TO YOU, of course, your van is your livelihood. And at the end of your working day you want to park your van at home.
But while you may love your van, your neighbours might not. Hard to imagine, but they could consider it to be an eyesore or an unwelcome tenant on the street outside their house which blocks their view. You can easily find employers who provide parking space by searching for job opportunities for a man with a van wanted on Jooble.
There are also some legalities you might need to consider too so you can stay the right side of the law.
So if you are thinking of parking your van at home, here are seven things you need to consider.
1
Does your company allow you to park at home? It’s worth checking in advance to avoid pain later and ensure there are no company van tax issues
2
If it is kept there for prolonged periods or overnight on a regular basis, you may need to tell your insurers and check it’s covered. Make sure you’re aware of any parking restrictions on your street. Not parking on yellow lines is obvious, but if you’re in a controlled parking area, make sure you know the times when the lines are active. Also, be aware of any permit car parking area or reserved bays. Usually OK for cars, but resident permits for controlled parking zones may well exclude vans. If they do let you park a van, usually you will have to be the registered owner – fine for sole traders but difficult if you are driving a company owned van
3
You’re unlikely to have a business van with a maximum laden weight of over 7.5 tonnes, as this is truck territory, but in case you do, the law says these vehicles must not be parked on a verge, pavement, or any land situated between carriageways, without police permission. The only exception to this parking rule is when parking is essential for loading and unloading, but even then the vehicle shouldn’t be left unattended.
4
Another little known fact is that if your van weighs more than 2500kg and is parked on the street between sunrise and sunset, it must be left with its lights on. The same is true of any passenger vehicle with more than nine seats. All lights must be left lit and unobscured. If your van has an unladen mass of less than 2500kg, you needn’t leave it parked with its lights on, provided the road it is on has a limit of 30mph or less.
5
Your van must be parked in an authorised parking space or a marked lay-by. Your van must and also be further than 10m from a junction. All vehicles should be parked with their nearside close to and parallel with the nearside kerb.
6
You shouldn’t have to abide by any of the above if you park your business van on a driveway or in a garage. However, it’s worth checking your house deeds to see if there are any enforced covenants or planning restrictions that prevent the parking of trade vehicles at a residential property – these are rare but worth checking for.
7
Will you need planning permission? Maybe, local councils are getting tired of receiving complaints about commercial vehicles parked in the gardens and driveways of private houses. To counter this, many are now saying ‘this is going against the enjoyment of the property’. As such they consider it a material change of use and as thus you will need to apply for permission.
Factors taken into account by local councils include:
- The size, design and number of commercial vehicles at a property
- Your van’s position and proximity to adjoining properties
- Its effect on the appearance of the local area
- The times your van arrives at your property and departs
We’d advise checking with your local council first to avoid problems later – particularly with residents and neighbours.
Do you know which Local Councils take take the view that you need planning permission?
It will vary from council to council taking into account property/neighbours/views and so on. There are no hard and fast rules on this.
Ralph Morton, editor
My neighbour has a drive to park both his vans but parks one down the road and the other opposite his house and slap bang infront of mine .
The van blocks our view but also when exitting our driveaway it obscures our view of the oncoming traffic . These are both commercial vehicles as the have company names on them . Me and the road are bit fed up with see them now is there any thing suffolk county council can do ?..
To insure works vans you have to tell the insurance company where they will be parked overnight. If it’s in the road, the policy would be very expensive. So van operators often tell insurance companies they are parked in the works yard.
I also have a neighbour who purposely blocks our view of the road so I can’t see oncoming traffic (he also has a driveway) when exiting my drive. It’s really dangerous!
I have a neighbour that brings home a huge van that can carry window doors conservatories. There are places to park in the road but he chooses to park in a bay which only allows two cars.
I have cameras up to look at my car as I’m in a disabled bay. And have had damage to my car in the past which is why I have installed the cameras. His company van blocks my camera so I can’t see my car out of any Windows. Some days he leaves it there for days. And it’s right out side our bedroom window. Sometimes he leaves for work at 5-sh which wakes us up.
I have asked him not to park there as it blocks my camera – he has responded saying I should move the camera; but I’m in a ground floor flat so this is not possible. He does not seem to care and he can’t see the van where he lives as it’s round the corner. What can I do? Thank you, Mrs Jones.
We’re sorry to hear this – it must be very distressing for you. Obviously the best course of action is to have the discussion with your neighbour if there is anywhere else this van can be parked. Although it sounds as if you have already tried this. The next step would be to contact your local council and take the matter up with them.
We hope you can resolve the issue.
Ralph Morton, editor
Since December 2017 I have had a commercial van park outside my house all week – apart from picking the vehicle up at 8.30am and dropping it off around 3pm on each week day. Therefore the van is parked overnight every night and every weekend outside my property. This would be okay but the company is registered in a well-to-do residential area 5 miles away. I am scared to talk to the guys who pick it up as there 3 or 4 of them at a time and they are now aggressively outside my front gate. This is despite the fact that there are ample spaces opposite and around the corner. There are plenty of other places close by; they don’t need to park directly outside our property. What can I do to change this?
Please help.
Company van outside an elderly person’s house . The neighbour has a driveway with two cars plus another car outside their house so they park the company van outside the next door neighbour who is elderly. (Total of four cars.) If you mention it to them their argument is that he never uses the parking space therefore they take the liberty of parking there. Therefore if the elderly neighbour needs dropping off you have to park further down as there are no spaces, same applies if having a delivery.
Neighbour runs a building company from home. We live in a four house cul de sac; we have 12 to 20 van movements in front of our window seven days a week,can we do anything?
I would talk to your local council in the first instance. And also check out this Gov.UK advice.
Ralph Morton, editor
Still waiting for a reply regarding the comment left by Anne in September 2018. Is there a reason for this. You’ve replied to subsequent questions. Van still there
We have just moved in to an apartment and AFTER paying deposit and signing lease we were presented with management rules and regulations where it states no commercial vans are allowed to park at all in the complex besides that we have 2 dedicated parking spaces in front of our garage and a locked one belonging to the Land Lord. My husband’s company van is less than a ton brand new with signage. The parking bay is at the end of parking area causing absolutely no instruction. I don’t get what the management reasoning is insisting he now has to find a parking space on the street which is against company policy. Please woukd you advice on general legal ruling.
During the planning stage of my adventure, when I thought living in a van was a brilliant idea, my editors told me I had to host a party in my new digs. What a funny picture that will be! they told me. Since then, I had been floating the idea to my friends, luring them with promises of free Brie and sparkling cider.
My neighbour (who is a tenant) has a commercial van that she is renovating into a ‘camper van’ Our parking bays of which we have 2 each are situated at the back entrance to our back gardens (gardens are around 30ft long). As I have the bigger garden one of her bays is actually at the back of my garden and is therefore parked up against my fence which is all I can see from my living or bedroom window. The bay is also used by 10 other home owners. All of which have cars only.
Is it right that she can work on her van in a shared car port? – cutting our panels to put in windows, hammering, sawing etc as she converts the inside. As we have the last 2 bays, we often find that we can not see any vehicles that may be coming into the bay when we are just pulling out of ours.