STORAGE

[Captain mikey]

Hi folks, For the first time I have to put my motorhome into storage instead of leaving it at home - stroppy neighbour. I have found somewhere that I think is suitable but would greatly appreciate some advice eg should I put a notice on the windscreen saying that there is nothing of value on board.

 

Regards The Captain

[ChrisK5]

Keep it at home and tell your neighbour to mind their own business.

[LordThornber]

ChrisK5 - 2011-03-05 9:26 PM

Keep it at home and tell your neighbour to mind their own business.

 

In an ideal world I agree, but we don't know the whole yarn do we?

 

The neighbour may well be invoking his/her right over a covenant placed upon the land.

 

Have you informed your insurer over it's new home? Just a thought 8-)

 

Martyn

[Big Momma]

Captain mikey - 2011-03-05 9:12 PM

 

Hi folks, For the first time I have to put my motorhome into storage instead of leaving it at home - stroppy neighbour. I have found somewhere that I think is suitable but would greatly appreciate some advice eg should I put a notice on the windscreen saying that there is nothing of value on board.

 

Regards The Captain

 

I think it would very much depend on where you are storing it e.g. in the open or undercover, in a secured fenced and gated area etc. I am not sure that putting a sign in your window will prevent anyone from breaking into it, but then again I don't know that it wouldn't. The biggest problem is actually with the theft of the van itself so ensure that you take adequate precautions to secure and immobilise it and if possible, if not too far away try to visit occasionally to ensure everything is okay, inside and out and to run the engine to keep the batteries charged up for things like alarms.

[Way2Go]

ChrisK5 - 2011-03-05 9:26 PM Keep it at home and tell your neighbour to mind their own business.

Nice attitude - perhaps you'd like my furniture lorry parked outside your house *-)  Do you own a couple of yappy dogs as well just to annoy neighbours as it's a 'free' country and you can do anything you like . . . idiot

I agree that a sign probably wouldn't do any good but DO tell your insurance company as some of them won't like it and will want chapter and verse on security etc.

We store ours away from home (as we consider our neighbours view . . . or lack of) and our insurance company was fine about it.

Fortunately ours is stored under cover at a farm which has a couple of small business units in operation so there's usually someone about.  Be sure to talk to everyone you see to make yourself known so they make the connection with which motorhome you own and it should be fine.

W2G

[Mike88]

ChrisK5 - 2011-03-05 9:26 PM

 

Keep it at home and tell your neighbour to mind their own business.

 

Oh dear! Motorhome owners should act responsibly. If the presence of a motorhome inconveniences a neighbour such as blocking a window, affecting light and/or a view or makes it difficult to manoeuvre into and out of their drive then a motorhome should be in storage.

[nasher]

We are in a new property with a covenant on it, we have a shared drive which leads to our and neighbours garages,when we first moved in i parked the van on this drive, received a letter from the builder pointing out the covenant and to move it, ignored this then received a solicitors letter threatening court action. Part of the covenant said no tv aerials to be seen from the road, result , sat dishes on every property. I saw a solicitor and asked how enforceable were the covenants , she said very.My van is now in storage on a farm.But even if the storage site has a barrier for entry/exit whats to stop a bent person smuggling a mate in to ransack any motorhome.

[PJay]

We keep ours on a site , have done for 5 years. The site has very good survelence cameras, a key coded gate to main site and individual keys to various parts of the site. It is a CASSOA gold site. Perhaps you have one near to you? We also have a covenant re keeping caravans , trailers etc on drive. I must say I would not like to keep permanenty on drive anyway.

We just bring home for 1 or 2 nights to load/unlaod

You must inform insurers of change of site, as will affect your cover. We pay less for being on an approved site.

PJay

[bolero boy]

This is a difficult subject. We are fortunate enough to have a long wide drive (and no covenant) which means we keep the M/H at home. This is very handy as we are away very regularly (at least twice a month along with much longer stays during the summer). We are able to clean the vehicle, load and unload supplies and equipment, make minor repairs and adjustments without difficulty.

We, obviously, also have access to water and electricity services to aid things like maintaining charge.

 

On the other hand, our nearby friends have no facility to store their M/H outside their home. They, too, travel away almost every weekend (Fri-Mon) as they now work part time. With their M/H being parked a couple of miles away means loading/unloading is a real pain. Their storage facility does not have access to water or electricity and cleaning the M/H is a nightmare. Of course, they pay for this privilage.

