Nuisance Neighbours: Messy front lawns, stolen bin space and late night music revealed as biggest annoyances

More than two-thirds of Britons who have gotten into neighbourhood quarrels have done so over messy front lawns or driveways, having precious bin space stolen, or loud music or TV being played late into the night.

Furthermore, just over 1 in 10 have previously lived near a neighbour who engaged in noisy love-making sessions, according to research.

The survey was carried out by www.web-blinds.com as part of an ongoing study into the home lives and habits of Britons.

Over 2,800 UK adults aged 18 and over, all of whom rented or owned their own homes, were quizzed about their relationships and opinions of their current and previous neighbours.

All participants were initially asked if they’d ever been disgruntled with their current or previous neighbours over their behaviour, either in or around their homes, with the vast majority (88%) admitting they had been.

These relevant individuals were then given a list of potential answers, and asked to specify the reason(s) they’d been annoyed by their neighbours. The top 10 answers emerged as follows:

• Messy front lawn/driveways – 68%

• Stolen bin space – 52%

• Loud music/TV late at night – 50%

• Inconsiderate parking -47%

• Screaming/noisy babies or children – 45%

• Loud DIY home improvements – 37%

• Throwing parties with lots of friends – 31%

• Asking overly friendly/nosy questions – 26%

• Not returning borrowed items – 17%

• Loud love-making sessions – 11%

When asked if they’d been annoyed enough to confront their neighbours regarding their issue with them, just over half (52%) of relevant participants admitted they’d done so. Of these, just under a third (32%) stated that it made a difference to the situation going forward, with two fifths of these (41%) admitting it worsened the situation and made neighbourhood relations more strained.

Finally, all Britons were then asked if they’d ever contemplated moving out of their property as a result of nuisance neighbours, with just over one fifth (21%) disclosing that they had, and 4% confessing that they’d actually made the move.

Melissa Benedict, spokesperson for www.web-blinds.com, said: “There is no such thing as the ‘perfect neighbour’ but it seems as a nation we are becoming increasingly more agitated with those who share the same postcodes as us.

“Having to deal with the occasional loud party next-door during the summer months is one thing, but being kept awake night after night or not being able to move your car out of the drive can have a serious effect on how much you enjoy your home.”