New to the village, who is BU? Me or Dh?

[Chardonnay73]

So, moved into very small village this week, ( think one main street and that’s it) we have about 4 immediate neighbours, behind, either side and opposite. No one has come over to introduce themselves in a week. Dh thinks it up to them to knock on our door and introduce themselves and welcome us to the village... I think the onus is on us to go to them and say hello.
What is the usual etiquette in this situation? We haven’t moved for decades and can’t honestly remember what happened in our last house!!

We live in a small village. I’d wait and see personally. They will be eyeing you up. Is there a village shop you can go to? Be breezy and friendly in there and everyone will know about it!

Some small villages can be nice. Ours isn’t that friendly. But after 9 years here people do speak to us now.

I am i imagining if I was the existing resident I would expect the newcomer to make the first contact, if I were the newcomer I would go round and introduce myself.

Go say hello.

I think there's a big range of normal. Sometimes the existing neighbours knock to welcome new neighbours, sometimes it's the other way round, sometimes neither - you just wait until you bump into each other or have a parcel for them and then introduce yourselves.

we put a welcome to your new home card through the door when we have new neighbours with who we are. we live next to rented houses and i think its a nice non in your face way to say hello.

You are incomers. You wait for them to introduce themselves. When you have been there for 2 generations, they probably will. When your family has lived there for 4 generations, you will be considered one of them.

I certainly wouldn’t disturb someone in the middle of moving and settling in and I wouldn’t be best pleased if anyone knocked on me within a few days of moving (though I would appreciate the thought behind it and be very polite all the same).

I always go and say hi to new neighbours and hand them a new home card. We live in a very friendly cul de sac in a large village.

I give them at least a week though!

Actually, just remembering when I moved into my current house, and the local Neighbourhood Watch man came round with leaflets...my dogs were in the garden, he saw them and thought he'd come in anyway, they bounded over to see who this stranger was, and he tried to beat them off with his leaflets... It didn't go well. (And he sent me a really stern letter about having out-of-control dogs loose in the garden.) I think he wished he'd waited until I'd gone to the pub - I certainly did.

Some of these replies are completely depressing! Where I come from ( Big city in the North) everyone is friendly and neighbourly. Whilst I do not live in any of their pockets I know all of the people in my street ( quite small admittedly) and could, in an emergency, even in the middle of the night, knock on any door for help.

It's a given that you welcome people here. It's unusual that people come or go but when they have I have always knocked the door with some cake and a hello. Similarly, when we moved in neighbours asked how they could help ( I was heavily pregnant). Some of these places people stay in sound horrendous.

Depends where in the UK you are, e.g.

North of England- you go round to say hello, they invite you in for a brew.
South of England- under no circumstances speak to them, if you are outside at the same time avoid eye contact.

There are 6 houses in our road/lane. We speak to neighbours on one side in passing, take parcels in etc & I know the other side as children are at the same school as DD. The other 3 houses I've never spoke to the neighbours & we've lived her 10 years!!

I grew up in a small village and people were quite private. You wouldn't expect people go come knocking just because they'd moved in. The local pub was the place to get to know people. Not in an obvious way, but just be friendly. Introduce yourselves to the barman. Go to any community events. Oh and people may accept you but it will take years.

Eliza are you serious? What has the world come to?
Mike incomers? Incomers? What century are we in here? FFS!

OP if it's awful, come and live in our street, we're really nice!

Don't fret OP, they will all introduce themselves to you when the crops fail and they need a blood sacrifice ............

We have lived around a village green for 20 years and whenever someone new moves in I wait until I bump into them and then say hello

donquixote sadly you may be right.

Teller how can you have lived there for 10 years and never even spoken to half of your neighbours? Surely you've seen them.at some point and passed the time of day?

Nowt queerer than folk as my mam always said.

See how it goes tomorrow and if no opportunities presented themselves knock on Sunday either side (over back and opposite wait a bit longer for a natural opportunity

I'm friendly with my neighbours but it was organic. I tried the 'hello, I'm huggy' thing once and it didn't work. I don't think we spoke again!

You're overthinking it. Emmerdale and other soaps aren't real life. I've lived in this house 20 years and only got to know the neighbours when the kids were old enough to play outside with their kids.

Enjoy your anonymity while you can! The village shop already knows your name, your occupation and the reason why you moved there.

The two times we’ve had new neighbours on our street we went over to introduce ourselves and took homemade cookies, because we’re extra like that.

Don't panic wildbhoy! I live in the south and we moved to our new house 3 years ago. We spent a few months decorating before moving in and over that time we met all our neighbours. Everyone is lovely. They mostly introduced themselves, but after a couple of months we... speaks very quietly...knocked on each of our neighbours doors and invited them to an open house! I know, the audacity of us! You know what though, I'd say there are 3 or 4 neighbours who we are friends with and the others we just smile and say hello too. That's fine, i don't expect to be best mates with them. It's nice to smile though! People moan about places lacking community spirit and i think we are so lucky, but judging by some of the responses here i can see why.

Do your neighbours even know someone has moved in? I was supposed to have had new neighbours move in this week but haven’t seen any signs of anyone moving in, so i’m assuming the sale has been delayed (I very rarely see the current owners).
It is however also possible that they have moved in but the hours they’ve been around haven’t coincided with when i’ve been around.

If your neighbours are out all day working or similar it’s quite possible they aren’t even aware they have new neighbours. They could also be unwell/ on holiday etc.

I’d say if you’re keen to meet them, go and introduce yourself. If you aren’t worried about meeting them, i’m sure in time it’ll happen naturally.

We are about forty in village and surrounding farms. Grass in the middle of the road etc.
I’d wait. People in small villages like their privacy and want to decide for themselves whether to grow friendships. I agree if you pass in the road say hello. In no time at all you’ll have found your place and be in book club, film club, Safari supper group, fete planning group, tennis set, village picnic, wine tasting and walking dogs with your neighbours etc etc.

Thing is, we have gates ( that sounds really wanky)😒 so it’s not really easy for someone to just ‘pop over’... they will need to be buzzed in... I just really don’t want to be seen as rude! This is our forever home and I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot!