5 Tips to Deal With Neighbor Issues
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Troy-Bilt. All opinions are my own.
How well do you get along with your neighbors?
Lately, I’ve been speaking with a lot of you about one of the hardest challenges you may ever face, having issues with your neighbors. Wow, did you have some stories to share! If you’re looking for some guidance for how to deal with challenges with your neighbors, keep reading!
Many people are spending more time at home than ever, so there has never been a time when having peace at home has been more important. If you’re like me, you’ve been spending extra time in any outdoor space you can, or perhaps even testing your green thumb. When your peaceful abode gets invaded by unexpected issues with neighbors, it’s a real frustration.
Relationships can be so difficult, and neighbor issues can be REALLY tough because they are in such close proximity to you and have so much ability to impact your daily life, for better or for worse.
I sat down with DIY Blogger Erin Spain to talk about some of the neighbor issues that have come up for her!
DIY design blogger and boy mom) Erin Spain and I sat down to have a real conversation about handling issues with neighbors, as part of Troy-Bilt’s #FenceTalks initiative. What did we learn? Well, when it comes to neighbors, communication is everything! Erin was working through some challenges with ivy with neighbors she hasn’t met yet (check out the recap here), but really, these tips can apply to almost any situation.
If you are dealing with a neighbor challenge, here are 5 tips that came up in our conversation that I hope will help you figure out how to handle it!
Taking the initiative to make a personal connection with a neighbor will pay off bigtime in the long run. Have you taken the time to introduce yourself to your neighbors? If not, how about sending them a small gift with a note telling them about you and giving them your contact information should they need anything. This sets the tone for healthy communication AND it makes it a lot easier for you to ask them to pick up their leaves when they fall on your lawn.
To have the best relationships, try to move from transactional to relational. This means moving from “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” to having positive regard for each other that exists outside of mutual benefit. How? Get to know your neighbors and find out what you like and appreciate about them as people.
It’s healthy, not selfish, to ask for what you want. Get over the fear that asking for what you want makes you selfish. Being able to vocalize your needs to the people in your life is an essential skill for overall wellbeing. Don’t expect people to be able to read your mind and know what you need if you don’t say anything.
Say what you want, or else people will tell you what you want. Not articulating your needs leaves space for people to make assumptions for you, or even worse, just decide for you. To avoid this, you have to speak up (as mentioned in #3!)
Most neighbor issues can be healed with good communication. Communication is the most powerful agent for change when it comes to most neighbor issues. Luckily, good communication is a skill that can be learned. Whether it’s over an in-person conversation, text, email, or a handwritten note, if you want to have a good relationship with your neighbors, it all starts with good communication.
Boundaries and communication are really the two most essential components in any relationship. I hope these five tips will help guide you toward resolution with your neighbors so you can have the maximum amount of peace and tranquility at home. (And for other ideas to help you make your outdoor space the absolute best it can be, be sure to check out Troy-Bilt!)
Have you had issues with your neighbors that you were able to resolve? What happened and how did you handle it?