How to be a good neighbour

Tomorrow (Friday 25 May) is European Neighbours Day. Neighbours' Day keeps growing with new partners. The celebration is the opportunity to reconnect with the values of solidarity, conviviality and friendship that should be at the forefront of neighbourly relations.

The initiative, originally set up in Paris in 1999, aims to foster community cohesion and create better neighbourhoods where people enjoy living.

The day is about coming together with neighbours in a community activity, which could be anything
from enjoying a communal lunch to watching a sporting event or movie together as a community.

You don’t need to confine your neighbourliness to just one day though.

The Larkfleet Homes team has put together a few tips on being a good neighbour when you move into one of our developments.

• Introduce yourself to your neighbours when you move in and establish a good relationship. Getting to know one another will help should any problems arise.
• Volunteer in your local community. Whatever your interests, talents or skills may be, there are opportunities for everyone. It will impact positively on your life, as well as the lives of those you volunteer for. It offers you a chance to become involved in a project or with an organisation you really care about or develop a new skill. It's also a fantastic opportunity to meet new people.
• Respect your neighbours. Try to keep noise to minimum and don’t leave litter on the streets – that’s not nice for anyone.
• Love your home. Try and keep everything looking neat and tidy.
• Register to vote. Make sure you’re engaged with local decision making so you can have an impact on local issues that will affect you.

Make sure you get involved with the community as soon as you can after you move in. Keep yourself informed about community events like fetes, jumble sales and charity events. These are all excellent ways to get to know the members of your community, and really start to feel at home.

Keep your neighbours in the loop. Be sure to let your neighbours know if your house is going to be empty for a considerable period such as holidays. This means they can keep an eye out for anything suspicious and that they know they are next to an empty property.

Always let your neighbours know if you’re planning anything that may affect them, such as a party. Try to hold it at the weekend, keep the noise to a reasonable level, and agree a time to end it by. Make sure your friends leave quietly and you clear up any debris.

Find out when the bin day is. It’s the local authority’s responsibility to provide a waste collection service, but as residents we all need to make sure that we help it run effectively. This is by far the issue that we hear up and down the country that irks residents the most. No-one wants a street with rows of overflowing bins.

Keep pets under control. If you have a dog, make sure your garden is dog-proof, so your beloved pooch doesn’t poo all over your neighbour’s lawn. It you have a noisy dog, take steps to control it.

Generally, be helpful and friendly!