The difference between having a good neighbour and a bad neighbour is worth more than £37,000 to the average British householder, new research suggests.
Everyone needs good neighbours – but unfortunately not everyone has them.
The wrong kind of neighbours could knock tens of thousands of pounds off the value of your home, a survey warns.
According to the fresh research, a bad or nuisance neighbour could bring the value of the house next door down by £17,321, or 8.2%, based on the price of an average house.
Some 92% of estate agents surveyed said that having a bad neighbour has a serious negative impact on the value of the homes around them and what potential purchasers are prepared to pay.
By contrast, the experts questioned by Privilege Home Insurance assessed that a good neighbour next door positively affects the value of your house by 9.4%, adding £19,856 to the average property in the UK.
This means the difference between having a good neighbour and a bad neighbour is worth £37,177 to the average British householder.
In London, where the average house costs £472,163, having a bad neighbour instead of a good one could therefore affect sellers to the tune of just over £83,100.
Broken or boarded up windows are the worst thing the house next door can have – thought to slash almost £23,000 off the average house at current market value. This is followed by an unsightly extension and having rubbish or junk in the driveway or front garden.
Maintenance Issue -% Effect on Value Effect of value of ave. house
Broken or boarded up windows 10.7% -£22,602
Unsightly or imposing extensions and DIY 7.0% -£14,786
Rubbish or Junk in the driveway/front garden 6.1% -£12,885
Run down vehicles in the front drive 5.4% -£11,406
Garish/unsightly coloured external buildings/fix 4.8% -£10,139
Building work 4.7% -£9,928
Overgrown Garden 4.4% -£9,294
Rotting or chipped window or door frames 4.2% -£8,872
Overflowing gutters 3.6% -£7,604
Dirty brickwork or property frontage 3.5% -£7,393
The study also revealed that the worst neighbours are most likely to be a family living in London, where the parents are in their 40s and are unemployed. They are most likely to drive a Volkswagen and own a dog.
The best neighbours live in Plymouth, are retired 60 plus singletons who do not have a pet. They are most likely to drive a Nissan.
There are several reasons why people are unhappy or have argued with their neighbours, with noise the biggest issue.
Rank Bad Neighbourly Behaviour Percentage
1 They’re noisy 23.7%
2 They’re unfriendly 18.9%
3 They have an untidy / overgrown garden 17.3%
4 They’re rude 17.2%
5 They have a loud dog 15.4%
6 They park across my drive 15.2%
7 They keep me awake at night 15.1%
8 They have loud arguments 14.1%
9 They hold loud parties 13.7%
10 They do DIY or housework at anti-social hours 13.6%
This study ultimately shows that a poorly kept home can affect not just the value of your own property, but the value of those around you too.
Bad Neighbours by Region
City % with bad neighbours
London 54%
Newcastle 52%
Birmingham 50%
Cardiff 49%
Manchester 47%
Glasgow 47%
Liverpool 45%
Edinburgh 45%
Belfast 44%
Sheffield 43%
Southampton 38%
Norwich 37%
Nottingham 34%
Leeds 34%
Brighton 33%
Bristol 32%
Plymouth 28%