Top causes of neighbour disputes
While living in close proximity to others can often foster close community, it can also bring out the worst in people.
Some neighbours can be itching for confrontation by complaining about seemingly trivial things that can turn into a full blown neighbourhood spat.
From disagreements about a home’s exterior to noisy furry friends, here are the top causes for disputes with a neighbour.
Fences
From 2018 to 2021, the Community Justice Centre in Sydney received 16,377 inquiries related to neighbourhood disputes, with fences sparking 13 per cent of those complaints, more than any other cause of dispute.
According to the law, neighbours must agree on a “sufficient dividing fence” and pay half the cost each.
The main issue comes from neighbours being unable to agree on what is deemed “sufficient”.
Also, when it comes to repairs, there are often major disputes about which neighbour on which side of the fence will front the costs.
Trees and hedges
According to the Community Justice Centre in Sydney, tree and plant complaints made up over 12 percent of complaints from neighbours.
While plants and trees can look beautiful, they often come with a range of issues, such as blocking gutters and falling branches, that come with a heavy cost to repair.
“These are expensive arguments if the neighbours do not find an agreed solution,” says Rochelle Castro, strata lawyer at RC and Co Lawyers.
Noisy neighbours
Home schooling, renovations and working from home have all aided in the increase of noise complaints from neighbours over the last two years.
“With more people working from home, there was an increase in the number of pollution reports to EPA about environmental incidents, particularly noise, dust and smoke issues in 2020-2021,” says a representative from the Environment Protection Authority in Victoria.
Before Covid, these normal noise complaints would not have had as much of an impact, but with people stuck in their homes for months on end, the complaints started to grow.
During 2020-2021, noise complaints to the EPA rose by a huge 108 per cent in Victoria, one of the most locked-down states in the country.
“Before, building work wouldn’t have annoyed them. But given they’re now working from home, they have to take conference calls while home renovations are happening next door,” says principal lawyer at Progressive Legal Ian Aldridge.
Problem pets
During the pandemic, dog ownership rose approximately 19 percent according to the Animal Medicines Australia’s new Pets and Pandemic report.
While our furry friends are definitely cute companions, they can also be noisey.
These late night barks can often be a point of contention with neighbours, but if neighbours engage in healthy conversation and resolve disputes with ease, confrontation can be avoided.
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