A Perth family returned from a European holiday to an unexpected problem waiting at their doorstep.

A council ranger knocked just hours after they landed, demanding that their caravan be removed from outside their home.

The order came after a neighbour lodged a complaint, forcing the owner to find—and pay for—alternative storage.

Eddy Luquero had owned his caravan for more than three years when the council became involved.

The knock at the door came while he and his wife were overseas, with a ranger advising their son that the vehicle could not remain parked on the verge outside their Ocean Reef home.

When Eddy returned, the ranger appeared again within three hours of him stepping back into the house.

Neighbour complaint sparks costly caravan dispute. Image source: Facebook/Eddy Luquero

'My wife and I were in Europe, but our son was at home... The council ranger said they'd had a complaint from someone in the area,' Eddy told Yahoo News.

'We were back a fortnight later, and we'd literally been back in the house for about three hours from the airport, and lo and behold, the lady turned up again.'

The council’s rules were clear—unattached caravans, boats, and trailers were not permitted on verges, roads, or car parks at any time.

With little choice, Eddy relocated his caravan to a storage facility 20 minutes away, now paying $80 a month just to keep it there.

He said the new arrangement had made caravanning less convenient, turning a simple getaway into a logistical exercise.

'I've got to go over there in the car now, get it, bring it back to my house, load it up, then go,' he explained.

'I really don't understand. Yes, if I'm pulling out or pulling in, it does take a little bit to get into the correct position... but it's no problem when it's there.'

Caravan parking has become a flashpoint across the country as popularity surges and streets grow more crowded.

The community reporting app Snap Send Solve revealed it had already received 2,100 complaints this year about caravans parked in residential areas.

One Sunshine Coast resident even launched a petition after caravans blocked both sides of his driveway, with more than 500 signatures supporting tighter restrictions.

Meanwhile, Sydney’s Northern Beaches Council has been running its own investigation into how to manage the growing issue.

Traffic lawyer Avinash Singh warned that failing to plan caravan storage could quickly turn neighbours against each other.

'You don't want to be putting all your neighbours and the rest of the community offside with a caravan causing issues for parking,' he told Yahoo News.

'Sometimes, because of their size, they can even be a danger in terms of driving.'

He urged prospective owners to check their council regulations and have a storage plan before committing to such a large purchase.

Parking disputes like Eddy’s aren’t isolated—councils across the country have been fielding a surge of complaints about caravans, boats, and trailers left on verges or streets.

In some areas, the rules are even stricter, with rangers actively patrolling and issuing fines.

One recent case shows just how heated these clashes can become when neighbours and councils lock horns over space.

Read more: Is your neighbor breaking the rules? What you need to know about the council’s crackdown on caravans and boats

Key Takeaways

• A Perth man was forced to move his caravan after a neighbour complaint.
• Council rules prohibit parking unattached caravans on verges or streets.
• He now pays $80 a month for offsite storage 20 minutes from home.
• Complaints about caravan parking are rising nationwide, sparking petitions and investigations.

Would you be frustrated if a neighbour’s complaint suddenly left you paying extra just to enjoy your own caravan?

 

[Deejay11]

You don’t own the verge outside your house, it’s council land. It’s also a strip pedestrians can walk along. I don’t like having to walk along the road while out taking a stroll to get around cars, caravans, boats …… We had a caravan for a while, we paid a friend to have it on his block for storage, we accepted that we had to go and collect it, bring it to our place (on the street) to load it up, then leave on our trip. Such is life!

 

[Ronloby]

That is OLD news.

 

[CristinaV]

How hard is it to go and get your caravan from storage? An extra hour to pack it sounds reasonable. So get up earlier.

 

[Leenie]

That is OLD news.

Plenty of that lately .

 

[falconxp]

As a neighbour, whether you like it or not, any vehicle that is legally registered, be it a car, a boat, and also a caravan too. If the owner has paid for the registration, then they are legally entitled to park their caravan, wherever they like. This of course applies in designated parking spaces, being for cars or motorcycles, or any registered motorised vehicle. I hope theses people go to court and fight for their legal right to park their van where they have legally done so. Good luck to them. Gezzabel.

