By Bose Adelaja
CITIZENS COMPASS —Some neighbours can be troubleshooters making life unpredictable for others especially around the low-income areas.
There have been reported cases of deliberating insults from various quaters which tend to discourage many people who would hsve been instrumental to community developments.
Recently, a family reported that the fume from the generating set of a neighbour was causing sleepless nights to them and all efforts to draw the neighbour’s attention were unsuccessful unyil the matter was incidented at the Police station.
Some neighbours play music all day and nights thereby disturbing the peace of others, some rare animals and birds without erecting walls around their houses, some construct drainages at setbacks, some plants orchards with branches extending to neighbouring buildings without recourse to whose ox is gored.
Some go to the extent of organising vigils thereby denying their neighbours their supposed peaceful nights.
Some neighbours erect sign posts without approvals, some constitute nuisance and deliberately truncate the peace of other neighbours.
Few years back, two jolly good friends live in an estate until one day, when one reported another at a Police station, reason being that his friends children were playing football in their compound which accidentally played up and landed into the compound of their neighbours shattering the windscreen of a car and that was what ended the good relationship they have enjoyed for decades.
There are several instances of neighbours throwing banters at one another in various communities.
Incase you fall into these categories, there are severe ways to deal with nauseating neighbours.
Talk to the non-offending neighbours
If they share the same concerns over the troublesome neighbour, it gives you justifications for your issues- and also supports you when you decide to confront troublesome people or go to your landlord. Your neighbors might also have suggestions for solving the problem or approaching the troublesome tenant.
Be a good example
If you are going to tell a neighbor to stop an act, make sure you are not doing the same. For instance, if you want to tell the dirty neighbour above not to leave the toilet uncleaned, ensure you are also not leaving the toilet dirty.
Try to talk things out first
Let’s assume that they are oblivious of their actions. Probably, they didn’t realize that what they are doing is wrong, you can take a step to iron out things, highlight the wrong things and offer practical suggestions on what they could do to get better and be less of a nuisance.
Call them to order
If talking out doesn’t work with the troublesome neighbour, then stop playing nice and call them to order. Be prepared to have a big altercation with them but if that’s the only way you can find a solution, then, be expressive as much as you can.
Report to the agent in charge, landlord, community associations, etc
You have to stop playing nice at some point, while living with a neighbour that is a nuisance. Calling the landlord or agent may be your next option. The landlord may not want to hear your worries out and your hands may be tied.
As we do this, may troublesome neighbors not come our ways.
