Everybody needs good neighbours…but new survey reveals we haven’t all got them
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Three-quarters say they live on a friendly street and over half (51%) of us socialise with our neighbours
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But 56% have argued with neighbours and at least a quarter of those (27%) say they have argued many times
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London, Northern Ireland and the North East say they have the friendliest streets
A new survey* by Sarah Beeny’s estate agency, Tepilo, has revealed the state of neighbourly relations in Britain, and it’s a mixed bag. Whilst over half (51%) of us socialise with our neighbours and three quarters (76%) of us say we live on a friendly street, more than half of Brits (56%) say they have had at least one argument with their neighbours and at least a quarter of those (27%) say they have argued many times.
Just a friendly word each morning
We’re generally a friendly bunch, with over half of us (51%) saying we socialise with neighbours. Of these, 17 per cent go so far as saying they’re great friends with their neighbours and socialise regularly. A further 28 per cent say they’re friendly with their neighbours if they bump into them on the street but they don’t actually socialise.
Three quarters (76%) of us also think they live on a friendly street with the majority of those who think so (53%) saying this is because everyone smiles and chats when they bump into each other. Britain’s friendliest streets can be found in Northern Ireland, London and the North East where the percentage of those who say they live on a friendly street rises to 86 per cent, 83 per cent and 81 per cent respectively.
People interact with their neighbours on a regular basis, with over a third (38%) seeing their neighbours a couple of times a week and 18 per cent seeing theirs every day. Over a third (39%) of us are friends with five neighbours or more. Three in 10 (30%) hold annual street parties and four in ten (40%) say children on their street play together regularly, with the highest play date rates in London (57%) and Wales (40%).
When neighbours aren’t good friends
However, almost a quarter (24%) of those surveyed said the street they live on is unfriendly, with 45 per cent of those people saying that this is due to everyone keeping themselves to themselves.
More than half of Brits (56%) say they have had at least one argument with their neighbours, with at least a quarter of those (27%) saying they have argued many times. In London, 72 per cent of people have had an argument with their neighbours whereas in Wales, East Anglia and Yorkshire six in 10 have never argued with their neighbours, making these the best areas for peaceful neighbourly relations.
Sarah Beeny, owner of Tepilo, said: “It’s great to hear how friendly we are with our neighbours generally and this brings fantastic benefits to local communities and general quality of life. Neighbourly relations are certainly varied across Britain and whilst it all happens in London – socialising, play dates and street parties; Wales, East Anglia and Yorkshire certainly seem like more peaceful places to live!
“Living on a friendly street where everyone socialises together can add value to your property and it’s definitely worth checking out what the neighbours are like when you are looking to buy a house. You could start with asking the vendor about the neighbours, but be aware just because they don’t get on with the neighbours doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t either. Check out neighbouring houses to see if they look well cared-for and pop by at the weekend to get a feel for the atmosphere. If you’re thinking of putting in a serious offer, see if neighbours are in and introduce yourself, ask what the street and neighbourhood are like.”
Tepilo is an estate agent owned by property guru and TV personality, Sarah Beeny. She set up Tepilo to help redesign the property selling process around the customer, offering hugely reduced fees and 24/7 customer support from a highly experienced team working to help their customers secure the best possible price for their homes. Tepilo also offers customers an easy to use website and an app that allows them to track their property sale on the go and receive instant notifications.
Issued by Content Soup on behalf of Tepilo. For further information, please contact Caroline at Content Soup on 07790 422796 or email caroline@contentsoup.co.uk.
For further information, visit www.tepilo.com.
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