According to a survey carried out on behalf of national garden furniture retailer, Rattan Direct, 31% of Brits admit to disagreeing with their neighbours with noise, broken fences and untidy gardens being the most common reasons for arguments.
The findings uncovered the cause of most neighbourhood rows. Noise complaints topped the list, followed by a broken fence or wall, an untidy garden or hedge, an overgrown tree creeping over the fence and annoying kids and pets.
Looking at the differences between regions, the biggest arguments between neighbours can be found in London. On the other hand, Bristolians are far more civil and more likely to avoid neighbour disputes.
Interestingly, Birmingham is home to the noisiest neighbours. Welsh homeowners don’t welcome their neighbours’ pets into their gardens, whereas residents in Sheffield won’t return next door’s ball if it lands in their backyard, as they are mostly annoyed with their neighbours’ children.
What else annoys us when it comes to our green spaces?
Further data reveals that noisy neighbours were also voted as one of the top annoying things about our gardens.
Moreover, two-thirds of homeowners and tenants admit there is at least one thing in their gardens they wish they could change.
59% of those unhappy residents said that keeping their gardens nice and tidy is the most annoying aspect of having an outdoor space.
In more detail, people are mostly irritated by having to mow the lawn during the summer months, having to do lots of gardening, such as weeding, or having a fence or hedge that requires a lot of maintenance.
Robert Fernandez, the Marketing Director at Rattan Direct, says: “It’s interesting to see the UK map of ‘neighbours rows’ and how things differ from region to region. Some are calm and harmonious, whereas others are very protective of their outdoor spaces.”
While it’s understandable that no one wants to deal with an overgrown tree, a broken fence or messy pets, there’s always a way of overcoming an argument. At the end of the day, you want to have a nice relationship with your next door neighbours. You never know when you might need to borrow some sugar.”
