‘Bullying’ accountant must pay neighbours £60,000 for ‘selfish’ parking, judge rules

An accountant whose parking was described by a judge as “high handed” and “amounts to bullying” must pay his neighbours more than £60,000 in compensation.

Ivan Soares, 53, and his neighbours have been locked in a row over a “few feet” of parking space since 2015.

Bindu Kothari, her husband, Sandip, and brother-in-law Manish claimed that their neighbour had frequently boxed them in by parking inches from their car.

The dispute, which has cost more than £100,000 in legal fees, revolved around three car parking spaces in Fallowfield Close, Harefield, west London. Two of the spaces were owned by Mr Soares and his wife and a third, wedged in between them, owned by the Kothari family.

In the past, Mr and Mrs Soares had allowed a "swap" arrangement, whereby they parked their vehicles in the two adjacent spaces on the left, with the Kotharis using the space on the right closest to their house.

But Mr and Mrs Soares "revoked" the deal in September 2018 after allegations of inconsiderate parking, prompting a judge to rule in 2021 that they had done so validly and the space was rightfully theirs.

But the case landed in London County Court last week after Mr and Mrs Soares claimed compensation for the Kotharis having "trespassed" on their land by continuing to park in the space for nearly two years.

However, the Kotharis countersued, seeking compensation for being so penned in by Mr Soares that Mrs Kothari could not get in her car, blocking access to their garage and "causing an obstruction".

In one incident, Mrs Kothari said she asked Mr Soares to move his car because she could not get to work and he replied: "That's not my problem."

The Kotharis claimed an estate agent told them that the issue would have to be disclosed to potential purchasers and could reduce the value of their £750,000 property by up to 10 per cent.

A police officer who had previously attended the road over the dispute described Mr Soares' parking as "selfish and unnecessary".

Judge Jane Evans-Gordon described Mr Soares’ parking as “high handed, insulting and oppressive" and said it "amounts to bullying".

The Kotharis were awarded £60,090 in compensation and the Soares were given £2,530 trespass damages.

The judge also granted an injunction barring Mr and Mrs Soares from straying onto their neighbours’ parking space or in front of their garage, but accepted that the Kotharis had in the past "obstructed" their neighbours' turning circle through parking.

The Kotharis must pay Mr and Mrs Soares’ legal costs in bringing their trespass claim, while Mr and Mrs Soares must pay their neighbours’ costs in bringing their counterclaim, the precise amount of which will be decided at a later date.