News & Articles A Homeowners Guide to Being Good Neighbours
A Homeowners Guide to Being Good Neighbours
12 Aug 2015
When we buy a home, we often cannot choose who our neighbours are. They may be from different backgrounds, religions and race from us. They come in various shades of personalities and characters. Living together with various people can be challenging, especially when you are in a landed property neighbourhood, where there is no central management.
Hopefully, some of the tips we have listed here will make your life with your neighbours more harmonious and smooth.
Make friends with your neighbours by getting to know them. You can start by inviting them over for a gathering.
Try and solve differences by negotiating and compromising. This is where the ‘making friends’ part is most useful as it is easier to talk to a friend than a stranger.
Solve problems as soon as you can, don’t let anger and frustration build up.
Be helpful and generous, especially if neighbours need to borrow something. One day, you may need a favour from them.
Keep a look out for crime in your neighbourhood, especially suspicious characters.
Avoid having loud activities like karaoke after dark and on weekday evenings.
Conduct any renovation work like drilling from 9am to 6pm on weekdays to avoid disturbing people.
Train your children not to scream and shout as this will irritate your neighbours.
If you live in an apartment, don’t dry your dripping wet laundry on the balcony.
Don’t throw your rubbish on the roadside or in the corridors. Use a proper waste bin or throw them at the communal rubbish dump.
Try to get involved in community activities like ‘gotong-royong’ or the neighbourhood pot luck.
If you keep cats or dogs as pets, make sure you don’t let them run free and please clean up after them if they decide to drop a ‘bomb’ near your neighbour’s house.
Respect your neighbour’s religious practices and don’t demand them to stop or take down their religious symbols. After all, it is their house.
Remember that a neighbourhood that works together will achieve more than one that is filled with antagonism and negativity.