How well do UK neighbours get along?

How neighbours can affect the value of your property

Whether it’s accepting parcels or watching over the house while you’re away, most of us will probably need to rely on our neighbours sooner or later.

Not only does a good neighbourly relationship enhance your sense of security, but it can also have positive effects on your mental wellbeing and give a feeling of belonging in the local community.

Here at Hammonds, we wanted to find out how well UK residents get along with their neighbours, and how much they trust each other to take care of things while they’re away.

To do this, we surveyed 2,000 UK adults on their feelings towards their neighbours and spoke with a property expert on whether neighbour disputes can impact property value.

 

How well do Brits get along with their neighbours?

Our survey shows that two-thirds of Brits (66%) have a good relationship with their neighbours and nearly one in three (29%) even said they get along very well.

On the other hand, only 11% said they don’t get along well, and 18% get on neither well nor badly.

The older generations tend to get on better with their neighbours, with the majority (82%) saying they get on well (more than half said ‘very well’).

Two-thirds of 55-64-year-olds (66%) said they have good relations with neighbours, with 31% saying they get on very well.

While more than 60% of the remaining age groups also said they get on well overall, only around 20% of 25–44-year-olds described this as ‘very well’, and around 40% said ‘quite well’.

 

What are the top complaints about neighbours?

When Brits were asked what their top neighbours annoyances are, nearly half (45%) said that they don’t currently have any issues with their neighbours.

However, these are the top behaviours which did cause issues for some:

1. My neighbours are loud (15%)
2. My neighbour's garden is overgrown and an eyesore (12%)
3. My neighbour's property is messy and an eyesore (12%)

 

Over one in six 25–34-year-olds (17%) said they don’t get on well with their neighbours. This is the highest figure out of any age group.

25–34-year-olds also complain the most about their neighbours, with only one in five (20%) saying they don’t have any issues with them, compared to over two thirds (69%) of 65+ year-olds.

 

How well do people trust their neighbours?

We also asked people to tell us whether they would trust their neighbours to take care of certain tasks while they’re away.

The results showed that despite having a good relationship, an overwhelming three quarters (78%) would not give their neighbour a spare key to their house.

When it comes to watching over their house in general while they’re gone, only one in three Brits (34%) would trust their neighbours with this job.

People are more split on parcel deliveries, with 55% trusting their neighbours to take these in on their behalf, while 45% would not.

Furthermore, nearly 9 in 10 said they wouldn’t leave their pets (87%) or children (86%) with their neighbour if they had an emergency.

The data also shows that older people are generally more trusting, with two-fifths (39%) of 65+ year-olds saying they’d give their neighbours spare keys, compared to just 15% of 25–34-year-olds.

Nearly three quarters of 65+ year-olds (73%) and two thirds (66%) of 55-64-year-olds trust their neighbours to take parcels when they aren’t home, compared to just a third (33%) of 25–34-year-olds.

More than half of 65+ year-olds (57%) trust their neighbours to look after their house when they’re gone, compared to just one in five (21%) of 35–44-year-olds.

 

Which cities have the best neighbours?

Our findings show that Norwich residents have the least problems with their neighbours, with more than half (57%) saying they don’t have any issues to complain about.

However, it was Bristolians who said they have the best relationship with their neighbours overall, with more than three in four saying they get on well.

 

 

Which cities have the worst neighbours?

One in five (19%) of Belfast residents complained of those next door being nosy, making Belfast the nosiest neighbours in the UK according to the survey, followed by Liverpool and Birmingham.

 

 

The UK’s loudest neighbours are in the north-west, with over one in five Scousers complaining about this issue. Other top hotspots for noise include Birmingham and London.

 

 

Can neighbours affect my property value?

Here at Hammonds, we previously looked at how different factors can affect your home value, including interior design choices or even living near spooky sites.

But does the same apply to your next door neighbours and any ongoing disputes? Tabitha Cumming, a property expert from The Lease Extension Company, said that bad neighbours can reduce your home's value by thousands of pounds.

Tabitha mentioned three key factors:

• When your home is being valued, its outside appearance will be considered. However, the appraiser will also factor in the appearances of surrounding houses. If your neighbour's home has a poorly maintained exterior, this can potentially decrease the value of surrounding houses by between 5-10%.
• Noisy neighbours can decrease the value of your home by 1-10% due to the disruptive environment they can create. Unreasonable noise is classed as excessive or persistent sounds that interfere with the enjoyment of a property, and includes continuous loud music, late night parties, regular shouting/arguing or excessive dog barking.
• Any pets or other animals that your neighbours own will also affect your property's value. For example, if they have dogs that are outside barking all day or own a breed that is considered dangerous, this can decrease the value of your home as it affects how much time you will want to spend outdoors.

Although it can be challenging, the expert also recommends getting to know your potential neighbours before moving to a new area.

Tabitha said: “You will be able to get to know them and can also ask their opinions about other neighbours, without having to worry if they are not being honest to convince you to buy a home.

It will also help you to decide if you will be compatible as neighbours, potentially saving you from years of issues further down the line.”

 

Conclusion

Our survey shows that while most Brits get along well with their neighbours, there is more than can be done to build trust.

It is always a good idea to get to know the people in your local community and make friendships with people you can rely on if you ever need to.

Although your house value can be impacted by your neighbours, it is worth noting there are other things you can do to increase the value of your home.

Our previous study found that the average person would offer £3.6k over the asking price for a minimalist home.

For those aiming for the minimalist style, removing clutter and personal mementos can be a way to neutralise your home to appeal to potential buyers, if you are struggling to find the space for these items, it could be worth investing in new fitted storage solutions.

 

Sources & Methodology

Survey with 2,000 respondents, conducted in September 2023