Our number one pet peeve with our neighbours is leaving dogs to bark – while hearing them having sex ranks highly too. More than half of Brits agree that loud pooches gets on their nerves the most, with adults aged 55 to 64 being the most bothered by it.
A third say hearing their nearby dwellers romping is the biggest nuisance. Playing loud music, cars taking up road space, unkempt property and overgrown trees winds us up too.
Smoking in the garden and having lots of visitors also riles us up, along with being asked to join community events. But a surprisingly small amount said they found chatting with their neighbours to be annoying.
Just one in 10 can’t stand making small talk with them. And 96% said they like bumping into those who live nearby while they’re out and about.
While football may divide people from their family and friends too, it isn’t an issue when it comes to their nearby dwellers. The survey by online nicotine pouches retailer Northerner found just 7% admit it’s annoying if their neighbours support different teams.
Northerner’s Markus Lindblad said: “It’s fairly common for us to get irritated by our neighbours’ habits and behaviours, but community is a really important thing. It was really heartwarming to see that neighbours do still enjoy chatting and interacting with each other.”
It follows research last year which looked at the impact that noise has on us. The study by Hive found nine in 10 people admitted that certain sounds send their stress levels soaring.
At the top of the list of annoying noises was hammering and banging, 46% of people picking it as their top irritation. It was closely followed by the yap of a small dog and the sound of drilling coming from next door.
Top 10 neighbour nuisances
Leaving dogs to bark (53%)
Playing loud music (49%)
Cars taking up road space (40%)
Unkempt property (37%)
Hearing someone having sex (35%)
Overgrown trees (33%)
Smoking in the garden (25%)
Making suggestion to change your property (19%)
Having lots of visitors (17%)
Being asked to join community events (17%)