Top tips for being a good neighbour in the community

Living in one of our accommodation sites or in the local Selly Oak area? Wherever you live, it's important to be considerate of your neighbours. Having a good relationship can make a big difference to your university experience.

Why not introduce yourself? It’s always a nice idea to take the first step and say hi or pop by for a quick chat, even simple steps like this can start you off on the right foot. You never know they may even take in that all important parcel that just had to be delivered while you’re out.

Student life can be fun and exciting, but did you know that in Selly Oak, there’s also a lot of families and elderly people living around you? Not to mention your course mates with early morning commitments and needing quiet space to study.

It’s important to try and be mindful of your neighbours when leading your student life. We have put together some of our top tips to ensure your relationship with your neighbours doesn’t turn as bad as that one piece of mouldy food in the back of your fridge that everyone refuses to touch!

Party time!

• When having a party or bringing your friends round, try to keep the noise down.
• If it’s going to be a particularly loud or late night, drop a note round to the neighbours or pop over and let them know in advance. Being considerate can go a long way!
• Keep the windows and doors closed to keep the noise from travelling. A 3.00am karaoke session is a great way to end a party but not ideal to wake up to when you have to leave for work at 7.00am…
• Be aware of any shared walls! Try not to place speakers by walls as the noise easily escapes.

Sharing neighbourly love

• Something as simple as pulling the bin in after collection day, especially for an elderly neighbour, can make a huge difference to someone’s day.
• Be friendly. Most people will be happy to chat and will appreciate getting to know the people around them so say hi and strike up a conversation.

 Bins! Yes, we know this is a bit of a dull topic, but use of bins can often lead to issues among neighbours.

• Tidy up after yourself and use your bins appropriately. Try to keep all your rubbish in the bins and keep the lids on.
• Make sure your rubbish doesn’t accumulate over time so remember to pop your bins out the night before collection days. Check out the collection days for your house.