Being neighborly is often easier said than done, and you should definitely be mindful of what kind of neighbor you are. In all honesty, when it comes down to it, being a bad neighbor isn’t as difficult as you would think, and you definitely don’t want that reputation.
So with that being said, being a good neighbor is going to take an active commitment on your end. In order to help you be the best neighbor you can be, here are a few tips to keep in mind!
Photo Via Pixabay
Take Care of Your Space
Believe it or not, what you do within the confines of your own apartment (or house, or dorm room) will actually impact your neighbors, in a variety of ways. For instance, if you are the type of person that’s messy, you could be attracting bugs to the area that you may not even realize you’re attracting.
Additionally, if you live in a house, allowing leaves to pile up, or avoiding shoveling snow from the sidewalk, can be an eyesore to your neighbors. While your property is yours to take care of, and you may believe it’s none of your neighbor’s concern, it can impact them, and so being mindful of your space is important.
Invite Them Over
If you’re the type of person that’s quick to make friends, you should consider inviting your neighbors over for a drink, or appetizers and a movie. Striking up a conversation with your neighbor may indicate whether or not there is interest, and you can move forward from there.
Granted, this isn’t to say you have to invite over a neighbor that you don’t want to, but rather, if there’s a mutual interest in getting to know each other, it doesn’t hurt to throw the offer out there!
Watch Your Pets
There’s nothing more annoying than a dog that barks all day long, or a cat that is continually walking into a neighbor’s household. The truth is, your pets can greatly impact your neighbor’s perception of you, and it’s important that you make a good impression here and don’t get off on the wrong foot.
So, keep your pets in your space, and make sure they aren’t making too much noise. In addition, clean up after your pets. Just because you have a dog doesn’t mean everyone around you is on board with your decision, so do your best to be polite and mindful of others.
Be Friendly
So maybe you aren’t the type of person that’s willing to invite an unknown neighbor over for dinner; that’s totally fine! (And completely normal). However, you shouldn’t just entirely ignore your neighbors, either.
The happy medium is to be polite when you run across your neighbors, which means you shouldn’t be afraid to say “hello” or strike up a quick conversation in passing, on occasion. You don’t need to dedicate a whole evening to them, but rather, should be friendly when you see them so as not to come off as rude.
Keep Things Quiet
Probably the most important item on this list, noise complaints are the number one conflict between neighbors, and it’s easily one of the most manageable elements. It comes down to this: you may live in your own space, but there’s a difference between excessive noise and occasional noisiness.
If you’re having friends over for a night in, for example, you don’t need to whisper and can enjoy one another’s company, listen to music, etc. That being said, blasting your favorite songs until three in the morning is obviously annoying to those around you. The goal here is to find a happy medium and be considerate of others around you.
Don’t Monopolize Community Space
Last, but not least, community space, especially in dorms and apartment complexes, is meant for everyone, and you should therefore never monopolize those spaces. This isn’t only to say you shouldn’t be spending all of your time there, preventing others from enjoying the area, but that you should also make room for others.
For instance, if there is a community pool, blasting your music and monopolizing several beach chairs for the day isn’t neighborly. Basically, utilize your best judgment and, as a general rule of thumb, if you feel like you’re pushing it, you probably are.
Your ability to be a good neighbor is dependent on a variety of things, but most importantly, dependent upon the effort that you put into it. The above tips are a great starting point, but they are by no means an exhaustive list.
For that reason, your dedication to being a good neighbor should extend beyond these items, though don’t feel the need to go too extreme. So long as you’re doing your part to actively think of your neighbors before you do anything that may annoy or upset them, you’re off to a great start!
Equal Housing Opportunity
