Nearly a third of Brits admit to disagreeing with their neighbours with noise, broken fences and untidy gardens being the most common reasons for arguments. A survey into neighbourly disputes carried out on behalf of national garden furniture retailer,
Rattan Direct, found that 31% of us have bickered with neighbours.
The biggest arguments between homeowners, tenants and the neighbours happen in London. Bristolians are more civil and more likely to avoid neighbour disputes. Birmingham is home to the noisiest neighbours. Welsh homeowners don’t welcome neighbours’ pets into their gardens, whereas residents in Sheffield may not return next door’s ball if it lands in their backyard, as they are mostly annoyed with their neighbours’ children.
Whatever the cause of neighbour dispute, it’s time to make peace. Two wrongs never make a right, and unless someone decides to put their property up for sale, you’re stuck with each other. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Believe it or not, you may have a lot more in common than a party wall. Here are
five top tips for making peace with your neighbour.
1. Be polite, understanding and reasonable
Noise, broken fences, walls and general untidiness topped the list of the UK’s biggest gripes, as well as overgrown trees, annoying kids and pets.
Let’s be honest, this would get on anyone’s nerves. But if you’ve to have any chance of overcoming these differences, you’ve got to be patient and polite. While it may be tempting to threaten your neighbour with an ASBO warning, it’s far more harmonious to just have a civilised chat over the wall.
2. Invite your neighbours over
You can go years without saying so much as good morning to your neighbour. Just knowing your neighbour a little better can help to prevent future fallouts. Why not invite them over for a garden party or barbecue?
The study found that residents in Bristol are far less likely to have neighbour disputes than those living in the London.
3. Keep noise to a minimum
We all like to enjoy ourselves from time to time. And while you may think cranking the volume up to ten in the garden on a summer’s night is fair game, your neighbour may not agree.
But don’t just assume they’re a party pooper; they could be up early for a job interview the next day. If you’re planning on throwing a soiree, it’s good manners to give a little notice beforehand.
4. Are your pets causing havoc?
We’re not saying that Spike the Rottweiler isn’t adorable, it’s just he sometimes has a habit of jumping over the fence and wrecking our vegetable patch. Pets have been known to cause their fair share of neighbour disputes. If you get the sense your neighbour is losing their patience with yours, get pro-active and do something about it.
Speak to your neighbour if you feel there may be a problem. You could suggest building a fence to prevent your dog or cat from jumping over their wall. Cats are much harder to supervise, as they have a mind of their own, but it might be worth supervising your dog to prevent it from breaking into next door’s garden.
5. Keep on top of the gardening
Yes it’s time consuming, and yes you probably will lose a Saturday in the process, but a tidy garden can do wonders for neighbour relations. Trim your hedges, weed your patio, pack away your kids’ toys and do your best to keep on top of things.
It’s not all about keeping up appearances. An overgrown tree is cause for concern because it could damage your neighbour’s fence. Ultimately, damaging your relationship. Two-thirds of the homeowners we spoke to said that there as at least one thing they wish they could change about their garden, why not take inspiration from your neighbour’s garden?
3. Keep noise to a minimum
We all like to enjoy ourselves from time to time. And while you may think cranking the volume up to ten in the garden on a summer’s night is fair game, your neighbour may not agree.
But don’t just assume they’re a party pooper; they could be up early for a job interview the next day. If you’re planning on throwing a soiree, it’s good manners to give a little notice beforehand.
4. Are your pets causing havoc?
We’re not saying that Spike the Rottweiler isn’t adorable, it’s just he sometimes has a habit of jumping over the fence and wrecking our vegetable patch. Pets have been known to cause their fair share of neighbour disputes. If you get the sense your neighbour is losing their patience with yours, get pro-active and do something about it.
Speak to your neighbour if you feel there may be a problem. You could suggest building a fence to prevent your dog or cat from jumping over their wall. Cats are much harder to supervise, as they have a mind of their own, but it might be worth supervising your dog to prevent it from breaking into next door’s garden.
5. Keep on top of the gardening
Yes it’s time consuming, and yes you probably will lose a Saturday in the process, but a tidy garden can do wonders for neighbour relations. Trim your hedges, weed your patio, pack away your kids’ toys and do your best to keep on top of things.
It’s not all about keeping up appearances. An overgrown tree is cause for concern because it could damage your neighbour’s fence. Ultimately, damaging your relationship. Two-thirds of the homeowners we spoke to said that there as at least one thing they wish they could change about their garden, why not take inspiration from your neighbour’s garden?
