Things You Might Be Doing to Drive Your Neighbors Nuts

Keep your neighbors on your good side by avoiding these bad habits.

Never Taking Down Seasonal Decorations

It's July, but your mailbox still has a Santa hat on it and your holiday lights are still dangling from your roof. Your excuse? You'll have to put them up again soon anyway! No matter the holiday, when it's over, it's over. No one wants to see the Easter Bunny or rotting pumpkins from Halloween on your lawn months after the fact. 

Abandoning Old Furnishings In Your Yard

You may think that tossing your old couch in the woods behind your house is an easy way to avoid hauling it to the dump, but if your neighbors see it, it becomes an eyesore and your neighbors will think you're lazy! 

Letting Paint Get Ratty

An old, historic house is a beautiful sight, but if you think chipped, peeling paint or rotting wood is rustic, think again! Your neighbors will see it as devaluing the neighborhood.

Letting Trash Pile Up

If you produce so much trash that you need to pile up bags around your trash bin, you're probably annoying your neighbors. If your trash bin isn't big enough to hold a week's worth of your garbage, get a larger bin. No one wants to look outside their window or go for a leisurely walk down the street and see piles of trash stacked up.

Letting Smelly Food and Trash Stink Up Your Yard

Are you constantly cooking pungent food on the barbecue? Do you throw stinky, rotting foods in your garbage, and then leave it on the street for pickup a week later? If you live within a stone's throw of others, you can bet your food smells are grossing out your neighbors.

Ugly Paint Colors

What's just as bad as chipped paint on a house? How about a pukey green house? What about bright pink? Purple definitely doesn't go with the rest of the neighborhood either! Experimental colors can work well on islands or in funky cities, but when it comes to a standard neighborhood, those colors are usually unwelcome.

Too Many Cars Parked Around the House

While some communities won't even allow you to park your car on the street, and prefer cars to be in the garage, other neighborhoods have no rules at all. But, as a courtesy to your neighbors, don't have too many cars parked on your lot for too long. Car collectors or those with a passion for fixing up old vehicles may be tempted to store them around their home, but be wary of it looking like a junkyard to your neighbors. 

Leaving Pets Outside

Your neighbor doesn't have to love Fido to feel bad for Fido. If your dog is chained up in your yard day and night, you're bound to get some dirty looks and perhaps a knock on your door. Even if your dog is happily enjoying the outdoors in a fenced in yard, if you leave them out there to bark at everyone and everything that comes by, you're sure to make some enemies.

Leaving Your Grass Too Long

It may seem petty, but living in a neighborhood comes with some unwritten rules. Having overgrown grass appears careless and messy. It can even be against township laws not to keep your lawn properly kept, as it can encourage vermin, pests, etc. and cause an unsafe situation.

Your House is Constantly Under Construction

A big renovation can certainly bug your neighbors, but as long as you have a game plan, and everything goes accordingly, you should have an end date you can give everyone. However, when you keep changing contractors, modifying plans, and adding more embellishments, your renovation and all the noise and mess that comes with it, is sure to garner some snarky remarks and stinky eyes from the neighbors.

Your Security Light Shines Into Their Bedroom Window

Your security light may be your best bet for deterring burglars, but it's also bound to get you in trouble with your neighbor if you don't position it right! Be sure that wherever you place it, it makes sense for your home security while also keeping it pointed away from your neighbor's windows, especially their bedroom window when they're trying to sleep! 

Honking Your Horn Until the Kids Come Out

So your kids aren't early birds and it takes forever to get them out of bed, clothed, fed and out the door. You've now resorted to sitting in your running car in the driveway and honking the horn each minute they don't come out. It may be a release of anger for you, but it's sure to build up some anger in a disturbed neighbor nearby, as well. 

Original article courtesy of FamilyHandyman.com