Three in ten Brits admit to rowing with their neighbours

Updated



Nearly a third of people say they've had disagreements with their neighbours, with noise complaints topping the list.

The next most common reasons for a dispute are a broken fence or wall, an untidy garden or hedge, an overgrown tree creeping over the fence and annoying kids and pets, a survey from garden furniture retailer Rattan Direct has revealed.

Londoners appear to be the most argumentative, while Bristolians are most likely to stay friendly with those who live nearby.

Meanwhile, Birmingham is home to the noisiest neighbours; Welsh homeowners are least likely to welcome their neighbours' pets into their gardens; and residents in Sheffield are most likely to get annoyed with their neighbours' children.

"It's interesting to see the UK map of 'neighbours rows' and how things differ from region to region. Some are calm and harmonious, whereas others are very protective of their outdoor spaces," says Robert Fernandez, marketing director at Rattan Direct.

"While it's understandable that no one wants to deal with an overgrown tree, a broken fence or messy pets, there's always a way of overcoming an argument.

"At the end of the day, you want to have a nice relationship with your next door neighbours. You never know when you might need to borrow some sugar."

Falling out with the neighbours can land you in trouble when it comes to selling your house, as you have a duty to disclose any disputes.

And it can cost you dear, with some cases developing into legal battles that can run up fees out of all proportion with the original dispute. Last year, for example, we reported on the case of two families whose row over a shared garden gate ended up costing them £100,000.

In other cases, neighbourly disputes can lead to violence - or even accusations of insanity. This is what happened in the case of Peter and Kim Bayliss, who demanded that their neighbour Sandra Saxton should be sectioned under the Mental Health Act after falling out with her over a tiny strip of garden.

And while we may get annoyed with the neighbours for failing to keep the garden tidy, we're not all that keen on doing it ourselves. More than a third of people surveyed by Rattan Direct said that keeping their garden nice and tidy was the most annoying aspect of having an outdoor space.

Creating a beautiful garden
Creating a beautiful garden


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