Wouldn’t it be nice to get on with my neighbours?
Well, yes, according to a new survey by Ocean Finance, which suggests that millions of Brits have issues with people living in close proximity to them.
51% of those who encounter a nuisance neighbour feel stressed or depressed and 24% said they wanted to move to a new region. 20% said that they don’t sleep well as a result, with 18% saying that they do not feel safe in their property.
Neighbours make good friends…don’t they?
Typical Troublesome Traits
Troublesome neighbours come in many forms but Ocean Finance has recorded a list of the top-ten most annoying traits. Can you label your neighbour as one of these?
- The chatters-You know the types. You just want to make the short journey to your car or the dustbin and they are there. Waiting. To talk. About nothing.
- Bin thieves-Everyone knows one of these-neighbours who, despite the fact that it has your house number emblazoned on the front, steal your dustbin. Which leads nicely onto…
- Wrong bin dumpers-Do you remember ordering pizza last night? No? Because you didn’t, but there is still a pizza box in your bin. And the bloke next door put it there.
- Parking police-The family who have 4 cars but 3 residents and who still moan about not being able to park their surplus vehicles outside their house..
- WIFI grabbers-A teenager at number 26 is having a great time online, using your WIFI.
- Noisey Nigel-The man living in the attached property who has no concept on TV remote volume control or a regular bedtime
- Litter louts-Mmm lovely, takeaway boxes, containing part of a kebab, just outside your front gate
- The curtain twitchers-There’s always one person on the street who sees everything, before seeking sanctuary behind their curtains. This is before gossiping to anyone who will listen about what so-and-so was up to last night
- Scrapheap challengers- Those neighbours who could hold a car-port sale with the amount of rubbish in their back garden
- The ‘Eastenders’- More at home on the Jeremy Kyle show, these people argue with themselves on an hourly basis. And you have a front row seat.
‘Good neighbours really can be good friends are a vital part of a vibrant community,’ said Ian Williams. ‘But most Brits will recognise at least one of these less welcome neighbours too-and sadly for some people a problem neighbour can make their lives a misery.’[1]