It’s nice to know your neighbors. But there’s a limit to everyone’s kindness, and we must respect each other’s boundaries too.
Reddit user Hippajibba says hers was recently violated. A single mom who lives nearby decided to treat herself and her kids to a swim in the Redditor’s pool without permission.
When the woman saw the unannounced guests, she confronted them and asked the group to leave. However, the mom interpreted it as a personal insult, and tensions began to escalate.
This woman and her husband loved to relax in their pool
Image credits: Oleksandr P (not the actual image)
Until one day, their neighbors also decided to visit it—secretly
Image credits: Digital Marketing Agency NTWRK (not the actual image)
Image credits: hippajibba
People value their privacy and good neighbors understand this
Image credits: freepik (not the actual image)
This story illustrate why we’re generally so wary of those who live around us. In fact, according to a survey conducted in May, only 17% of people trust their neighbors with a house key. However, it’s worth mentioning that the number seems to increase with age — people 60 or older are twice as likely to leave a house key with a neighbor than people aged 18-29.
But no matter how much you trust your neighbors, you may not want them in your backyard, especially if there’s something that might cause accidents, like a pool.
The study also discovered that 81% of people value privacy from their neighbors—only 19% said it’s not really a concern.
To increase it:
- 26% of respondents installed a fence or privacy screen;
- 24% of respondents planted trees;
- 15% of respondents arranged their patio furniture or patio layout;
- and 6% of respondents added soundproofing materials to their patio or yard.
The most common disputes the respondents have had with their neighbors were about noise (24%), parking (19%), pets or children (17%), properly lines (16%), trash disposal (9%), and splitting cost for shared amenities (6%).
Interestingly, 54% reported they’ve never had one. Hopefully, the woman who made the Reddit post can settle hers, too.