What You Can Do To Be A Good Neighbour

What you can do to be a good neighbour
Here are some tips on how you can be a good neighbour to prevent problems arising:
Noise
 As part of everyday living, and the fact that no home is totally soundproof, we all
must expect some noise from the people living around us. Common everyday living
noise includes TVs and stereos, DIY, dogs barking, intruder or car alarms, slamming
doors or simply walking around the property
 Recognise that your neighbours do not want to hear noise from your home,
particularly late at night, or for long periods
 Keep noise at a reasonable level at all times e.g. from the TV, stereo, radio
 Noise carries through walls, floors and doors. Laminate flooring (particularly in
flats), and other hard surfaces, can amplify noise. To help reduce it, put down rugs
and fit felt or rubber pads to movable furniture
 Warn your neighbours if you are going to do anything noisy e.g. having a party or
doing DIY
 Co-operate with your neighbours if they ask you to reduce noise. For example, you
can position your TV or stereo away from the walls you share with your neighbours.
Being a responsible dog owner
 Dogs are great companions but make sure they don't whine or bark for long periods
of time
 If your dog fouls in a public space, you should clean it up
 Always keep your dog under control e.g. use a lead when walking the dog
 Get your dog micro-chipped so it can be traced back to you if it ever goes missing.
Gardens and communal areas
 Do not block communal areas with prams, bicycles or your other personal
belongings
 Do not allow your garden to become overgrown and unkempt. Keeping it tidy and
free of rubbish helps improve the look of the area. Where gardens look neglected,
they can sometimes encourage fly-tipping
 If you share a communal door, make sure it’s always kept closed and you don’t let
anyone in that you don’t know. This way everyone’s homes are kept secure
 If your neighbours’ trees or hedges are a problem, you may be able to prune or
remove anything that comes over to your side of the boundary as long as you offer
any clippings back to your neighbour. But some trees are protected and it’s best to
check first with your neighbour before you take any action.
Bins
 Recycle your waste as much as possible and make sure you use the right bins
 Make sure you put your bin out for collection no earlier than 6pm the night before
and always bring it back in after collection
 See our bulky waste collections page if you have any bulky household items that you
no longer want and need advice on how to dispose of them appropriately
 If you have a communal bin area, dispose of your rubbish correctly in the bins, and
make sure the area around the bins is kept tidy - see which bin should I use.
Bonfires
 Do not light a bonfire if your neighbour has washing out, is using their garden or has
their windows open
 Do not light the bonfire close to your neighbours’ property to prevent the risk of the
fire spreading
 Instead of having a bonfire you could consider other methods of disposing of
rubbish, such as using the local household waste recycling centre or composting
garden waste.
Having frequent bonfires could be causing a ‘statutory nuisance’ and we have the
power to issue ‘abatement notices’ to stop them happening - see our bonfires page.
Parking
 Park considerately
 Recognise that you don’t have the right to park outside your home. Anyone can park
on a public road if they adhere to any restrictions imposed by way of signs and
markings and it is not causing an obstruction
 Avoid blocking entrances, dropped kerbs, garages or pavements.
Children playing
 Be tolerant of children playing outside - Wigan Council actively encourages children

to be fit and active
 However, if you’re a parent, consider how the noise of your children playing outside
may affect your neighbours. Consider if there’s a safer place to play such as a park or
skateboard area
 If a child accidentally throws or kicks a ball into your property, you should either
hand it back or allow it to be collected
 If children harass, intimidate or disturb others then complaints are justified, and
parents must respond reasonably.
Alley gates
 If you have alley gates at the rear of your property make sure you always close them
behind you and keep them locked at all times
 Report any problems with your alley gates as soon as possible so that the issue can
be resolved
 Do not park in front of alley gates and avoid blocking the alleyway.
1. Giving
You know that saying–’do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ That’s what
we mean here and it’s what being a good neighbor is all about!
If a neighbor does something nice for you, pay it forward by doing something nice for
another neighbor. Once you’ve got all that good karma flying around, there’s no limit to
just how happy your neighborhood can become!
Better yet, a good neighbor does a good deed without even being prompted to do so. If
you see that your neighbor is having a hard time mowing their lawn, offer to lend a
hand. Or if your neighbor has kids, offer to babysit should they need a babysitter. See–
it’s so simple!
2. Friendly
You don’t always have to go above and beyond to be a decent neighbor. Maybe you don’t
care to become best friends with your neighbors or maybe you just enjoy your privacy.
Either way, smiling at your neighbors when they drive by or saying hello when you see
them can go a long way.
Coming off as unfriendly or unapproachable can make for an awkward and
uncomfortable living environment. Earn even more good-neighbor points by remaining
friendly even to those not-so-nice neighbors. You never really know what could be going
on behind the scenes. So instead of mean-mugging that grumpy neighbor of yours the
next time you see them, smile or wave instead! This bit of kindness can go a long way.
3. Tidy
No one likes a messy neighbor. Even if you don’t mind when your yard or home is
messy, be courteous to neighbors who do. After all, your neighborhood is their
neighborhood too! Not sure what it means to be tidy? Here are some handy tips:
 Mow your lawn regularly.

 Don’t let your grass get out of control!
 Remove any extra clutter (bikes, watering buckets, toys, etc.) from your yard at the end
of the day. If you have kids, this is a big one.
 Be conscious of too much outdoor decor.
 Make sure trees, shrubs, weeds etc. don’t creep into your neighbor’s yard. In other
words, keep up with the maintenance of your yard.
4. Quiet (ish)
Ok–maybe you’re not throwing loud and outrageous parties every night. But either way,
a good neighbor should be noise-conscious.
Some examples: Don’t mow your lawn at seven in the morning, don’t honk your horn
every time you pull into the driveway, try to keep your music down past 9 o’clock in the
evening, etc–you get the gist. But really, this is a nice and easy way to be a good
neighbor.
If you’re planning on hosting a party and think it might get a little loud, let your
neighbors know ahead of time. Or better yet, invite your neighbors to join you!
5. Welcoming
Many neighborhoods have some type of group communication in place. If yours

doesn’t, start an email list or create a Facebook page for your neighborhood! It’s quick
and easy and a great way to reach out to your neighbors to encourage neighborly
involvement.
On the backside of this, don’t be too overbearing. While a good neighbor knows how to
bring people together, forcing this neighborly communication could end up hurting
more than helping. Some people value their privacy, so try to recognize that in a
neighbor before you go invading their personal space.
As you can see, being a good neighbor is simple! When it comes down to it, being a
good neighbor is all about being courteous. Taking the time to just say hello when you
see your neighbor outside could go a long way.

What You Can Do To Be A Good Neighbour

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What you can do to be a good neighbour

Being a responsible dog owner

Gardens and communal areas

 Be tolerant of children playing outside - Wigan Council actively encourages children

 Mow your lawn regularly.

Many neighborhoods have some type of group communication in place. If yours

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