Good fences make Good Neighbours? Maybe not. A study of 2,000 adults identified the top 30 attributes of an ideal neighbour, including never parking outside someone else’s home, inviting locals around for a glass of wine, and putting their bins out when they are away.
The perfect neighbour always says “hello”, signs for deliveries and pre-warns the street about noise from DIY or house parties.
Other signs are keeping an eye on your home when on holiday, getting fences between gardens fixed quickly and sharing home-grown fruit and veg.
It also emerged more than three quarters believe they already have the ‘perfect’ neighbours and 69 per cent would even describe themselves as one. Not ALL are perfect however…
Here are the 30 BIG Points.
- Always says hello
- Takes in your deliveries if you’re not in
- Keeps an eye on your home when you are on holiday
- Signs for your deliveries if you’re not in
- Asks how you are
- Tells you if they see anything suspicious e.g. someone looking in your windows
- Pre-warns you about any DIY noise/renovation jobs e.g. an extension
- Takes your bins in once they’ve been emptied if they know you are not home
- Pre-warns you about a house party / loud music
- Parks outside their own home rather than others
- Gets things fixed quickly which could impact you e.g. broken fence between your gardens
- Offers to help elderly or vulnerable neighbours
- Pre-warns you about a bonfire/ fire pit
- Puts the bins out for you on bin day
- Lends you tools for DIY or gardening e.g. hammer, strimmer
- Cleans communal areas e.g. sweeps leaves out the front of both your homes
- Picks up rubbish if it’s blown onto your lawn
- Gives you home grown fruit and vegetables
- Helps jump start your car
- Lends you food/ingredient when you run out e.g. sugar, milk
- Waters your plants out the front if they’re watering theirs
- Invites you round for a glass of wine
- Offers to help with food shopping
- Offers to cut your grass
- Helps you change a tyre
- Pet-sits
- Delivers you a weekend newspaper if you’re unable to get it yourself
- Bakes for you
- Offers to wash your car if they’re washing theirs
- Walks your dog
