Shared driveway woes

[Rebecca Lebowitz]

Hi All,

I'm hoping others have had this situation come up with a good resolution. One of the property's that I manage has a shared driveway. This is a new property under my management, and both tenants were inherited at time of acquisition.

Both tenants have lived there for 5+ years, and while initially they were good friends, it has deteriorated significantly. Major problem is there is a long (but only one car-width) driveway, so if they both are using it, one is always blocking in the other person.

I have a few other properties that this is the case, but fortunately my tenants have all worked it out amongst themselves, however in this situation they just cannot.

I have a few ideas, but want other people's thoughts, experiences and advice.

Many thanks in advance!

[Marcia Maynard]

Designate the driveway for pedestrians only! Put something up at the entrance that discourages vehicle use but can be opened for use by emergency vehicles and for the occasional moving in/out of big items such as furniture.

Tell the tenants this change is a result of their not being able to work out a more viable solution between themselves. Let them know if they want to use the driveway again for their vehicles, they need to present you with a jointly agreed upon proposal as to how they can make it work.