 

I would not like to upset neighbours with our comings and goings, we are fairly quiet I think. Also the M/H is not in the normal view of our neighbours. However, when you look at the truly inconsiderate way some householders park their cars (on pavements and directly opposite another car) and how difficult it can make it for motorhomers to get access to their own properties, I think we are most respectful.

 

If i had to 'manage' all of our motorhoming from a compound miles away, I'm aftraid a lot of the gloss would be dulled.

 

Rgds,

Chris.

[Rayjsj]

Being a 'Good Neighbour' is all about 'give and take', When I used to store my caravan on my drive at my previous home I grew (and kept heavily trimmed) a row of Conifers to shield the view of the van from my neighbours kitchen.

That way we remained 'on speaking terms' if not good friends , a small price to pay. Mind you a 'Covenant' may have muddied the waters somewhat. ;-) Ray

 

If storing 'away from home' the main thing to protect against is 'MICE'

(they can't read notices,or choose to ignore them, and are worse than squatters) after a bad winter I used a 9v battery powered electronic 'Screamer' which stopped them fron setting up home a 2nd time

[bolero boy]

As the youngest couple in our close (we are both retired!) we are most definitely the good neighbours to many of the older folk for whom we mow laws, run(yes, still) errands and are part of local NW.

 

Our first van was 2nd hand and had a problem with an engine mgt light on the dash. When the service dealer eventually found the problem he told us that there must have been mice where the previous owner stored the van as a small wire had been chewed through!

 

The dealer was great and sorted it gratis (under the Fiat warranty).

 

Rgds,

Chris.

[Mel B]

Captain mikey - 2011-03-05 9:12 PM

 

For the first time I have to put my motorhome into storage instead of leaving it at home - stroppy neighbour.

 

If you are parking your motorhome on your land and it is not obstructing anyone's ability to come and go from their property, and there isn't a covenant on your property, then your neighbour hasn't got a leg to stand on.

 

If however you are parking it on the street and it is causing a problem, or contravening a covenant, that's another matter.

 

As you have a 'stroppy neighbour' (I'm sure many of us know what THAT can be like!), and he/she is just being a pain in the bum and you are not causing any problems or contravening a covenant, then I'd too be inclined to tell your neighbour to get stuffed ... politely of course!

 

As an aside, when we bought a new bungalow a few years ago, the site allowed caravans etc so long as they were no further forward than the building line (ie a physical structure), which stopped basically level with the front of the properties as the are no actual physical boundary markers being open plan gardens.

 

We originally intended to move there ourselves, but have decided it is propbably too small, so have since rented it out, however as our bungalow is in the very corner the large drive is at the front (access from the side), and therefore in front of the building line. In order to get round this we paid for a fence to be put up at the very front edge of the drive, which then moved the building line to that. This means that we can now legally park a caravan/motorhome on the drive and we have this in writing from the builder's solicitor. It also means that the house opposite has a view of a nice fence/planting, rather than the side of a motorhome if one is parked there and it also gives some privacy to the front of our bungalow where the bedrooms are.

[FRANKP60]

Before we brought a Motor home I was concerned about neighbours,so contacted local planning office,was told that council had no problem with me parking on own drive ,in fact he said as long as it was taxed and insured I could park it on highway,as long as i did not sleep in it.

Looked into covenant ,but the builder had gone out of business ten years before and was advised that the covenant was not in force therefore .It did say that Caravans,White vans,Sign written vans or trailers should not be parked on drive .As we have plenty of those half the close would have been effected ,spoke to neighbours either side they had no problem with M/H and we try to get out in it as often as possible .Planning did say that the only way we could be stopped was a private action ,but he did think it would take more than one person to ,and would cost them a lot of money .

[nasher]

If a person breached the covenant what would be the outcome of a court case brought about by say a group of neighbours. I know nothing about legalities, people visit our neighbours, they come in vans and park anywhere they like. We think theyre a bunch of nimbys!!!

[Mike88]

Mel wrote:

 

"If you are parking your motorhome on your land and it is not obstructing anyone's ability to come and go from their property, and there isn't a covenant on your property, then your neighbour hasn't got a leg to stand on."

 

That might be the case but there is also something called consideration for your neighbours. Imagine if a motorhome or caravan owner parked in front of your lounge window blocking your view. That to my mind would not be a neighbourly thing to do even though it might be perfectly legal.

 

 

 

 

[Way2Go]

Mike88 - 2011-03-06 4:56 PM ". . . . but there is also something called consideration for your neighbours. Imagine if a motorhome or caravan owner parked in front of your lounge window blocking your view. That to my mind would not be a neighbourly thing to do even though it might be perfectly legal.

