The Burrow
Aug 28, 2024
When you’re looking for a new home, what is it you place the biggest importance on? Is it the size of the garden, access to public transport links, or the local schools? What about the neighbours?
It can be easy to overlook something like your neighbours; and yet, if you’re lucky enough to get a good one, not only can they provide you with valuable support, but they can help to enhance your living experience, too.
Bad neighbours, on the other hand, can make you regret ever moving into the neighbourhood.
With that in mind, as home loan experts, we decided to survey Americans and Australians to find out what they really think of their neighbours, how willing they are to help each other out, and the most common issues they’ve faced. So, read on to find out all of this, and see how your neighbours compare.
More than half of Americans help neighbours out with tasks like pet sitting, collecting mail, and helping out with a little home maintenance – however, the remaining 45% say they rarely or never help their neighbours out. And, almost one in two (45%) are likely to trust their neighbours with either a spare key, or knowing where the hiding spot is – implying there could be a correlation between trust and helping each other out.
Luckily, for most people in the USA, neighbours don’t pose any real problems, with 70% of respondents saying they’ve never had to move due to issues. However, 11% have had to leave because of their neighbours, and almost two in 10 have considered it. The biggest cause for complaints include noise (40%), noise from pets (33%), and parking (18%).
According to our survey, Americans prefer to keep to themselves, with 44% saying they’d rather not interact much with their neighbours, although 14% said they’ve tried to connect in the past, but stopped because they felt their neighbours weren’t interested. And, for 34% of those surveyed, they’ve never seen their neighbours in the first place, so haven’t had the chance to speak to them!
Looking at the data from a regional perspective, people in the deep south are most likely to help out their neighbours, with 59% saying they do so… although in saying that, the south also has the highest percentage of people forced to move because of neighbour issues (16%)!
48% of Americans living in the Northeast trust their neighbours with a spare key – the highest of all regions – with the West and Midwest least likely to trust their neighbours with this information.
Those on the East Coast mainly have issues with noise, with 43% reporting it during quiet hours; and those in the West and Midwest prefer to keep to themselves the most, at 46% and 45%, respectively.
Moving over to Australia, the population is slightly less neighbourly than America, with 48% saying they occasionally or regularly help out neighbours with tasks such as feeding their pets and collecting mail while they’re away.
Trust is lacking, with just 30% saying they’d feel comfortable giving their neighbours a spare key to access their home; and one in 10 have had to move due to issues next door, which is in-line with the US.
Some of the worst issues people in Australia have encountered with neighbours include noise during quiet hours (45%), animal noise (39%), parking issues (16%), and leaving the bins out (11%).
While 48% of Australians say they’ve had positive interactions with their neighbours, the main reasons people prefer to not speak to them, is because they’d rather keep to themselves (46%), they haven’t seen their neighbours enough to strike up a proper conversation (42%), to avoid over-friendliness (15%), and due to previous conflicts (12%).
With 42% the national average for people not seeing their neighbours, this is highest in Queensland and Victoria, at 50% and 49% respectively, a key reason why they haven’t spoken.
Whether you live in a house or an apartment, unless you’re out in the outback, you’ll likely have your own set of neighbours. And, while you don’t have to be on a best friend basis with them, it can make your life a lot easier if you’re on speaking terms! Here are just a few tips on dealing with difficult neighbours and resolving any conflicts.
Whether your neighbours have been throwing parties that stretch into the early hours of the morning, or their kids’ playtime gets out of hand and their ball keeps on getting kicked at your window, avoid heading over to them when hot-headed.
Instead, ask for a quiet chat, and be friendly about it. They may not have been aware that they were as loud as they were, or their kids were doing that, and a quick conversation could be all they need to nip it in the bud and stop it from happening again – without them feeling annoyed with you.
If you’ve tried this and you find it’s not getting you anywhere, or you feel intimidated about the prospect of approaching them, try writing them a letter instead.
If speaking to your problem neighbour hasn’t helped the situation, then you may want to bring a third party into this. Many services across the country are dedicated to the mediation of neighbours, so see if there is a group in your area who you can reach out to, to explain the situation and get an idea of the best course of action going forwards.
If neither of these approaches have worked and your neighbour’s poor behaviour is continuing to negatively impact you, you may be able to report them to the police or local council. However, it’s worth gathering some evidence first – so hit record on your phone at 3am if their party’s in full swing so you can record the noise levels, or note down the date and time your neighbour’s been dumping rubbish on your lawn, so you’ve got a clear log.
Stephen Zeller, General Manager of Money at Compare the Market AU states that it is definitely important to do your research when looking to purchase a home or get a mortgage.“When looking at homes and neighbourhoods to buy in, it can be worth asking the real estate agent about the neighbours and the local community. Perhaps visiting the street at different times of the day can give you a feel for the atmosphere, though it’s no guarantee that you’ll pick up on problematic neighbours before you buy,” says Mr Zeller.
“A home loan is a huge investment, but if you wind up moving next to nightmare neighbours – or they move in next to you – what are your options? You can choose to sell and move elsewhere, move and use the property as an investment home, or tough it out. Maybe you can talk it out, or report serious wrongdoing, but you do have the option of moving as a fall back.
“On the flipside, if you are lucky enough to be on a first-name basis with your neighbours, you may be in a position to check in with them about the cost of household finances. If you are having a friendly chat over the fence and learn that they are on a lower interest rate for their home loan, it could be a great opportunity for you to jump online and compare the options for yourself, to see if you can be the savviest homeowner on the street.”
A survey of 1,000 people across the USA and Australia was conducted by 3Gem in July 2024, consisting of 750 Americans and 250 Australians.