New research by regulated property buyers, GoodMove, reveals exactly how UK homeowners feel about their neighbours as well as where in the UK has the worst behaved neighbours.
According to the research, a whopping 68% of Brits said they have had issues with their neighbours in the past, with 10% saying issues have got so bad they've reported them to the council, 5% admitting to calling the police on them, and another 5% saying issues have got so bad they've had to move home!
So, what are exactly are the things that neighbours do which makes them so troublesome? According to the research, the top annoyance is being extremely loud (64%), followed by being overly nosy (53%), parking/blocking your drive (52%), having a questionable lifestyle (e.g., running illegal businesses from home) (49%), having lots of parties/guests over (41%), and having loud/annoying children (41%).
In response to such negative behaviour, the most common response from UK homeowners is complaining about them to others (30%) or in typical British fashion - simply ignoring the problem (25%).
So, where exactly are all these bad neighbours living, or perhaps you’re curious whether your city is really one of the worst? Here are the places where you’re most likely to have a bad experience with your neighbours, based on respondents who said they have had neighbours with negative behaviour:
Manchester (78%)
Cardiff and London (75%)
Leeds (71%)
Nottingham and Sheffield (67%)
However, it’s not all bad, 45% said their neighbours help them by taking in deliveries and watering plants when they're away, 17% claim they're very close to their neighbours and hang out with them all the time, and almost one in five (19%) have even given their neighbours a key to their home - a major sign of trust!
Chris Salmon, Operations Director of conveyancing specialists Quittance Legal Services, advises: “If you are a homeowner, it is in your best interest to avoid taking legal action (or having legal action taken against you) with a neighbour. When putting a property on the market, you have to declare all historic or ongoing legal disputes with neighbours on a TA6 Form.
“Having such a record may make your property harder to sell, this is particularly true if the issue is one that is likely to arise again. If you choose to withhold such information when selling, and the buyer finds out after the purchase, they can take legal action against you.”
Nima Ghasri, director at GoodMove, says: “By no means does any homeowner expect or need to have the best relationship with their neighbour. However, unfortunately, there are instances where you may experience particularly bad behaviour, so we thought it would be interesting to see just exactly what really gets on homeowners' nerves. can influence these relationships.
“If you do find yourself in such a situation, I’d advise trying to calmly discuss the problem with your neighbour in the first instance. If your neighbour is a tenant then you could also contact their landlord and explain your concerns. Should the issues become more serious, I’d recommend making a formal complaint to your local council.”
