When you buy a house and move in, what’s the general protocol for neighbours?

[Smyths]

Do you go over and say hello? Do you take a gift to them? If so, what kind of thing? Or pop a card through the letterbox? Or do nothing?

This is assuming the neighbour living there already has not made any effort to welcome someone new into the neighbourhood

I'd personally find that really intrusive.

We moved in a few days before Christmas, so I popped cards through the doors of the houses either side so that they at least knew our names and that we were friendly. Got cards back from both and have got on well with them ever since (although I dare say it helped that I produced a cute baby a few weeks later!). I'm not sure what I'd do if we hadn't had Christmas as an excuse though!

@Alderaan

I'd personally find that really intrusive.

You'd find it intrusive for a neighbour to pop a card round, or knock on the door to say hello? Surely that's just common politeness?

OP I think any of your suggestions would be fine and are very polite. I think a knock on the door with a bottle of wine/plate of biscuits (homemade if you can!) Is a lovely touch just to say hello to the neighbourhood. But if you don't want to do that much a little card through the door is just a nice way of introducing yourself!

A card through the door introducing yourselves - if you've got time to make biscuits when you've just moved then you truly are superwoman.

@Alderaan, find what intrusive?! OP asked for advice and gave a range of suggestions, including doing nothing

OP, you sound very thoughtful so you are likely to be a good neighbour. I'd go with a card of introduction through the doors of your immediate neighbours. Enjoy your new home

My neighbours did the fake chitchat to be polite routine, followed up by being inconsiderate jerks the rest of the time.

I would rather people skipped the fake and intrusive bullshit (yes, I find strangers knocking on my door unexpectedly to be intrusive) and just behaved like decent human beings the rest of the time instead.

Putting notes through the door in advance to let people know when you're moving in and apologising for any disruption is a pretty considerate introduction if you really want to do something.

I'm wondering this too. We went out and spoke to our neighbours as they were moving in.

We are moving into a new build estate later in the year and I'm really keen to meet the neighbours, bit of an odd situation that we'll all be new.

Putting notes through the door in advance to let people know when you're moving in and apologising for any disruption is a pretty considerate introduction if you really want to do something.

Lol, moving house is just part of life, I wouldn't be apologetic

I leave people alone and allow a relationship to develop naturally, if one develops at all. A friendly wave, a quick chat when you're outside, etc. Personally, I don't want close relationships with my neighbours. I am friendly with all of them, we've helped each other with random things on occasion, but I prefer my privacy and wouldn't want a neighbour who is popping over or trying to have conversation all the time.

Call me old-fashioned but I think it is the neighbours who should introduce themselves to you, rather than the other way around.

Whenever we have had new neighbours I have always kept an eye out for a good opportunity to pop out, wave and smile hello and introduce myself. Or to drop a card to say welcome. I wouldn't expect a new neighbour to knock on doors.

Depends on the neighbourhood. If it's a family area and you have kids then you are bound t see them at some point, or a note through the door introducing yourself. Certainly don't need to give a gift.
If an area of professionals then I'd not bother, though if you see them out popping out to say hello is good.
You never know when you might need your neighbours.

If someone gave me a plate of homemade biscuits they’d go straight in the bin!

Just say hello when you pass them entering/leaving the house.

We’ve always just waited until we bumped into each other and then just said hi, names etc. It would never be a long wait what with moving stuff into the house all day, putting bins out, going out, school run, gardening etc

I would just introduce yourself, or leave a card but no gift. I think it's nice

@TowelHoarder would you bin them due to covid risk or even before that?

Thanks everyone for your helpful advice so far :)

@TowelHoarder

If someone gave me a plate of homemade biscuits they’d go straight in the bin!

Just say hello when you pass them entering/leaving the house.

It sounds completely miserable but I'd do the same. I wouldn't have food from a stranger. You never what their levels of hygiene are like. The amount of times I've seen people preparing food with cats on counter tops in Come Dine With Me. Or stroking their pets then straight back to cooking 🤢.

I didnt really do anything tbh. Moved in and just waited until it happened naturally. When we were both outside at the same time, would say hello etc.

My DB and SIL put invitations through the door of every house on their new cul de sac (12 houses?) Inviting them all for Christmas drinks. All came except two. An hour in, the other neighbours went and told them to come and join in. That party went on for over 4 hours and they have all got on well ever since (10 years so far). The drinks party is an annual street event.
I wouldn't have the confidence / courage to do that, but have always engineered a reason to catch a near neighbour I had not yet met as they got in their car, or to drop a note in introducing myself and apologising for building disruption, or whatever.

Where are you, OP?

South East: Don't speak to your neighbours or make eye contact.

North West: They'd love the biscuits. Invite them for a brew.

Italy: They will be round with food for you shortly, to find out when the housewarming is and set you up with their nephew.

I would wait until I saw them in the street, say hello and introduce myself. That would be the extent of it. I wouldn't buy people presents or go to their door.

We've never made a point of introducing ourselves to the neighbours when we've moved somewhere new. In every house but our current one, no one has popped over to introduce themselves to us either. We just wait until we cross paths and have a bit of a polite hello.

One neighbour did come and knock on our door to say hello about a week after we moved in and proceeded to chew our ear off. I'm not the biggest fan of that to be honest, I like to be left alone in my own house. But i'm not very sociable It's been a year here now and there's still one set of neighbours we've never even seen.

If they'd felt the need, i'd have much preferred a note.

@Smyths No, nothing to do with covid, I don’t eat homemade food unless I know the person and am sure they’re have a clean kitchen and are hygienic. My friend’s dad used to work for the council doing hygiene checks on restaurants and some of the things he told me about other people’s ideas of what’s clean gave me nightmares!

New arrivals don't send cards or gifts to the neighbours. Too pushy.

We've generally waited until the first time we crossed paths & then introduced ourselves