Research on homeowner attitudes towards their neighbours has been published by the National Association of Estate Agents, revealing that nearly 90% of people believe they have a good relationship with those living next door, despite reports of a breakdown in community and increasing levels of antisocial behaviour.

The issue of nuisance neighbours was high on the agenda in 2006 as the government launched its ‘Respect’ campaign, designed to tackle the causes of antisocial behaviour, amid continued publicity surrounding antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs).

Following the release of a crime survey revealing that 1 in 6 people perceive a high level of antisocial behaviour in their area, John Reid unveiled new measures to tackle ‘neighbours from hell’. Meanwhile, noisy neighbours were highlighted as a major issue when a survey conducted for Noise Action Week reported half a million people had been forced to move home in the previous 12 months due to noise.

With many of these stories seeming to spell doom and gloom for UK communities, the latest NAEA research reveals the general picture to be far more positive. 89% of the survey respondents stated that they have a good relationship with their neighbours, with 39% of those describing the relationship as ‘very good’. Only 5% said the relationship with their neighbours was ‘not good’, while 6% said they did not know their neighbours at all.

Northern neighbours are friendliest

The friendliest neighbours are found in the North East, according to the survey, with 95% of respondents stating that they had a ‘quite good’ or ‘very good’ relationship with their neighbour.

Historically, London has been deemed one of the least friendly areas due to a high population turnover and large number of buy-to-let properties, yet 83% of Londoners reported a good relationship with their neighbours.

Wales saw the largest fluctuation between good and bad relations. 48% said they had a ‘very good’ relationship – the highest percentage recorded across all the regions. However, it also had the highest number of un-friendly neighbours with 11% stating that their relationship was ‘not good’.

A nation of proud homeowners

The survey also revealed the UK to be a nation of proud homeowners, with 84% of respondents believing their home is of the same standard or superior to their neighbours’. When asked which of their neighbours home features they were most envious of, 55% of respondents replied they were not envious of any at all.

Northern Irish homeowners proved to be the most house proud, with 29% believing their property to be superior to neighbouring homes. Those living in the South East were second in line with 25% believing their home to be superior, while Londoners came third with 23% claiming to be particularly proud of their property.

Good neighbours make for strong security

Peter Bolton King, chief executive at the NAEA, comments: “Society has changed drastically in recent years: increased commuting, the growing trend towards second home ownership and the rise of the single person household have all led to more spending less time at home.”

“This not only makes building relationships with neighbours more difficult, but also increases security risks. In these cases it is more important than ever to know and to trust the people living in the local area. Getting a neighbour to watch your house if you’re going away, for example, is always a good idea.”

“Having a good relationship with your neighbours can be as simple as stopping to say ‘hello’ in the morning to inviting them over for dinner.”