bad behaviour.

The danger with extra sticky labels is that you are arguably causing criminal damage. If somebody did that to my car when I didn't feel I was trespassing, I would certainly report the matter to the police as crim damage and also pursue them as a small claim for the cost of cleaning my car up. If you are purposely blocking somebody's car in the again they will probably have a claim against you - so probably best not to do it.

When Sartre said that "Hell is other people" he did actually mean to say specifically "pensioners and Audi drivers".

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Originally Posted by andyb28

Thank you for your replies. Its interesting as a lot of whats been offered I had considered, but felt the law isn't really on my side.

I agree with the bollards, that would obviously fix the problem but I know I will end up with the staff moaning about them.

All the problems come down to customers of a hairdresser thats near by.
I can quite easily block them in, without impacted other spaces, so perhaps that is the option to go for. However I really didnt want to be that guy.

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But....you're the boss and they are the staff. If you need to do something to protect your parking spaces then they should just have to accept it.
Regards blocking the other spaces...I understand the feeling about not wanting to be that guy but perhaps you might need to be for a short time if nothing else is working? Or perhaps arrange for all of the hairdressers parking spaces to be occupied for a few days?

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Originally Posted by jimyu

So many times I've wanted to block non residents parking on our private property at home, but I always bottle it for fear of retribution to my car or house.

It seems a 'polite' note is the only option unfortunately

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Had this situation at an old house. We had two of the four allocated spaces directly outside the house;the other two were our neighbours to the left. Our neighbours to the right had their own drive with two spaces but were always parking in one of our spaces. I had several polite conversation s about it to no avail. I work shifts and used to come home about 1030 or so and find the space occupied,or come home after a night shift and find the space occupied. I moved on to knocking on their door at these time s and asking them to move their car. When this didn't work and I came home particularly tired after a night shift I parked across their car which was in our space. I then moved our other car and parked it across their drive and went to bed. Cue and irate chat later that day about how they couldn't get their cars out and were late for work and got reprimanded etc etc etc. I made it clear that having tried to be reasonable and polite about the situation that I was perfectly capable of being the bigger arse and would do the same thing every time I came home to find them parked where they shouldn't be.It didn't happen again.
I suppose the point of the ramble is that even though you don't want to be 'that guy' sometime you need to be.

I wonder if speaking to the owner of the hairdressers is likely to be productive? Or going there to have their customers move the cars when you need a space, then possibly blocking them in if movement is not forthcoming.

At a place I worked our clients often parked in other company's spaces and we had to be proactive in checking they had not. Mind you, we only started checking when the other businesses started to come and interrupt our sessions to get the client's cars moved.

I think you've got to be thick skinned and/or change your mindset about who is being 'that guy' in this situation.

Is giving them a flat tyre frowned upon?!


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Well, that is hardly going to expedite their departure from the parking space... ;-)

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Originally Posted by Ares

Well, that is hardly going to expedite their departure from the parking space... ;-)

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lol very true but it would make me feel better

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Originally Posted by Saint-Just

As it is a business premise? I bow to your superior knowledge but there is such a sign in Ashford.

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It was outlawed in 2012, people can put up all sorts of signs - doesn't make them legal...

If someone clamps your car on private property, just phone the police as they are committing a criminal offence:

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Under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (PFA 2012), it is now a criminal offence to clamp, tow, block-in or immobilise a vehicle without lawful authority on privately owned land.
The ban was introduced to end abuses by rogue clamping firms who preyed on motorists by charging excessive release fees.
To commit this offence a person must intend to stop you from moving your vehicle. No offence is committed if you are prevented from leaving a car park because the vehicle’s exit was blocked by a fixed barrier.
Parking notices put up by would-be clampers, warning that clamping and towing are in operation are no longer effective, as PFA 2012 stipulates that lawful authority cannot be conferred by obtaining the vehicle owner’s consent.

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https://www.inbrief.co.uk/motoring-l...-clamping-law/

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Originally Posted by Alansmithee

It was outlawed in 2012, people can put up all sorts of signs - doesn't make them legal...

If someone clamps your car on private property, just phone the police as they are committing a criminal offence:




https://www.inbrief.co.uk/motoring-l...-clamping-law/

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Thank you very much for this. I have always wondered if I was ever clamped in such a way if I would be able to refrain myself from inflicting criminal damage to the clamp. I am now happy to know I wouldn't :eagerness::angel12:

Why not try to 'Protect' the offending vehicle against the elements. I mean, you don't know how long its going to be there do you so really, you are simply helping the owner out !!

https://youtu.be/j84KmUdLL0Q

Stuart

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Originally Posted by Saint-Just

Thank you very much for this. I have always wondered if I was ever clamped in such a way if I would be able to refrain myself from inflicting criminal damage to the clamp. I am now happy to know I wouldn't :eagerness::angel12:

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Only on private land. DVLA can clamp on a public road for non payment of (e.g.) RFL no problem

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Originally Posted by afcneal

Only on private land. DVLA can clamp on a public road for non payment of (e.g.) RFL no problem

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Yes of course but thank you for the precision. My post was badly worded and could have given someone the wrong ideas.

I’d deflate a tyre or two.

First buy a plain hoody.

What about some simply large cones ?
Most people are not going to drive over them or move them.