What do I do when I have a dispute with a neighbour?
We live in a wide variety of neighbourhoods, some reside in high rise, some in detached houses, some in rural and semi-rural environments. Different issues arise in each of these.
You are entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of your property, but there is sometimes a tension between being a good neighbour and fully enjoying the use of your property.
You might have problems with such things as;
- Noisy neighbours,
- Littering neighbours
- Fences need to be built of repaired
- Pets or livestock may cause problems between neighbours
- Trees may interfere with the peaceful enjoyment of your property
- There may be water run-off causing problems
- Cars may be parked inconveniently,
- The list of things that annoy or disturb neighbours goes on and on…
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all get along with our neighbours? But we know that sometimes that is not going to happen.
It is always best for the long term if small annoyances can be settled amicably, but what do you do if you cannot settle a problem by polite and courteous discussion and compromise?
Our society has hundreds of years’ experience at settling these sorts of disputes. Lawyers, tribunals and courts can be expensive so think carefully, is the “problem” really a problem, or is it a normal incident of living in a society?
DO NOT TAKE THE LAW INTO YOUR OWN HANDS.