They have not legally parked there.

 

[mylittletibbies]

As a neighbour, whether you like it or not, any vehicle that is legally registered, be it a car, a boat, and also a caravan too. If the owner has paid for the registration, then they are legally entitled to park their caravan, wherever they like. This of course applies in designated parking spaces, being for cars or motorcycles, or any registered motorised vehicle. I hope theses people go to court and fight for their legal right to park their van where they have legally done so. Good luck to them. Gezzabel.

It is s totally illegal to park a caravan on the verge. It is council land. Not yours. I'm absolutely amazed that these people got away with it as long as they did
If you want to have a caravan, then you need to have room on YOUR PROPERTY to store it.
It doesn't sound to me that $80/month is going to be a stretch for these people while they are busy flitting around Europe.
Imagine if everybody had their caravans. boats, etc parked up and down the street.
The only thing these people would achieve by going to court would be a large legal bill. They have been breaking the law for over 3 years. Pretty slack Council.

 

[darrellh]

There are more and more caravans being bought these days and the owners in alot of cases clearly have not thought about where it is going to sit for that considerable period it is not going to be out on the road. Even bigger SUV 's are blocking traffic parked in front of homes on verges. It is getting quite dangerous on some of these narrow streets that just weren't built for this sortnof traffic and new suburbs are not any different as it is all about money for the developer.

 

[mylittletibbies]

As a neighbour, whether you like it or not, any vehicle that is legally registered, be it a car, a boat, and also a caravan too. If the owner has paid for the registration, then they are legally entitled to park their caravan, wherever they like. This of course applies in designated parking spaces, being for cars or motorcycles, or any registered motorised vehicle. I hope theses people go to court and fight for their legal right to park their van where they have legally done so. Good luck to them. Gezzabel.

You need to check up on your understanding of the law. You sre 100%wrong.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Veggie patch seems to have a problem with people legally parking a registered vehicle in a legally assigned parking area. What have they done wrong? Get a life!

The caravan is not legally parked. That is what they have done wrong. Vegie is 100% right. You need to get a grip, and make sure you know what you are talking about before you comment .

 

[mylittletibbies]

It appears that the owner of the caravan could possible renting out his caravan, and there are probably people sleeping in the caravan. So in order to make it safe for his tents, be has taken the caravan off the road, and parked it on safer grounds that being the nature strip.

You are not allowed to rent out caravans on your property either, let alone on the council verge. That's absurd. Imagine if there were caravans being rented out up and down streets, on everyone's verges.
Very sanitary, not!!

 

[Flipsout]

I believe every council in Australia have their own regulations regarding parking boats, caravans etc on the street or footpath. Some actively enforce them, some don’t. Some are strict and some aren’t. Best to check with your local council prior to purchase if you’re unable to park on your own property. We have boats and vans parked on the streets in our suburb which have a lot of narrow streets. However, unless flagged as an issue they are legally allowed to park. I know that it’s an issue which is currently being investigated on the Sunshine Coast. The council there is investigating it as we speak. I live next door in Moreton Bay council area, I don’t have a boat or van as I don’t have room on my property. There are particularly vans in narrow streets which need navigating around but as far as I know, no one has complained.

 

[mylittletibbies]

What they are doing is illegal!!
No council allows a car or caravan to be parked on the nature strip.

If that was my council ( Canterbury Bankstown) no one would need to do them in as rangers would be straight out anyway.

Rules are there for a reason, can you imagine what your street would look like if everyone parked their cars or caravan on the nature strip

our neighbour parks his boat on the road and I hate it as coming out of my driveway its a blind spot but no way I would report it and its also aloud.

Why did this man not park his caravan on the road outside his house or in his driveway instead of on the nature strip ?

You're not allowed to park your caravan permanently on the street either.
If you can afford to have a caravan sitting around then you should have to have enough room to store it on your property or pay for storage elsewhere.

 

[7777]

You are not allowed to rent out caravans on your property either, let alone on the council verge. That's absurd. Imagine if there were caravans being rented out up and down streets, on everyone's verges.
Very sanitary, not!!

