Top 5 neighbours you don't want
25 November | Kyle Sorensen and Tashreeq Hendricks
Stepping into the world of “adulting” is something that most people can't fully prepare for, especially when it comes too moving into your first apartment or house. Unpleasant situations with neighbours are often unavoidable. It's best to start preparing now since, no matter what you do, you'll eventually have to deal with a problematic neighbour scenario.
Being friendly is one of the qualities of a good neighbour that you look forward to as a new or first-time home or sectional title owner. A good neighbour will always try to be amiable, accessible, and approachable, but that is not the topic of our discussion today.
But what about those hostile neighbours? The ones who never smile, are constantly grumpy, are always busy, and are never accessible or even approachable — yes, there are people like this in real life. It’s one thing to play music, and to do so within reason, but it's quite another to disrespect your neighbours by not being cognisant of the time of day, or to be the “crazy cat woman” with way too many animals, which can be bothersome for new neighbours, who could have animal allergies.
In sectional title schemes, units are often in very close proximity to one another and in this article we will talk about some of the not so typical neighbours that people should try and avoid when it comes to settling into your sectional title scheme.
The Chain-Smoker
Having a designated smoking area away from others is great, however most schemes do not have the space for this, which often results to people smoking on their balcony or garden. The issue here is when people smoke excessively, it can be a little annoying to their neighbours, and there are also better alternatives becoming readily available, such as the invention and rising popularity of vapes. If you are the neighbour that chain-smokes, be reasonable to those around you.
Wooden Floors & Moving Furniture
When a laminate or hardwood floor is installed to replace a carpet, more impact noise, stemming from footsteps, chair scrapes, and dropped objects, is transmitted into the floor. These disturbances can soon grow inconvenient for the neighbours below, frequently without the above owner's being aware of the nuisance they are causing.
The Unhygienic Neighbour
People who allow too much clutter or rubbish to accumulate in their homes could be the cause of unhygienic circumstances to arise, which in turn could generate an unhealthy living condition for the entire scheme. There might be rotting food, heaps of trash, too many animals (cats, dogs, birds and reptiles), and the incorrect removal of their pets’ excrements. All of this may lead to unwanted pests and rodents making themselves at home in the scheme.
Families
You are free to choose your friends, but not your family or neighbours. When kids are involved, everything gets complicated, from babies crying in the middle of the night to teenagers hanging around in front of your door. Most of the time, this will be completely innocent. However, if they are consistently gathered outside of your home, it can become a problem. Noise and litter are only two of the less significant difficulties this can lead to.
The “Karen”
Contrary to the neighbours described above, there are also those that want to become too involved, as well as being a bit too invasive and nosy. Another common characteristic of this type of neighbour is that they find fault with the smallest of things, and constantly complain without letting new neighbours adjust to their sectional title scheme.
All of the aforementioned issues are frequently present in community schemes, leading us to the conclusion that it is crucial to show consideration for both our existing neighbours who live in sectional title schemes, and any new neighbours who may be relocating to community schemes and are adjusting to their new homes.
If you have any rogue neighbours, and need help with any of the above or would like to leave your thoughts, please leave them in the comment section below or contact us at TVDM Consultants on info@tvdmconsultants.com or 061 536 3138.
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