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No one wants to deal with bad neighbors. it can be a really frustrating situation to find yourself in. Luckily, there’s a lot you can do to ignore them for the sake of your own health and happiness.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how to deal with bad neighbors<\/p>\n
1. First off, make sure you\u2019re not the bad neighbor<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to see what your neighbor is doing to drive you nuts, but it\u2019s a little harder to understand how your behavior might be affecting them. Because you\u2019ll never get a neighbor to shape up if they think you\u2019re the problem, make sure you\u2019re as close to a model homeowner as possible before approaching them. A few hard questions to ask yourself.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your noise level like? Loud TV, music, or machinery can drive neighbors bananas any time of day. And even normal noise, from say, lawn mowing, shouldn\u2019t be waking them up in the morning or preventing them from enjoying a peaceful evening.<\/p>\n
Do you keep things tidy? If your lawn is overgrown or your kids\u2019 toys are strewn all over the place, it can become an eyesore. Neighbors may start to worry about your poor home maintenance hurting their home value.<\/p>\n
2. Develop a friendly relationship.<\/p>\n
Introduce yourself at the first opportunity so that you have a strong rapport to build upon if a problem arises. It will be a lot harder for your neighbor to keep causing you grief if they see you as a friendly face.<\/p>\n
To start a pattern of good communication, tell your neighbor in advance any time you\u2019re having a party, doing a renovation, or anything else that could create noise or commotion.<\/p>\n
3. Assume good intention<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t go in guns blazing when you approach a neighbor about what\u2019s bugging you. Drop by and approach the subject in a friendly fashion, or, should you need to gently escalate the situation, request that they meet you for coffee. That will indicate that the issue is a big deal to you.<\/p>\n
Neighbors often don\u2019t realize that they\u2019re creating a problem, and it\u2019s best to avoid seeming like you\u2019re accusing them. Put yourself in their shoes, and start by assuming that their problematic behavior is not because of any ill will towards you.<\/p>\n
4. Be sympathetic if your neighbor complains.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s important to bring up problems to your neighbor in a constructive way, it\u2019s just as crucial to be thoughtful and cooperative when you\u2019re the one accused of poor behavior. The complaint may not make much sense to you for example, leaves from a tree on your property falling into your neighbor\u2019s yard. But it\u2019s more important to be friendly and accommodating than to be \u201cright.\u201d Respond to any complaints or requests the way you\u2019d like them to respond to yours. If you\u2019re willing to try to make their lives better, they\u2019ll be more likely to do the same for you<\/p>\n
5. Document everything, just in case.<\/p>\n
With luck, you won\u2019t ever need to involve a third-party when sorting out how to deal with bad neighbors, but it\u2019s always possible. While it\u2019s worth doing everything you can to resolve an issue peacefully and willingly, you should also document every step along the way just in case. On the off chance that you need to involve a homeowner association (HOA), a neighborhood group, the city building department, or even the local police or an attorney, maintain a record of relevant dates, times, emails, texts, and even photos, so the facts are at your fingertips if you need them.<\/p>\n
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