Gets my vote Mike - if only everyone could be so considerate but I think we are in a minority.

It seems that the "you're worth it" brigade think they can do anything they like and to hell with anyone who doesn't agree with them.

W2G

[How Much]

On the one hand,i wouldnt want a great big van of any sort parked in front of my window. On the other hand, some folk are a pain in the arse and complain for the sake of it.

Years ago i used to park a gas board 'bread van' down a side road against a manky red brick outhouse wall - which was graffitied. The boss collared me one day, and told me to park it elsewhere, as the woman over the road said i was blocking her view! 8-)

[Brock]

Check the security of the storage against CASSOA standards. Use visible deterrents such as a steering wheel clamp whilst ensuring the alarm is on. Leave nothing visible particularly satnav sucker pad marks on the windscreen or bluetooth stickers, a sign about valuables is unlikely to deter thieves.

 

Caravans are an easier target so thieves tend to go for them first. They are easier to break into and tow away. It takes longer to get into a motorhome and escape with it especially if it is alarmed or has an immobiliser.

 

Check your handbook as to what you should do, e.g. switch off the electric. Some motorhomes drain power when they are idle (mine has a drain of 0.5 amps). Drain all drinking water.

 

Check where you are parked - motorhomes are more likely to sink into soft ground than a caravan. Make sure you can get the vehicle out when all the vans are in store. Caravanners tend not to appreciate the needs of motorhomers - and probably vice versa - so can park incoveniently. When moving around the site, watch for extending A- frames on caravans - their hitches can do a lot of damage if you hit one.

 

You need to keep a particular eye on the van in the winter because of the changing conditions. The nearer the storage, the better in most cases.

 

We had a mouse make a mess in our van when stored on a site. Move dried food into the higher cabinets if they cannot be removed altogether.

 

Think about adding extra graphics so your van is recognisable. They can be removed, of course, but it takes time and sometimes leaves marks.

 

We had a caravan and then motohomes in storage for over 15 years with only one mouse problem in all that time. No thieves or anything else unpleasant.

 

Caravan Club used to do a leaflet on storage, they may still do if you are a member.

[Rosbotham]

I assume you've spoken to your insurers? From conversations I had when renewing, although none actually insist on CASSOA, most impose conditions (locked, secure perimeter, CCTV, 24hr presence) that defacto equate to CASSOA gold. To answer your question (touch wood), if you're on a CASSOA gold or equivalent, your "no valuables" notice will be a waste of time because the security will be so hot that the only people who see it are fellow motorhomers / caravanners.

 

We keep ours on a CASSOA gold because although it would just about fit on our drive permanently, it would involve too much juggling of the cars. Having said that, even if I had a larger drive, I probably wouldn't keep it at home unless it was out of sight....otherwise when the van isn't there you may as well put a large sign draped across the front of your house saying "we're away for the weekend, feel free to wander around the house & look for valuables".

[Barbarian]

Hello Captain and welcome to the forum. We have a very good neighbour who allows us to park our Motorhome on his drive as he has more space than us but we can see it from our house. (Insurers aware) We asked all of his surrounding neighbours first and no-one objected. We had it stored on a silver standard storage place but it was in the middle of nowhere on an industrial estate, 4 miles from home. Although it had a 'secure' card entry gate access we went on two occasions and found the gate stuck in the open position so decided to move it + we saved £200 a year. our neighbours reap the benefit of us on their drive with regular dinner dates by way of thanks as he will not hear of cash payment.

When we had a problem with a leaking rear window we kept the vehicle on the road outside our house for a few days to enable us to check when it rained. 'Someone' wrote 'anonymously' to our Parish Council, knowing I am a Councillor, to complain that we were causing an obstruction and all sorts of made up nonsense. So consideration is the key, we had moved the vehicle before the complaint was written but it did not stop them.

If you have access to your house deeds have a look, some covenants are not in place permanently and expire after a fixed time span or if the builder is no longer trading, there is no-one to transfer the covenant enforcement to! So a covenant added at the time of building may not nesessarily be enforceable now! It's worth a look.

 

Regards, barbarian

[Guest pelmetman]

When we first had our motorhome we had no drive and the road where we lived was quite narrow so it would not have been safe to park it on the road. Not to mention it wouldn't have been fair on our neighbours.

 

We thought we were lucky to find somewhere just 10 mins walk up the road at the cattery/kennels where we took our cats. It was housed in a huge old chicken shed that was quite safe and dry as the owner was very security concious.

