Although problems with neighbours can have many causes, a parked car turns out to be a major source of frustration. Neighbours park in front of a garage door, or every member of their large brood has their own car and so they take up the already limited parking spaces. Sometimes there is even parking damage! All of this leads to parking conflicts with the neighbours. This page describes the situation in the Netherlands.
Neighbours park in front of the driveway or exit
It is prohibited to park in front of a driveway or an exit. This is stated literally in Article 24(1)(b) of the Traffic Rules and Signs Regulations 1990 (RVV 1990). In other words, the neighbour is committing a traffic offence and can be fined for it. The fine for a car in 2026 is €130 (offence code R 397 b, Staatsblad 2025, 413). You can therefore contact the police about this. They will issue a fine and can have the car towed away if the owner is not nearby. In general, they take action fairly quickly when an exit is blocked, but a blocked driveway entrance is less of a priority. After all, it is then possible to simply park somewhere else for a while. If there are no other calls, they may still come and take a look.
What exactly counts as a driveway or exit is not stated in the regulations. According to the courts, what matters is whether every road user on the spot can clearly recognise the opening as a driveway or exit, for example by a lowered kerb; the purpose and the construction play a role in this. The ban also applies to your own driveway or exit (District Court of Amsterdam, ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2025:10512). Article 24 only prohibits parking in front of the exit, not opposite it. Anyone who parks opposite an exit and thereby obstructs traffic may, however, be acting in breach of Article 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 (Wegenverkeerswet 1994).
In any case, contacting the police is a far-reaching measure. It is better to speak to the neighbours yourself and ask them to move the car. Also explain that the driveway and exit are used often and must always be kept clear. Only when neighbours are unwilling to cooperate or park in front of the exit time after time is it advisable to call in the police after all.
What to do if the neighbours park in front of your exit
- Speak to the neighbours
Calmly ask the neighbours to move the car and explain that the driveway and exit are used often and must always be kept clear.
- Look for a solution together
If a conversation does not work, mediation or community mediation (buurtbemiddeling) can help.
- Call in the police
If the neighbours park in front of the exit time after time, the police can issue a fine and have the car towed away if the owner is not nearby.
Neighbours always take up the public parking spaces
There is little you can do about the fact that the neighbours take up a lot of parking spaces. These are public parking spaces that are available to everyone. At most, you can ask the neighbours to bear this in mind, but that is where it ends. Moreover, they would then be forced to park a little further along, which simply shifts the problem.
The local bye-laws (APV, Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening) may, however, contain provisions that can be useful. For example, some APVs include a rule that trailers may only be parked in the same place for a few days at most. If an APV is breached, you can of course always contact the local police, but even then talk to the neighbours first so that the relationship does not have to sour. Mediation can help with this if needed.
If parking problems persist, it can be useful to raise the situation with the municipality. The municipality may then provide more parking spaces. However, do not have any illusions about this either, because in most municipalities parking pressure has been high for some time and the municipalities are well aware of it. They run up against their limitations, though, and find it difficult to provide extra parking space. Sometimes it may be possible, for example, to combine paid parking with a permit for residents and other interested parties. This keeps out others who currently take up the parking spaces.
Read also: Neighbour law in the Netherlands, Renovations and problems with the neighbours and Noise nuisance from the neighbours.
Frequently asked questions about parking problems with the neighbours
The neighbours keep parking in front of my door even though there is space in front of their own door. What can I do?
If it is a public parking space, there is nothing you can do about it legally. At most, you can have a word with them about it. Just speak to them calmly, have a chat, invite them round for coffee and, in passing, ask them not to park in front of your door any more. This will often be enough, and they will take it into account in future.
There is never a parking space in my street. Can I not simply turn my front garden into a parking space?
A parking space in the front garden and a new exit often require permission from the municipality; this is set out in the environment plan (omgevingsplan) or the APV. Check with the municipality beforehand.
How long may the neighbours leave their caravan in a parking space?
This differs from municipality to municipality. Consult the municipality's APV, as it will probably contain a number of rules. Some municipalities have a total ban on long caravans, but in most municipalities they may be placed on the public road for a maximum of three days. Moving the caravan every three days is, in principle, not enough. In most municipalities, however, action is only taken once complaints are actually made. A fine then follows and the caravan can be towed away.
The neighbours park their scooter or mobility scooter in the hall of the block of flats. Is this allowed?
The hall of a block of flats is part of the jointly owned property of all the owners. They have made agreements in the owners' association (Vereniging van Eigenaren, VvE) about what is and is not allowed. Often, however, this will not be allowed because of fire safety, guaranteeing an escape route and the appearance of the building. For a mobility scooter, they may be willing to make an exception or apply a policy of tolerance. Discuss the situation with the board.
May someone with a right of way also park their car on it?
A right of way is limited to being allowed to cross someone else's land in order to get to or from your own plot. It is of course possible that the notarial deed also contains agreements about an associated parking right. Such agreements are then simply valid. In any case, years of tolerance do not automatically create such a parking right. Incidentally, this also applies the other way round: the owner of the plot may not park on the route of the right of way either if this would obstruct the neighbour who is allowed to use the route. In that last respect, of course, the specific situation on the land has to be looked at.
May my neighbours park their work van in front of my house?
This, too, is allowed in principle, but here too it is advisable to read through the APV. Some municipalities have specific rules for, for example, larger vans that are higher than 2.4 metres.