Love thy neighbor? It may be more like “love thy neighbor dispute.” According to a new FindLaw.com survey, 42 percent of Americans say they’ve been involved in a dispute with their neighbors.
While most neighborly arguments don’t turn into Hatfield v. McCoy-type feuds, they can still be difficult to deal with. Some can even land you in court.
So what are the Top 5 types of neighbor disputes, and what are the best ways to resolve them?
According to FindLaw’s survey, neighbor disputes are most often triggered by:
Noise (48 percent of all disputes). Whether it be from raucous late-night parties or maybe different sleep schedules that result in one neighbor waking up the other, noise is apparently the No. 1 way to annoy your neighbor.
Pets and animals (29 percent). Pets and animals can be tricky to deal with directly, since it is the animal that is causing the problem and not the owner. But many times the issue stems from the owner’s failure to properly handle or train his animal.
Children’s behavior (21percent). Much like pets, children running onto your property, being loud, or defacing your property can often be the result of their parents — i.e., your adult neighbors — not properly looking after them. State laws may even hold the kids’ parents liable for damages.
