Most people have dealt with a number of annoying neighbours in their time, but do you ever wonder if your own habits are driving your neighbours up the wall? A new survey commissioned by Northerner has uncovered that one of the UK’s biggest neighbour nuisances could actually land you with a hefty fine.
From playing loud music to overgrown trees, it doesn’t take much to irritate a Brit. Uncovering what really winds up your neighbours, Northerner hoped to uncover the secret to being a perfect neighbour and which etiquette rules you should never break.
The survey revealed that the number one pet peeve when it comes to our neighbours is leaving dogs to bark, with more than half of Brits agreeing that this gets on their nerves. As it turns out, in the UK you can actually be fined up to £5,000 for leaving your dog to bark, if a neighbour reports it to the council and it classifies as a statutory noise nuisance.
Of those asked, 55 to 64 year olds were the most bothered by this, with just under three-quarters (74%) confessing that this was one of their biggest pet peeves. Meanwhile, 25 to 34 year olds were the most annoyed at being asked to take part in community events (24%) while just 13% of those between 55 and 64 felt this was a nuisance.
The UK’s top ten neighbour nuisances:
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Leaving dogs to bark (53%)
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Playing loud music (49%)
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Cars taking up road space (40%)
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Unkempt property (37%)
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Hearing someone having sex (35%)
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Overgrown trees (33%)
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Smoking in the garden (25%)
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Making suggestion to change your property (19%)
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Having lots of visitors (17%)
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Being asked to join community events (17%)
Opposite to what some may assume about the British, very few said they found chatting with neighbours to be annoying. Just 10% of Brits said they don’t like chatty neighbours or making small talk with their neighbours.
Additionally, 96% of Brits said they like bumping into their neighbours while they’re out and about. And while football may divide family and friends, it isn’t an issue for most Brits when it comes to supporting different teams to their neighbours, with just 7% admitting that it was an annoyance.
Markus Lindblad from Northerner said: “It’s fairly common for us to get irritated by our neighbours’ habits and behaviours, but community is a really important thing. It was really heartwarming to see that neighbours do still enjoy chatting and interacting with each other. When it comes to things like smoking in the garden, it is completely understandable that people can find this annoying, especially when you’re in the garden, with kids, or trying to dry your washing.”