 

Although safe from break ins it was not safe from mishaps. Firstly it got scratched, we think by a sit on lawn mower. Then we started to notice different knocks and bumps which we later found out were being caused by the local Lions Club that used to store their carnival floats in the same shed.

 

We soon decided to move house and this time made sure we had a drive and space to build a huge garage to house the van in.

 

When we moved again one of our main priorities was to buy a property with an outbuilding large enough to once again house our van. We hit the jackpot with this house as it had a large barn type building that used to house a fairground organ.

 

Having a garage has many advantages as not only is your van protected from the elements, and your van not being on your drive....... advertizes that your house might be empty.

 

Sue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[catinou]

We live in a city and have inches to spare at either side when the MH is parked in the drive. It blocks the light to our dining room window, access to the back door and means we have to park one car on the road and one on a very kind neighbour's drive. We would still prefer this to parking away from home though.

 

As retirement looms and the family have all fled this country we started looking for safe parking in France for a retirement base - after much looking we now have more room than we ever thought possible, plus a choice of barns to park in so can't wait for our long awaited "freedom" from nosey and, frankly, jealous neighbours. Far better to have an expensive purchase within sight if at all possible....

[Mel B]

Way2Go - 2011-03-06 5:43 PM

Mike88 - 2011-03-06 4:56 PM ". . . . but there is also something called consideration for your neighbours. Imagine if a motorhome or caravan owner parked in front of your lounge window blocking your view. That to my mind would not be a neighbourly thing to do even though it might be perfectly legal.

Gets my vote Mike - if only everyone could be so considerate but I think we are in a minority.

It seems that the "you're worth it" brigade think they can do anything they like and to hell with anyone who doesn't agree with them.

W2G

If you two are going to 'criticise' me, at least have the decency to quote my words in context, ie:

If you are parking your motorhome on your land and it is not obstructing anyone's ability to come and go from their property, and there isn't a covenant on your property, then your neighbour hasn't got a leg to stand on.If however you are parking it on the street and it is causing a problem, or contravening a covenant, that's another matter.As you have a 'stroppy neighbour' (I'm sure many of us know what THAT can be like!), and he/she is just being a pain in the bum and you are not causing any problems or contravening a covenant, then I'd too be inclined to tell your neighbour to get stuffed ... politely of course!

I stated the 'fact' of what is and is not legally permitted, I didn't say you should CAUSE a problem with your neighbour did I? *-) The OP has a 'stroppy' neighbour ... so basically if the owner is NOT causing a problem and the neighbour is just being a pain in the bum, you do NOT have to move your van.In the real world it is best to not have problems with neighbours but why should this mean that, if you are not having any detrimental effect on them (or others), you should have to change what you do for the sake of it ... bit like someone objecting because you have a Lada on your drive and it's bringing the tone of the neighbourhood down .... :-S

[Mike88]

Mel

 

This is what you said:

 

"If you are parking your motorhome on your land and it is not obstructing anyone's ability to come and go from their property, and there isn't a covenant on your property, then your neighbour hasn't got a leg to stand on."

 

So you park your motorhome on your drive in front of your neighbour's window and this is fine according to your theory of motorhome storage.

 

You then say:

 

"If however you are parking it on the street and it is causing a problem, or contravening a covenant, that's another matter."

 

You seem to be saying that if you inconvenience a neighbour when the vehicle is lawfully on your land then that's tough but you must not cause a nuisance while parked on the road.

 

How does this change the point I have made and how is what I have said out of context? As far as I'm concerned I quoted you in context and nothing you have said leads me to change my mind.

 

You then go on about the stroppy neighbour.

 

How do you know the neighbour is stroppy? On the motorhome owners say so? There are two sides to every story. Who is best to judge whether a motorhome is having a detrimental effect? The motorhome owner or the complainant?

 

My point is that motorhomes on drives have the ability to inconvenience neighbors and a bit of thought would not go amiss. Relying on the law which seems to be your main consideration is not the only issue to take into account.

 

Of course on some properties storing motorhomes is fine; I keep mine on my drive but it is 30ft wide and screened from my neighbour by trees.

 

If motorhome owners rely solely on legalities and their opinion of what is appropriate then I am clearly at odds with general opinion.

[Guest pelmetman]

Why would a motorhome parked on your own drive/land annoy anyone *-) .........unless they enjoy being annoyed............in which case I would see it as my civic duty to annoy them >:-) (lol) (lol)