To go and say hi to the neighbours?

[namechange012]

We're hoping to move home soon into an end of terrace in a reasonably sized village. I think we should pop round to say hi to neighbours when we move in. DH thinks this is weird and that neighbours come to you (if they want to of course). Who's BU - what on earth is the etiquette for neighbours, will I look weird if I go round?

(For context, always lived in big cities before where people would have thought us strange if we'd made so much as eye contact with them let alone knock on the door, so am clueless)

[Lethaldrizzle]

Go and say hello! Etiquette schmetiquette

[Yarboosucks]

Say hello - not difficult and quite normal in my experience!

[TwoBlueFish]

Once you know your moving date you could knock on the neighbours doors and let them know that the removal van will be there that day and you hope it won’t cause them any inconvenience. Or make up another reason to knock on the door (you want a recommendation for window cleaner/gardener/cleaner/take away), I think knocking Just to say hello would be a bit weird.

[RaidTheCupboards]

Definitely go and say hello. I’d love neighbours like you. All my neighbors are the most miserable bunch of twats you could ever meet.

[SockUnicorn]

I went round to my new neighbours with a mini poinsettia (it as early december - im not just odd) and a card "from Sock, Mr Sock & Socklets" so they had our names written down. also put my phone number on the bottom.

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

I don't think.there is etiquette as such. Before we moved into our current house we went round to meet the neighbours and introduce ourselves. The day we moved in somwomen's from a couple of doors away came round, introduced themselves and their dc, and took my dc back to theirs for tea. It was great!

[Yarboosucks]

It boils down to are you hoping to live in a community or a house? If you are hoping to live in a community, then go and say hello and introduce yourself.

[Eatalot]

Knock on their door and overly enthusiastically say hi neighbours then hug them, and hold just a little too long and let out a happy sigh. Then you introduce your dh first name and he say yours and in tandem say we are the (surnames). Then invite yourself in for a cup of tea and cake. Make some passive agressive comments about their sofa pillows. Before you leave ask to use their toilet and seem really stoked that your 'finally ready to go after being clogged up'. Suggest it was their tea/cake/biscuits that did it. Hug them goodbuy and kiss them on the lips saying they can come round for to yours next time and make some sort of racist slur joke as you leave.

Then comeback and tell us how it went.

[comfortandjoy]

Yes go round ! They might not as think you're busy with moving. It's really useful to know your neighbours. We met ours with a brief chat before moving in and swapped phone numbers . They kept an eye on the place. We asked them for local recommendations and met other neighbours through them. This has led to feeding each other's pets, noticing burglar alarms going off etc.

[namechange012]

Great, so it's conclusive to go round, letting them know a move date sounds a reasonable excuse, thanks for letting me know I'm not mad to do it!

[Oldeshagbuilt]

I would of knocked first before renting or buying a house to see what there like last thing you want is loud ass chavs playing music etc all night as neighbours lol I made the mistake of not knocking once and never again I always knock before applying to move in

[barefoofdoctor]

Knock on and say hi but more importantly warn them if you are going to undertake noisy DIY, don't park like a bell end and do not under any circumstances have a dog whichbarks thus upsetting the neighbours.

[petbear]

I wouldn't. Nope.

I would smile and wave on the way into my home/when I was moving in, but no way would I be tootling around to a new neighbours introducing myself just after I had moved in. It's weird IMO. I would just wait til I saw them in the garden and say hi then...

Same if a new neighbour moved in next to me. I would wait a few days, pop a 'welcome to your new home' card in the letterbox, and then wait til I see them in the garden (or on the drive,) and THEN I would say hello and introduce myself.

[BackforGood]

Go round. Invite them round for a drink to get to know them.

When I've had new neighbours move in, I've gone round to say Hi, just to let them know there's a friendly face if they can't find the teabags or kettle or something, or, If I've not caught them, I've dropped a 'new home' card in and they've knocked the door to say Hi afterwards.
It doesn't matter who seeks who out first, just make contact and introduce yourselves.

[Springtrolls]

I wouldn't be announcing to the neighbours when I was moving in. If someone knocked on my door to let me know about the removal van, I would be thinking why the fuck do I care.

I wouldn't be giving them my phone number either until I knew them. Imagine they are neighbours from hell and now have your number to call you at 2am.

[ToadsforJustice]

I’d park on their drive on moving day. It’s the best way to make new friends. I’m looking at you next door neighbour

[SockUnicorn]

@toadsforjustice they just parked on your drive? Without Asking, just rocked up and plonked their car there?! CF. Have you interacted with them since, are they usually this rude?

[ToadsforJustice]

Next door and their removal vans rocked up and parked on both our drives. I presume they thought because it was empty, no one was in. In the spirit good neighbourliness, I told them that it would be ok for the move. Sadly, the CF took my kindness as weakness and for a while tested my patience by parking on it themselves or allowing visitors to use it.

After a spectacular row one evening, there is an understanding between us. We barely acknowledge each other. Suits me.

[HuskyMcClusky]

Eat

[TheQueenOfWands]

I'd turn into a gibbering idiot if a new neighbour came round to say hi.

Am not really cut out for such activities and I can't do small talk. There'd be an awkward silence and then we'd dodge each other until one of us moved.

[MrsFantastic]

In our old house some people moved next door and held a party for the neighbours. They were American and I think this is more common there. It was a nice party and we met the people we'd lived across the road from for years for the first time.

Some neighbours at our current house held a "meet the neighbours" party for the people who were in the process of buying their house. It was a nice idea and apparently had been done for the party holders 30 years before.

Yes, it's fine to introduce yourself to the neighbours.

[laura65988]

Go and introduce yourself it's a nice way to do it I've always done it and I have got great relationships still with past and present neighbors xx

[namechange012]

TheQueenofWands I am the same, I'm socially awkward, so really not looking forward to going round, but hopefully it will get the awkwardness over and done with quickly. Reading these posts I am so glad I don't have a car, hopefully that will ingratiate us a little bit with no potential for parking wars at least.