Most neighbours just want to live quietly and get on with their lives.
However, every so often, there’s someone who seems completely unaware of how to be a decent human in a shared space. If someone regularly does these things, chances are they’re not just a bit annoying—they’re a nightmare to live next to. If you have someone next door who does these things, you have my sympathies!
1. Blasting music at full volume like they’re headlining Glastonbury
Everyone loves a good playlist, but when it’s rattling through walls at 10pm on a Tuesday, it’s less party and more public nuisance. There’s a difference between enjoying your tunes and holding your neighbours hostage to your sound system. It’s even worse when they act shocked that anyone would mind. A little volume control goes a long way, and not everyone wants to fall asleep to your bassline, no matter how vibey you think it is.
2. Treating shared spaces like their personal dumping ground
Bad neighbours see communal hallways, front gardens, alleyways, and stairwells as storage units. Bikes, muddy shoes, bin bags—they’ll happily leave it all out for the world to trip over or smell. It’s the kind of thing they act completely oblivious about, even when it’s clearly theirs. Meanwhile, everyone else is side-stepping their clutter like it’s a poorly designed obstacle course.
3. Letting their dog bark endlessly without doing anything about it
Dogs bark, fair enough—but when it’s happening constantly and no one ever tries to stop it, that’s not just a pet being loud, it’s an owner being lazy. Your neighbours didn’t sign up for round-the-clock barking updates. When it’s met with a shrug and a “he’s just protective,” that’s not an explanation—it’s an excuse. Bad neighbours act like noise doesn’t count if it comes from an animal. Everyone else knows better.
4. Slamming doors like they’re trying to send a message
Some people close doors; others hurl them into the frame like they’re settling a score with the entire building. It’s loud, unnecessary, and usually avoidable with the most basic effort. If it happens once or twice, fine, but if it’s every morning, every night, and every time they leave a room, you start wondering if they’ve got a personal grudge against door hinges. Either way, it’s maddening.
5. Parking like they’ve never seen road markings before
Whether it’s blocking driveways, double-parking on a narrow street, or taking up two spaces “by accident,” bad neighbours treat parking like a game of Tetris they’re determined to lose. When you try to say something? They act like you’re the unreasonable one for wanting to, you know, actually use your own driveway. It’s peak inconsiderate behaviour wrapped in denial.
6. Throwing loud parties and not warning anyone
Look, no one minds the odd celebration, but when it becomes a full-blown rave with zero notice, you’re not being spontaneous—you’re just being selfish. There’s a difference between enjoying yourself and disrupting an entire street. A quick heads-up would go a long way. But bad neighbours skip the courtesy bit and go straight to crowding the pavement, shaking the walls, and pretending it’s totally normal to host a club night in their back garden.
7. Never bringing their bins in, or putting the wrong things in them.
There’s always one who leaves the bins out all week like it’s some sort of yard art installation. Bonus points if they regularly get fined for putting the wrong rubbish in the wrong bin and still don’t care. It’s a small thing, but it adds up fast. Overflowing bins, bad smells, and seagulls picking at bags? That’s not just unpleasant—it’s a quick way to make your whole street resent you quietly and completely.
8. Constantly borrowing things and never returning them
It starts innocently—some sugar, a ladder, maybe your hedge trimmer. But then you realise nothing ever comes back. It’s like lending things to a black hole with a smile and a front garden. Eventually, you stop answering the door. Not because you’re unfriendly, but because you’re tired of donating half your household to someone who thinks “I’ll bring it back tomorrow” is just a polite way of saying “This is mine now.”
9. Smoking near open windows and pretending no one notices
If you live close to someone who chain-smokes outside your living room window, congratulations—you’re now part of their habit, whether you like it or not. It’s especially annoying when they act like it’s totally fine because they’re not doing it inside their own place. Newsflash: if the smoke’s wafting into someone else’s home, it still counts as inconsiderate. Just because it’s outdoors doesn’t mean it magically disappears before reaching the next flat.
10. DIYing at odd hours like it’s a personal challenge
Source: Unsplash A bit of home improvement is understandable, but drilling at 11 p.m. on a weeknight? That’s next-level oblivious. It’s always the same kind of neighbour, too, full of enthusiasm and short on self-awareness. There’s nothing like being jolted awake by a power saw to make you question your life choices. It’s not that people can’t renovate—it’s that they don’t have to do it like they’re on a mission to be hated.
11. Gossiping about other neighbours like it’s sport
There’s always one who knows everyone’s business, and makes sure you do too. It’s one thing to have a chat, another to treat the neighbourhood like a soap opera and yourself as the lead narrator. They’ll act friendly, but somehow every conversation ends with them spilling someone else’s drama. Eventually, you start wondering what they say about you when your door closes.
12. Pretending not to notice mess they clearly made
Leaves blown into your drive, rubbish dragged out by their dog, spilled paint on shared walkways—they’ve seen it, but they’ll walk past it like it’s a natural disaster no one can explain. The worst part? They’ll even comment on the mess with you, like it’s some great mystery. When in reality, they’re the ones responsible. It’s peak bad neighbour energy, messy and completely shameless about it.
13. Acting like everyone else is the problem
If nothing’s ever their fault—whether it’s noise, parking, or bin chaos—it’s a clear sign. Bad neighbours never take responsibility. They’ll spin any situation to make it sound like they’re the victim, no matter how obvious the issue is.
And that’s the real red flag: not just being inconsiderate, but being unwilling to own it. When someone refuses to acknowledge how their actions affect other people, you’re not dealing with someone clueless. You’re dealing with someone who just doesn’t care.
