We love seeing our buyers and tenants move into their new homes and we hope they’ll all be very happy! But something we can’t control is neighbours. Most people are lovely and understand that what they do affects other people’s lives. Unfortunately, a small minority of inconsiderate people make bad neighbours. If you’re unlucky enough to live next door to one, you might need to know how to solve a neighbour dispute.

In this blog, we look at how to deal with a situation yourself, and which outside agencies to bring in and when.

1.        Do a reality check

Before you go in with all guns blazing, it’s a good idea to do a reality check. Talk the problem over with a trusted friend – choose someone who’ll tell you if you’re being unreasonable! It’s easy to lose our sense of proportion when something affects our home life, but “crying wolf” weakens our position if something more serious happens in future. 

2.        Find out more

The noise, the overgrown hedge or the barking dogs might be just one part of a bigger problem. In general, happy people who are in control of their lives don’t fight regularly, neglect their homes or ignore their animals. Think about the bigger picture and consider ways you could offer some neighbourly help. For example, “I’m going to cut my hedge today – would you like me to do yours too?” 

If you’re really concerned about your neighbour’s wellbeing, call Surrey Adult Social Care on 0300 200 105. 

3.        Talk to your neighbour

Once you’ve decided the problem needs tackling head-on, it’s time to make contact with your neighbour. Talk to them directly if you feel you can. Failing that, put a polite note through their door. Whichever approach you choose, try to stick to the facts. For example, if the rubbish smells, say so, but don’t mention vermin unless you’ve actually seen it. 

It's important to note that most outside agencies, like the council or the police, will usually ask you if you’ve tried to resolve the situation amicably before they get involved. 

4.        Talk to your neighbour’s landlord

If you know the property is rented, you can raise the issue with the neighbours’ landlord. If you don’t know who that is, you can find out by contacting the council. The landlord will then raise the issue with the tenants. Helpfully, nearly everything a neighbour would complain about (e.g. noise after dark, frequent loud parties or neglecting the property) is a breach of the tenancy agreement and could lead to eviction. If the landlord evicts them, the problem is solved! 

5.        Contact the council

Some matters can be reported to the council, such as anti-social noise and rubbish. The council will investigate and might serve a notice to your neighbours or issue a fine. You can report matters to Guildford Borough Council here.

The council may also be able to help if your concerns are about high trees or hedges, or property boundaries. You are permitted to prune the part of someone else’s tree that overhangs your property. However, issues like an overgrown hedge obstructing the pavement are matters for the council. You can report them using Surrey’s reporting form here.

It’s important to note that the council will always ask you to raise the matter informally with your neighbour first.

6.        Contact the police

Contacting the police is a last resort, but sometimes it’s the safest option. If your neighbour is behaving in a way that makes you feel threatened, or if they are being violent or abusive, you can go directly to the police. 

You can also contact the police if you suspect the neighbour is breaking the law, e.g. dealing drugs or housing illegal workers/modern slaves. If you don’t feel comfortable contacting the police but need to report criminal activity, contact Crime Stoppers – they accept information anonymously and without judgement. 

Tenant referencing for Guildford landlords

At Cobbles, we do a thorough reference check on all our tenants – we hope you’ll love having them as neighbours! To find out more about renting through Cobbles, visit our lettings page here.