Do you get on with your neighbours?

Dill

I don't have any direct neighbours, but over time I've got to know a few of the people in my block.

I'm not sure which is better, - the first scenario you describe where no-one cares about the place and no-one talks to each other much, if at all. Or the second scenario where the place is well-kept but people are curtain twitching and you feel like your privacy is being invaded.

Regarding the fence, I'm guessing it was the recent hurricane that damaged it? Our building was damaged in the winds, which got up to about 70mph! If it's anything like this gusty where you are I'd wait till the weather warms up a bit and then get onto fixing the fence.

Ames

One of my neighbours is a prostitute, I don't see or hear her apart from at 3am when she's strung out and banging on the door of another neighbour for drugs. Which obviously means one of my neighbours is a dealer, but he seems OK. The one to the other side is friendly enough, he's taken in parcels for me a couple of times, but boy does his flat stink of weed! It's like walking into a wall of smell. Upstairs is nice, but there's no sound proofing in the flats so I can hear him using the toilet, sneezing, walking around... and his very noisy girlfriend when they're having sex. Before I moved in (18 months ago) my flat was a crack den and I still get people knocking on the door looking for the previous tenant, but at least the middle of the night hammering on my bedroom window wanting drugs stopped after a few months.

It's not very nice when you don't feel safe in your own home.

But, it's a better neighbourhood than where I lived before and the flat itself is great.

BucksLady

Ames wrote: »

One of my neighbours is a prostitute, I don't see or hear her apart from at 3am when she's strung out and banging on the door of another neighbour for drugs. Which obviously means one of my neighbours is a dealer, but he seems OK. The one to the other side is friendly enough, he's taken in parcels for me a couple of times, but boy does his flat stink of weed! It's like walking into a wall of smell. Upstairs is nice, but there's no sound proofing in the flats so I can hear him using the toilet, sneezing, walking around... and his very noisy girlfriend when they're having sex. Before I moved in (18 months ago) my flat was a crack den and I still get people knocking on the door looking for the previous tenant, but at least the middle of the night hammering on my bedroom window wanting drugs stopped after a few months.

It's not very nice when you don't feel safe in your own home.

But, it's a better neighbourhood than where I lived before and the flat itself is great.

Oh my goodness :eek: - I think your post will help many of us put things into perspective

easilydistracted

I love my neighbours. We just moved to the area and its nice to meet friendly people, chat over the fence and have someone to take the post in. Particularly nice in a city. I would have hated it five years ago, but after the friendly but nocturnal heroine addicts with only two CDs in their collection I'm pretty happy. We also have a real nosey neighbour to laugh about together so everyone knows who not to be like! It's also pretty cute that they think my inability to remember bin days is they height of dysfunctionality. Could definitely be a lot worse. I don't think they'd try and boss me around over a fence though!

Deep_In_Debt

I've lived here for years and I've always been lucky with my neighbours. My current ones have lived here a while, very friendly and always willing to help.

I live on my own and at first I got a bit irritated when they watched my comings and goings but one day, when I'd had a few days off work and my car hadn't moved, they knocked on my door to see if I was ok as they noticed I hadn't been out. Made me appreciate my nosey neighbours.

Mayflower10cat

We've had some lovely neighbours over the years. Currently we have our attached neighbours who are very dear friends and on the other side, a lady on her own who moved in three years ago and seemed affable, though distant.


All changed when we put a planning application in 18 months ago;- our attached neighbours had misgivings which we talked about, we changed our plans and shook hands on. Our other neighbour went into melt down, threatened us via her aggressive son and pestered our Planning Officer with endless letters and emails. She also sent us nasty letters and blackened our names around the village. Bearing in mind we'd done nothing except put in a planning application she didn't like.... We got the Planning Permission, despite her venomous emails. Now, she ignores us and I'm quite glad.

The neighbours prior to her were a lovely couple also in their 70's, but what a breath of fresh air. We'd take each others bins out, do shopping for each other and have drinks in the garden on a nice summers evening.

I realise we can't all be 'friends' but politeness and an acceptance that although we're different but we can get on, would be a bonus!

Kaye1

We have very nosey neighbours- however, I think it is quite useful. We sent a friend round at the last minute to close up our chickens and as she didn't know who she was, she went out and asked her what she was doing. As she knew our names, she was allowed to go on her way!

I have learn to answer super nosy questions with 'fudge answers.'
'Oh, I wouldn't know about that.'
'Oh, I can't remember which day it is let alone that.'

She takes our parcels in so we take her spare eggs and collect her bread once a week.

Andrew_Ryan_89

Most of my neighbours are quite old. The two direct neighbours mentioned in my OP are both 70+ with one living with her mother. One of the other neighbours I struck a conversation with mentioned as more new people move in, the less community spirit is felt as they just keep themselves to themselves.

Most of the new people only had the chance to move in because the previous occupant has passed. Even the property we are in now, the previous owners husband tragically died so that's why she moved.

Tygermoth

I have had both - one lovely one bad

A lovely old lady who had our key for emergencies, post etc. …….used to let herself in and steal my dog for company while I was at work. I knew she absolutely adored him and literally used to wait at the window ‘till I pulled out the drive.. She would be round like a flash in her dressing gown and slippers scoop him up and take him to hers where he would bumble around the garden with her in the sunshine all day. She then used to sneak him back just before i got home. Neither of us mentioned it, she knew I knew but it was like a rule that we couldn’t say anything lol.

Years ago I had a new neighbour I hadn’t ever spoken to who took to parking in my drive – long story short only every second house had drives recessed up the side of the house. There was absolutely no road parking so the houses without a drive had to park in a bay which was a 5/10 min walk away. The new neighbour rationalised to herself I didn’t have a car so I didn’t need the drive.

She just took to parking there and I totally would have agreed if she asked. But from the day she moved in she just drove up the drive and parked. As she was new, just in case she wasn't aware the drive was mine and thought maybe was a communal one I politely asked her not to park in my drive, establishing it was my drive and belonged to my house - which she confirmed she knew... to which she replied 'but u aint got a car an i need to park init'... So she just carried on as if that trumped everything.

In fact on the second or third day after she moved in she had a gate put in her side fence so she could walk into her garden from my drive rather than having to walk round! At this point i realised that she was just going to appropriate my driveway whether i liked it or not!

She did not react well to being asked formally via letter not to again (I happened to need access for a medical reason at the time). I swear in her head as i didn't have a car the driveway became hers by default so she just carried on parking there.

In the end after an issue with access and her refusing to move her car for an ambulance calling at mine I bought a running junker car registered it off road and put it on the drive.

She went bonkers.

She then made hate calls to people telling that I was running a prostitution ring from the house, tried to trap and poison my cats and kept piling my bins up against my front door. All this rage… because she couldn’t park in MY off road private driveway! She kept it up for the three of so years i lived there.

DKLS

Haven't met my neighbours in the 2 years I have been living here, which is due to the designs and layout of the houses, essentially I live in a 1 house gated community. There is literally no opportunity for a conversation, sheer bliss.