Good Neighbor Etiquette Edit page

Basic etiquette rules to be a good neighbor.

Being a Good Neighbor

These are people you are likely to see every day, or at least fairly often.  in the spirit of creating an enjoyable and respectful community…Don’t need to be best friends—goal is to get along and respect

We offer some tips…

General Tips on being a good neighbor include:

• Observe and respect your neighbor’s personal space.

• Not everyone is a pet lover, so show responsibility for your pets. That includes keeping them off the neighbor’s lawn and picking up after them. If a dog persists in barking, take the dog inside.

• If you have an issue with a neighbor, go directly to that person and discuss it in an adult manner. If you can’t see eye to eye, as least respectfully agree to disagree.   Escalate only after having given a chance to respond. 
• Remember your neighbors during the holidays with a card or small homemade gift and don't expect anything in return. Enjoy the act of giving.

• Be friendly!  You don’t have to hang out. A simple wave as you pull into the driveway and/or a card or small homemade gift during the holidays goes a long way!  

Noise and Nighttime Etiquette

No one expects you to be quiet as a mouse, but you should also respect certain basic rules when it comes to making too much noise.

Know some noise etiquette rules:

• Don’t honk your horn every time you pull into your driveway. Your family will find out you are home soon enough.
• Sitting outside on a warm summer night with your spouse or friend is wonderful, but if your house is on a small lot, and the neighbor’s bedroom window is close, it’s rude to hold long conversations on the back porch past 10 p.m. Take it inside so your neighbor can sleep.
• Avoid all unnecessary noise from any source from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. This includes revving car or motorcycle engines, children riding scooters, loud voices, mowing a lawn, and whatever else may wake someone from a sound sleep.

• Don’t keep flood nights on during the night, especially if they are aimed towards a neighbor’s home.

Curb Appeal

A good neighbor is one who maintains the exterior of the house and lawn at least at the same level as the rest of the neighborhood.

Follow some basic exterior maintenance:

• Don’t throw out bulk trash days before pick up. Please put out the night before bulk trash pick-up schedule.
• Remove mold from the exterior walls and paint when necessary.
• Make sure that trees, shrubs, and other elements don’t creep into your neighbor’s yard. This includes tree limbs, spreading shrubs, and weeds.
• Remove all bicycles, skateboards, and toys from the front yard at the end of the day.
• If you are the only one on the street with a car engine, a boat, or a ferris wheel in your front yard, you may not be invited over for cocktails.

Social Events

Be respectful of your neighbors when you throw a party.

You might enjoy a great party, and that’s just fine as long as you don’t intrude or impose on your neighbors. An occasional late-night blast might be forgiven, but all-night parties every single weekend can make you the bad guy. Know some good neighbor social guidelines:

• Ask your guests to park in the driveway or in front of your house. Make sure they don’t block someone else’s driveway.
• Obey noise ordinance laws. If a neighbor calls or comes over and asks you to pipe down, be friendly and apologize . Then quiet down.
• Invite the neighbors to your big parties. Doing so shows friendliness on your part, and they'll have a much better feeling about you than if they weren't invited and had to listen to the sound of your guests having fun.

Construction

Many homes are currently under renovation. Abiding by common courtesy rules will save everyone a lot of grief during this time:

• It’s very important to follow town rules with respect to day/times of when construction can occur. Blasting and rock chipping can be particularly annoying, so where possible, give your neighbors a heads up on what will be taking place, and ask them if they have specific concerns/pain points.  You don’t have to promise to fix them, but you can consider them as you move through the project.  Most neighbors will respect you for this, as you don’t ‘have’ to do it.
• Place garbage dumpsters and porter potty behind the house, or as far from the front as possible. Cordon off these unsightly structures from your neighbors view.
• Where possible, keep the curb appeal of your property in as best shape you can during construction.
• Be certain the construction workers do not litter, especially on your neighbor’s property. This includes, cans, fast food containers, cigarette butts, etc.
• Be certain the workers do not park on in front of your neighbor’s home, or create traffic issues.

Welcome New Neighbors

Neighbors can make a new family feel welcome by stopping by for a friendly introduction.  A short investment in making a good first impression can go a long, long way.

Ideas to welcome new neighbors include:

• Introduce yourself as soon as you can. Give the new neighbors your phone number.
• Deliver treats.
• Hand-deliver a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers from your garden.
• Offer to have the new neighbors' children over while the moving van is unloading the furniture.
• Give the new family a list of services and phone numbers in the area. Include emergency services, doctors’ offices, dentists, schools, places that offer carryout, dry cleaners, and whatever else you can think of.

When people make an effort to be a good neighbor by following proper etiquette, everyone will have a sense of well-being, knowing you are all surrounded by friends and have each other’s backs in a pinch. The neighborhood will be more appealing, and you’ll be more content in your home.