Accountant is ordered to pay his neighbors £60,000 ($75,093) after boxing in their car, blocking their garage and 'trespassing' on their spaces in bitter seven-year parking war

An accountant whose parking was so inconsiderate it amounted to 'bullying' of his neighbors has been ordered to pay them £60,000 ($75,093) in compensation. Ivan Soares, 53, and his neighbors the Kothari family have been locked in a bitter dispute over a 'few feet' of parking space since 2015, with the Kotharis complaining of consistent bad parking. Bindu Kothari, her husband Sandip and brother-in-law Manish claimed their neighbor had frequently boxed them in by parking inches from their car and obstructing their garage in their cul-de-sac in Harefield, west London. In December last year, a judge urged the warring neighbors to settle their differences without wasting any more money. The judge warned: 'If the parties want to spend £50,000 ($62,578) arguing about a few feet of parking, they can do so I suppose, but it seems to me they are arguing about very little at a great risk to themselves in terms of costs.' But they ignored the advice and Mr Soares and his wife Sunita have now been told to pay out £60,090 ($75,180) in compensation at Central London County Court after Judge Jane Evans-Gordon said his parking behavior was a form of 'bullying.' Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11932499/Accountant-ordered-pay-neighbours-60-000-bullying-parking-behaviour?ito=msngallery

When asked by Mrs Kothari to move his car so she could get to work, Mr Soares (pictured) told her: 'Not my problem,' in a manner which a judge has now branded 'high-handed and insulting.' The 'toxic' neighbors' row, which has racked up over £100,000 ($125,061) in lawyers' bills, revolved around three car parking spaces outside the neighbors' homes in Fallowfield Close, Harefield - two owned by Mr and Mrs Soares and a third in between them owned by the Kotharis. 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. The couple said that was a 'sensible' thing to do as it allowed them to park their cars together in front of their house, with their neighbors parking closest to their own house and garage. But the neighbors fell out over the parking arrangements - after allegations of inconsiderate parking - and, in September 2018, Mr and Mrs Soares 'revoked' the swap agreement. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11932499/Accountant-ordered-pay-neighbours-60-000-bullying-parking-behaviour?ito=msngallery

The parking feud ended up before a judge in 2021, when it was ruled that Mr and Mrs Soares had validly revoked the swap agreement and that the space on the right is rightly theirs. But the case returned to court last week as 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 after the swap deal came to an end. However, the Kotharis counterclaimed, seeking compensation over their neighbors' bad parking, which they said had harmed the value of their property. The Kotharis claimed they ended up getting so penned in by Mr Soares' parking maneuvres that Mrs Kothari couldn't even get into her car. Mrs Kothari told the judge how her neighbor had routinely reversed his car towards her vehicle's space, 'getting closer and closer to her car until they are all but touching.' And she said she had not used the middle space, which belongs to her family, since July 2022 'for fear of being boxed in' by their neighbor. Pictured: Bindu Kothari outside Central London County Court after giving evidence about the parking row with neighbor Ivan Soares. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11932499/Accountant-ordered-pay-neighbours-60-000-bullying-parking-behaviour?ito=msngallery

Mr Soares had also at times left the couple's car parked at the main road end of the cul-de-sac, 'causing an obstruction,' as well as blocking access to the Kotharis' garage. The Kotharis claimed the value of their £750,000 ($937,890) home has been slashed due to the impact of their neighbors' oppressive parking, with an estate agent telling them the problems would have to be disclosed to potential purchasers and could reduce the sale value by up to 10 per cent. Giving judgment, Judge Evans-Gordon said a police officer who had attended the road over the dispute had described Mr Soares' parking as 'selfish and unnecessary.' Having reversed until his vehicle was very close to Mrs Kothari's, he had turned his wheels towards her car before leaving, said the judge. Branding Mr Soares' parking 'high handed, insulting and oppressive,' the judge added: 'This is exemplified by the evidence given by Mrs Kothari, who told me that when she couldn't access her car she asked Mr Soares to move his car because she couldn't get to work, but he said "that's not my problem" - and refused to move his car. There is no better example of high-handed and insulting behavior.' Pictured: Manish Kothari, 41, outside court. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11932499/Accountant-ordered-pay-neighbours-60-000-bullying-parking-behaviour?ito=msngallery

 She awarded the Kotharis £60,090 ($75,180) to compensate them for their neighbors' trespassing on their space, damage done to their parking area and for the reduction in value of their house caused by the dispute. 'Given the claimant's behavior - which amounts to bullying - a potential purchaser might be fearful of repeat incidents. Hence the reduction in value,' she said. On top of awarding compensation to the Kotharis, the judge slapped a series of injunctions on Mr and Mrs Soares, barring them from straying onto their neighbors' parking space or in front of their garage. Ruling in favor of Mr and Mrs Soares on their own claim, the judge awarded them £2,530 ($3,163) trespass damages from the Kotharis for their continued use of the right sided parking space after the 'swap agreement' was ended. The judge also accepted that the Kotharis had in the past 'obstructed' their neighbors' turning circle through parking. But she declined to grant an injunction banning this conduct because she was 'not satisfied there's been any obstruction of that turning circle for some years.' The Kotharis must pay Mr and Mrs Soares' legal costs in bringing their trespass claim, while Mr and Mrs Soares must pay for their neighbours' costs in bringing their counterclaim. A separate judge will have to assess the precise amount of costs each side has to pay up, although an earlier hearing was told the case has already run up around £100,000 ($125,061) in lawyers' bills. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11932499/Accountant-ordered-pay-neighbours-60-000-bullying-parking-behaviour?ito=msngallery

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