Dear mylittletibbies, yes it may not be allowed, but you would be surprised at how many people are struggling to find a roof over their head. For some people to be able to even rent a caravan, is a God Send. Have a lovely day.

 

[Veggiepatch]

That's not correct. There are regulations and they are put in place for a reason. Vehicles - whether registered or not - cannot be parked where they cause a safety risk or obstruct legitimate walking or driving traffic, block lawful access, etc. Look at the photo. The caravan is parked on a footpath where it can potentially obstruct walking traffic. Footpaths are constructed for people to walk on, not for caravan owners to park on. I know it sometimes feels over-the-top. Laws tend to be general and applied broadly, and thus often go too far or feel inappropriate for a particular situation. And in some situations it is possible to apply for an exemption if you have a solid case. But you can't just park your vehicle anywhere you please. And neighbour complaints are taken seriously, especially if they substantiate it with explanations of how the vehicle causes a hazard.

Whether reasonable or not, the law in most parts of Australia specifically forbids parking on a verge for nature strip.

We had to move a caravan when we lived on a corner block where the road curved around the corner. It was legally parked on the road, and had it not been a corner there would have been no issue, but it was not visible to traffic rounding the corner until it was too late to swerve to avoid it. As the road was narrow, that presented a hazard. It was inconvenient to have to store it elsewhere, but we accepted that it was necessary. Fortunately, we were able to find vacant land where we could park it at no cost.

Where is the "footpath" in the photo? Since when has concrete looked like grass?

Specsavers for you!

 

[Veggiepatch]

You don’t own the verge outside your house, it’s council land. It’s also a strip pedestrians can walk along. I don’t like having to walk along the road while out taking a stroll to get around cars, caravans, boats …… We had a caravan for a while, we paid a friend to have it on his block for storage, we accepted that we had to go and collect it, bring it to our place (on the street) to load it up, then leave on our trip. Such is life!

Since the houseowner in not in legal possession of the verge, it is not the legal responsibility of the homeowner to maintain it.

Try telling that to a hypocritical council.

I recall a "McMansion" in Bass Hill in Sydney's south western suburbs in the 1980s having its verge comprising of one metre high scrub. Council took the homeowners to court after non payment of fines but lost! The magistrate deemed that Bankstown Council was responsible for the upkeep of lands in their possession, not a ratepayer, and heavily fined the council of neglect of duty.

Get rid of the grubs. They are useless as tits on a bull.

 

[Keswickian]

I wouldn't like to see that caravan (almost permanently) parked next door to my house.
If the owners can afford that caravan, European holidays, etc, then surely $80 a month to store the caravan appropriately isn't going to break the bank.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Dear mylittletibbies, you would be surprised at how many people are struggling to find a roof over their head. For some people to be able to even rent a caravan, is a God Send. Have a lovely day.

I am not surprised at all. My son has a 120 acre property in NSW, he also owns a very large caravan that he was letting out, free of charge , to friends who were living rough because they couldn't get a rental property.
He asked the council about being allowed to let other people, in similar circumstances, to do the same. Not only was it not allowed, but the council told him the friends in his own caravan would have to go as well.
You are not allowed to rent out your own caravan, on your own property, let alone on the verge.
You are not even allowed to permanently use your own caravan, on your own property, for a family member.
You can use it only as temporary accommodation for guests and then only for a very limited time.
These rules seem very restrictive to me as some caravans are much better than granny flats that are allowed. As long as they have sanitary facilities I don't see the problem there. But on verges no.
Even caravan parks now have time restrictions on how long you can stay.

 

[Automotive#2]

That is the law in NSW, there is a specified time a boat, trailer or caravan can sit on the street and nothing is allowed on the verge or council strip. The short answer use your caravan regularly for a weekend away, problem solved.

 

[Morebartalk]

If you haven't the space to park it or can't afford to pay for storage, you shouldn't buy it. I have a caravan and made sure I had the space prior to buying. Not rocket science.

 

[mylittletibbies]

If you haven't the space to park it or can't afford to pay for storage, you shouldn't buy it. I have a caravan and made sure I had the space prior to buying. Not rocket science.

You're right. Just common sense, which isn't very common these days.