A neighbourhood that is neighbourly starts with good neighbours. Everyone deserves to have good neighbours and being a good neighbour yourself is one way you can help create a neighbourly neighbourhood.
Being a good neighbour means growing respect by building a good relationship. Here’s what you can do.
Introduce yourself: Saying hello with a smile can break the ice and allow you to start up a conversation about the neighbourhood.
Get to know your neighbour: Ask your neighbours what they do for a living, they may have shift or night work. Knowing what your neighbours do can help you be more considerate when it comes to what you do and when. For example, you may choose to mow your lawn at 5pm rather than 9am to ensure you aren’t disturbing your neighbour who finished night shift and may be sleeping.
Communicate with your neighbour: Keep your neighbour up to date with what’s going on. For example if your hosting a party that may affect them, reduce potential problems by letting your neighbours know in advance. Building rapport with your neighbour makes it easier to speak to them about nuisances if the situation arises.
Help each other: You may want to exchange telephone numbers with your neighbour so you can contact each other in an emergency or let each other know when you are going away so they can keep an eye on the house. Other helpful thing you can do for a neighbour that is away include, collecting their mail, feeding their pets, and taking their bins out.
Get-together regularly: Organising an event to celebrate key events such as a grand final or another annual event is a great way to stay connected and build a strong sense of community with your neighbours.