How common is it to have bad neighbours?

[CherryLulu]

I live in a council house with nightmare neighbours. It’ll be years before I make it out of here but I’m wistfully dreaming of the day when I can walk in and out of my house without being stared at and harassed, open the window on a hot night without my house reeking of weed, not having my car and property damaged by kids constantly.

There is, however, regular threads on here from people who own their home complaining about nightmare neighbours. I know there’s always a risk wherever you are, but is it really common to have bad neighbours even if you own your own home or rent in a private area?

I also have the option of ‘homeswapping’ with other council tenants but I’m under the impression that pretty much any council street is highly likely to have several antisocial tenants causing problems for everybody else, would love to know whether this is actually the case as I’m scared of ending up somewhere even worse.

They exist everywhere it is just the degree There are selfish inconsiderate people in posh and Council

In a different way but many friends with arsehole neighbours who block reasonable building works (because they just feel like it) with it costing £1000s to go to court and eventually win. Another neighbour on my street is an arsehoke to immediate neighbours for any noise.

And not forgetting the neighbour whose back garden was a shit tip until she got a threat from the labdlord

For more balance, I’ve lived on so called “sink estates” in south east London and now live in one of the most expensive parts of the UK and have never had bad neighbours. I got annoyed by one neighbour’s building works but that wasn’t really his fault as building works are inherently annoying and on occasion some neighbours have had loud parties but no consistently bad behaviour.

We all run along ok but have one neighbour ( who I quietly call Hyacith Bouquet ) who thinks she is the queen of our close.
She likes to bring in her bins the moment the binmen have emptied the bins and will judge anyone who dares to bring theirs in when they are going out and not making a special effort to get them in .
We have new neighbours between us ( we have driveways ) so don't really need to park on street.
New neighbours are understandably having lots of visitors and a few staying over night. Hyacinth & her husband are now parking on the street so it's harder for the visitor's to park their cars .
She also judges people who don't mow the lawn / clip hedges / wash cars etc .

I've had 3 houses in London and now am outside London and have always had lovely neighbours.

Problem neighbours for me means noise and in 9 houses and flats I have had one issue and that was in an ex council flat I rented for a year and the guy next door kept playing music loudly. But it stopped when he got arrested for skipping bail.

If you look at crime stats in your head area you can see how much anti social behaviour has been reported.

@pristinequeen I think what you have written is spot on, neighbour a long time ago got annoyed some leaves from our trees went in her garden. She was quite frosty about that. Was an expensive road.

I've had arsehole neighbours most places I've lived. In case anyone thinks it's me that's the issue I've had:

Drug dealers
Heavy weed smokers
People who think all conversations must be held by screeching
Fish wives who have been abusive to their kids
Selfish parkers

It boils down to people are selfish and can't see, or care to see, how their behaviour is affecting others

Our next door neighbour in our old house started off lovely and over the years became a nasty vindictive old lady who somehow managed to get my phone number and would phone me up to scream at me and send my husband vile emails about how horrible I am. This is in a lovely street of detached houses

my current neighbours, one side and is lovely. The other the wife and kids are delightful but the husband is a total arse and is known as t*atty in this house. I have heard him being incredibly verbally abusive to her so totally ignore him

Mostly my neighbours have been ok, apart from one lot some years ago who made my life a living hell. I know it is to my own detriment really, but even now I still hate and loathe them for what they put me through.

I don't know if it's more common now.

I've lived in social housing, I've owned and I've privately rented.

I had no problems with noisy neighbours in privately rented flats in London or social housing. Everyone had manners.

My favourite house was a dream until the neighbor was turned into a HMO.

I moved and it was the worst thing I ever did. I had noisy, inconsiderate and weird neighbors both sides. I became really unwell because I was anxious and didn't sleep. But karma, both are trying to sell and I wonder if the buyer is now a nightmare neighbor!

I moved and although I was surrounded by many more people as it was apartments the noise was less.

I've moved again and it's perfect. Quiet and decent.

Do move if you can.

@barbarahunter - oh me too! I've wished my ex neighbors nothing but ill and I like to think that's happening as they are both selling up in this economic climate!

I hope you've recovered.

In a flat private 3 flats in total Other 2 absolute arseholes Well off but obviously unhappy as they would not be so nasty Derogatory remarks re gender and disability harassment groundless accusations and so on Bad neighbours do not change so put up with or move