Photo: Micah Boy / Flickr

There was a time when you could say with a fair amount of certainty that people’s neighbours were also their family and friends. In some small towns this is still the case, but if you live in the city, chances are your neighbours are strangers you would prefer to ignore. They say that good fences make good neighbours, but it seems like one needs far more than that.

Conflict

There are so many things that can cause problems between neighbours. Noise and parking seem to cause the most conflict. But people also complain about garbage lying around or trees that shed leaves in a neighbour’s yard, clogging drains and ruining the lawn. These things may go unresolved for years until the conflict has people at each other’s throats.

The law

There are laws to govern most neighbourly disputes, but few people know their rights and obligations. In the case of the trees, for example, you have the right to cut a tree’s branches that hangs over your property, even though you cannot have your neighbour’s tree cut down. However certain trees are protected in which case you may want to invest in a leaf blower. Laws against noise pollution will also be strictly enforced. Recently a London couple who repeatedly broke legal injunctions against their noisy behaviour at home have finally been threatened with arrest.

Solutions

Photo: Stock.Xchng

Knowing your rights is very important. But in some cases people jump to legal action when a simple conversation will do the trick. It may help to approach your neighbours in a friendly manner; you may even invite them over for a piece chocolate cake to sweeten the dialogue. Find out how they feel about the situation and soften them up by letting them talk about themselves. This will make them far more receptive to listening to you and your issue. It may even make them like you and want to please just a little bit.

Mediation

Of course emotions sometimes run high and it may be difficult to conduct these negotiations with diplomacy. In this case it is useful to get a mediator to help solve your dispute. Your local council should be able to direct you to a professional mediator who will remain impartial and help conclude the issue in the fairest way.

Getting along is not always easy, but there are many ways to deal with conflict to prevent it from getting out of control.

Tags: leaf blower