Six Ways You’re Guaranteed to Anger Your New Neighbors (and How to Avoid Them)
Moving to a new home and new area can be stressful. There’s all the work that goes into packing your belongings and making all the preparations, and then all the work that goes into unpacking all your belongings and getting your new space organized and organized. There are so many logistical things that can go wrong that it’s no wonder that moving to a new home is one of the most stressful events people can go through.
On top of all the logistical aspects of moving, you’re also getting to know a new community of people—people you’ll be living near and interacting with for the foreseeable future. And most people are already annoyed with at least some of their neighbors, so it’s important to think ahead about the impression you’re going to make. It’s surprisingly easy to anger your new neighbors before you’ve even unloaded the last box from the moving truck.
We throw away garbage incorrectly
Each local community handles waste and recycling differently. In some places you just throw your bag on the side of the road and it magically disappears; others will have strict requirements for rodent-proof trash cans and even stricter rules about when trash can be thrown out and even the exact location of your trash cans.
One of the easiest ways to annoy your neighbors is to throw out trash on the wrong day, at the wrong time, or in the wrong containers, especially in those first days after moving in when you’ve accumulated a huge amount of trash. . And you’ll make the situation even worse and go into true villain mode if you just leave it there all day long instead of admitting your mistake and picking it up to put it out again on the right night. If you think there isn’t at least one neighbor who will drop you a dime at the local government and make sure the fine comes in the mail, you’re probably wrong, so it’s worth reviewing all the recycling details ahead of time. time.
Blocking entrances, roads and sidewalks
Moving is a huge operation. Usually we’re talking about a huge truck, a crowd of movers, and your own car filled with boxes and (by the end of the packing process) garbage bags and other random containers filled with your belongings. When invading a new area, the easiest way to piss everyone off is to block access roads and make it difficult or even impossible to drive past.
This also applies to sidewalks. Just because it’s your moving day doesn’t mean your new neighbors have cleared their schedules, and making them walk down the street while you move your things won’t endear them to you. It can be maddening to pay attention and manage the movers and all the vehicles involved, but it’s worth it to get off on the right foot.
Don’t quarrel with children and pets
Moving day is the epitome of chaos. There are so many moving parts that it’s easy to lose some. If you want to really annoy the people you write to on NextDoor from now on, make sure you lose sight of your small children and pets. Nothing cools the heart of a new neighbor more than a bunch of weird kids running around the backyard or a dog that won’t stop barking (or tearing up flower beds). In fact, barking dogs are one of the top things that annoy neighbors in general , so be aware of how you introduce yourself to them.
Invasion
No, we’re not suggesting you spend your first few hours or days in the neighborhood randomly breaking into people’s homes. But in the chaos of moving, you might end up parking your car somewhere you shouldn’t, or leaving a bunch of stuff on someone’s property, or mistaking a personal convenience like a swing set or an outdoor grill for a general convenience.
A new neighborhood is just a new neighborhood, so you can be forgiven for not memorizing all the property lines on your first day on the block. But you should at least make an effort to be aware of property boundaries and respect other people’s space and belongings.
Without introducing yourself
When people notice that you are moving next door, they will become interested. One way to immediately incur irritation is to ignore them or stay away altogether. A wave of the hand and a polite introduction will go a long way in ensuring a positive trend in your area’s email chain when it comes to your local Q-Rank .
In a recent survey, 28% of respondents said they didn’t like their neighbors simply because they gave off a “weird vibe.” I think we all understand this on some level. But this also means that you have one chance to avoid being a neighbor with a “weird vibe” – and you better take it.
Supply disruptions
Moving to a new home likely means you’re ordering a lot of things. Old, used items get thrown out, large, bulky items get left behind, and your new home has rooms or other infrastructure that the old one lacked, and now you need to order a box of smart light bulbs or three new sets of sheets. If all the delivered boxes are left with neighbors you don’t know yet, they will be annoyed. If you can’t get a few neighbors to stand parcel duty while you run around trying to squeeze your entire life into your new home, try managing the chaos by hanging a large delivery sign with your phone number and/or instructions. about where to leave parcels.