The Dos & Don’ts of Living in Shared Spaces
30 Apr 2025
Did you know that around one third of our tenants have some sort of shared space with their neighbours, from living in a block of flats with a communal stair to trying to fit everyone’s car into limited parking spaces?
It’s important to remember that everyone has their own way of doing things, and what might never bother you can cause stress to others. And if a neighbour is annoying you, they may have no idea that their actions are impacting negatively on you. This is why, if something is bothering you, we always recommend you talk to your neighbour first, before contacting us. A friendly conversation can resolve many situations before they become conflicts.
Some simple dos and don’ts (based on a few situations we have been asked to mediate in recently):
- Don’t put your rubbish in your neighbour’s bin if yours is full – if you routinely run out of space in your bin, check to make sure you are using the recycling options correctly
- Do monitor your pets – if you cat has urinated in the communal stair, please clean it up and spritz the area with citrus or another type of cat-repellant substance so they know not to do it there again
- Don’t use bike sheds as storage for other items, the only thing in bike stores should be bikes
- Do make sure bin stores are clearly accessible to Waste Services, if a car is parked in front of the access, or if a large sofa has been wedged in there, Waste Services will not empty your bins
- Don’t disable the controlled entry door locks, these additional locks may feel inconvenient to you, but to a vulnerable neighbour they may be an extra layer of security they rely on to feel safe in their home
- Do park your car with consideration for other users, car parking spaces are limited in many of our developments, so please take this into consideration, particularly if you have guests over
- Don’t shout at people for parking in front of your house
There’s more advice on Getting Along With Neighbours available at elha.com:
