Being a Considerate Neighbor
It is very important to have friendly and courteous neighbors with share a good rapport to make the neighborhood and the house comfortable. But even in this case, people are faced with the desire to do the right thing, and problems and disagreements between neighbors may arise. When they do, the most appropriate way to deal with the problems is to solve them through communication without anger.
Meet Your Neighbors
Knowing people in your neighborhood in friendly terms can go a long way in preventing or solving most problems. Visit your neighbors when you move in next door and occasionally engage in conversation with them while outside or knock on their door and invite them in for coffee and or food. Discover whether they like the same games, have children of the same age, and so on. Having our numbers and being on a first-name basis allows for easy communication in case of any problems that may arise.
Do Not Go Overboard with the Volume
Among the most frequent complaints neighbors have with each other is the problem of excessive noise, particularly in apartments or townhouses. If your neighbor has a night job and a day's sleep, try as much as possible to avoid making loud sounds during the day. Remind your neighbor they can call or text if it becomes too loud and interferes with their activities. Also, be aware that if they have a loud appliance like an AC unit they cannot regulate it.
Maintain Your Yard
Mowing your lawn, raking the leaves, and picking up the trash in one's compound helps in maintaining the area reasonably neat and is a sign of respect to other neighbors. Suggest to neighbors who are disabled or elderly that you would like to help them maintain their yards if it becomes too much for them to handle. Also, ensure that trees or bushes around your property are not extending to the neighbor’s house or property.
Supervise Pets and Children
While having pets and kids beautifies the neighborhood with liveliness, joy, and activity, when they are left alone for long periods they can trespass, make noise cause mess, or destroy someone’s property thus causing conflict between neighbors. Ensure children and pets are not allowed to roam the neighborhood as they please. Also, as soon as a pet defecates on someone’s lawn, it is important to ensure that the feces are collected immediately.
Discuss Issues Courteously
If there is any problem with the neighbors, whether due to noise, pets, garbage in the yard, or anything else – then complain to them politely in words. It may be a good idea to begin the conversation by saying you are interested in being a good neighbor and you have a high regard for them, and then proceed to say politely but pointedly that some things have been off. Instead of interrogating or accusing them, let them also express their side of the story as well.
With this courteous attitude, most of the conflicts can be solved and necessary compromises can be made where necessary. But if the conflict persists even when all parties involved are willing to talk about it civilly, then politely escalate the issue to a homeowners association if there is one within your neighborhood to try to settle the matter.
Install Privacy Landscaping
If you find that the way your neighbor is using their yard is causing a major encroachment on your enjoyment of the outdoors, consider planting tall trees, or shrubs or building a fence to obscure the view. Always refer to the local codes on height restrictions and allowable materials before proceeding with construction. This lets you get your privacy back without further exacerbating the situation by confronting the neighbor over the usage of their property.
Don’t Retaliate
It can be very irritating if a neighbor is rude like making noise at night, not picking after their dog, or pointing security cameras towards your window. However much it may be understandable to retaliate during such moments, this only makes you as selfish as them and most often leads to an unpleasant exchange which is unproductive. On every occasion, it is better to be the one to do the right thing.
Know Your Rights
Learn more about local laws and homeowners association rules regarding issues such as noise level, pet duties, hedges, and other issues that neighbors in conflict often fight over. That makes it easier to identify what is reasonable to expect and demand from the people around you and to defend yourself if sometimes a deal cannot be made halfway.
When to Involve Authorities
As much as possible, any neighbor problems can and should be solved with the neighbor and not with the help of the police, lawyers, or even the Housing Authority as the result is that the neighbor will not speak to you again. But if one neighbor ever threatens or becomes dangerous or destructive to property or continues to cause damage even when politely asked to stop, do not hesitate to call the police to prevent harm and to protect one’s rights.
In other words, the foundation of peaceful coexistence with the neighbors is based on the common and well-known dictum – ‘Do to others as you would like them to do to you’. Cordiality to others, maintaining their faith, politeness, and understanding is a very long way.
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