We’d all like to have good neighbours when we move into a new place but are we good neighbours ourselves? Do we fulfil all the neighbourly duties that make us a good neighbour? There are seven essential traits that make someone an ideal neighbour; someone whom you’d want to live next door to. Adopting these traits can help you become a good neighbour and set an example for others in your community or residential complex, while also helping you become a good human being. So, let’s move on to the top tips for being a good neighbour.
Top Tips for Being a Good Neighbour
Pakistanis thrive on social interactions, and the concept of chatting to your neighbours and living with that sense of community bonding is fairly common, especially for people living in apartment complexes. However, it has been observed that the younger generation is becoming more reserved and more wary of introducing themselves to their next-door neighbours. The fear of being judged, the annoyance of getting friendly with a nosy neighbour, and the threat of attracting the wrong person in your neighbourhood are all pretty prevalent, and relevant too, to some extent. Nevertheless, if you truly want to bond with your neighbours, here are seven behaviours to adopt:
- Introduce yourself
- Help them out when needed
- Keep your shared spaces clean
- Watch the noise levels
- Remember them on special occasions
- Don’t pry into your neighbour’s business
- Always return what you borrow
Let’s discuss all of these tips in detail now.
1. Introduce Yourself
The trick to having a good neighbour is becoming one yourself, and that starts with being friendly and introducing yourself to your neighbours. If you’ve just moved into a new place, get to know who lives next door. If you’ve just gotten new neighbours, do the same. The point is to initiate a conversation rather than waiting for your neighbours to do so. However, make sure you appear friendly and not nosy when you go to greet them. Do not ask a ton of questions unless they seem open to answering them. If they are friendly themselves, you’ll get plenty of time for Q&A sessions later on.
2. Help Them Out When Needed
From helping them carrying in their groceries to caring for them when they’re unwell, there’s a lot that you can do, especially if your neighbours are elderly citizens of the community. In general, ask about their wellbeing from time to time, help them out if anybody in their family is unwell, care for their plants or pets if they’re going on a holiday, and watch their place for suspicious activity if you know that nobody’s at home.
3. Keep Your Shared Spaces Clean
If you want to become a good neighbour, this tip is essential. Many of us are the first ones to criticise our neighbours at the first sight of mismanagement or lack of maintenance but refuse to do our part in keeping our surroundings clean. Being a good neighbour, you should keep the front of your house, or your yard maintained if you live in a bungalow.
For apartment dwellers, it is essential to maintain the upkeep and cleanliness of the shared corridor and the stairs. Don’t throw trash in public spaces, avoid keeping your trash bins in the passage where they’ll bother your neighbours with the smell, and sweep your section of the hallway or stairs every few days.
4. Watch the Noise Levels
While this is quite important for those residing in an apartment building, even house owners should avoid noisy parties that run late into the night, and disturb their neighbours. One way to be a good neighbour is to inform the people who live next door that you’ll be having a party and things might get noisy or that your guests might park their cars in the area, making it crowded. Keeping your neighbours in the loop will help you maintain friendly relations with them while enjoying your evening.
This doesn’t just apply to parties, though. Even on a daily basis, avoid keeping the television or music volume too high, avoid noisy repairs at odd hours, and keep your quarrels within your own walls.
Having problems with a troublesome neighbour? Use some easy tips to deal with annoying neighbours.
5. Remember Them on Special Occasions
Whether it’s a birthday, or any of the several religious occasions, such as Eid, if you’re sending sweets and gifts to your family and friends, don’t forget to include your neighbours in the list. Remembering your neighbours on special occasions is one way of sharing your happiness with them and ensuring that they’ll be there to support you in your bad times. Don’t do it for the sake of receiving something in return, though. Even if your gesture is not returned, sharing your happiness with them is the right thing to do. Keep at it!
6. Don’t Pry into Your Neighbour’s Business
Nobody likes a nosy busybody. Your neighbours’ lives are their own, and unless they share something with you on their own, it is best not to peep and pry or to try to question them on personal matters. Make sure that you hint at the same to your neighbours if they are peeking and prying into your business.
7. Always Return What You Borrow
Yes, please! Never forget what bowl/tray/plate came from which home and please do always return it. You never know, it might just be a prized possession. Even if you borrow something as commonplace as a pair of scissors or a hammer for your repair work, it is always best to return the items you’ve borrowed from your neighbours as that helps maintain a friendly relation with them, and also makes them more willing to lend you a helping hand in the future.
These seven tips for being a good neighbour will not only help you become a better neighbour but a model citizen as well. Practice these for yourself and spread the word to your family and friends too. Good neighbours are a blessing, so why not become one for someone who lives next door?
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