How to deal with neighbours from hell

1 in 4 of us will experience neighbour niggles.

Many people live in harmony with their neighbours; having cups of tea and chats with them. Others simply pass them by with a friendly nod and wave. However, not everyone has such positive experiences. Sadly, neighbours can range from being mildly annoying to noisy, gossiping, loud and hostile. There are solutions to the problem though and you don’t have to put up with it and the stress it causes.

Possible ways to sort it:

Approach your neighbours and have a civil, reasonable chat about the situation. You will probably be neighbours for awhile, so it’s probably best to be as nice and diplomatic as you can about the whole thing. RESIST the urge to scream at them about their noise/parties/ pets etc. and instead quietly and calmly explain the issue. Avoid the use of “You” statements such as “You always make so much noise” and instead say things such as “I feel that the noise can bother me a bit sometimes”. It may be helpful to take someone with you when you have this talk. This means someone else can vouch for what you said. It is also safer.
Record details of the conversation you had with your neighbour.
Write out a formal letter to your neighbours documenting your issues and send it to them via registered post. Clearly lay out the particular problems. Make sure it is printed up and formatted properly, so that it looks as official as possible. Save a copy of the letter.
If no change, keep a written record of all incidents/problems. Record dates, times and incidents.
Contact Citizen’s Information for further advice.
Consider consulting a mediation service to help sort out the issue.
If there is no change despite all of the above, you can bring a case to the district court.
If you win your case, your neighbour MUST comply with the conditions laid down by the court. Otherwise, he/she will face prosecution.

Legal actions:

If things get really bad there are several legal routes. You can bring the issue to the local district court. The Gardai can then help you enforce whatever decision the court has made.

Tips on coping with it:

Realise that you are NOT alone. Recent research by the Good Housekeeping Institute in the UK has revealed that 25% of us will experience a problem with our neighbours at some stage in our lives. It is bound to be similar here.
Offloading to friends or family may really help. Also, feel free to share/rant/moan about it in the forum.
Look at positive ways of dealing with stress. Also, check out this video.
A trip to your doctor might be in order if the whole situation is really getting you down. He/she might be able to refer you to a counsellor to talk it all through or guide you on how best to keep your health and strength up during this stressful time.
Move! Life is too short for these kind of hassles, right?

Further Information:

www.citizensinformation.ie

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See the help section for contact details of support organisations.