How well do you know your Neighbours?

I've lived in my estate for 14 years and I still know very few of my neighbours, some are inconsiderate and unfriendly who I'd never bother with. Others I'd just say hello to. I prefer to keep it that way, I have my friends, family, job and stuff I'm interested in I was never interested in the neighbours for the sake of it. I know a few in the estate from being involved in the residents committee in the past but that's about it.

I like most of my neighbours on my row anyway give or take one or two, other rows are a different story.... on my right side I've a widow who constantly shouts at her dogs, it's not all bad, she's actually hilarious when she does it and shouts at them on a daily basis.

I remember one morning a while back I was shaving, and the bathroom window was wide open and it's dead quiet, then all I hear coming from the garden next door "AAAAAH Bob ya Bastard!!" nearly cut the neck off myself with a razor from laughing. Don't know what the dog did.

She has two little dogs in her tiny yard and she's always shouting at them, a couple of times she shouts at them for s**ting too close to the back door, she got the garden paved over after the husband died (he used to keep a lovely garden years ago)....so the dogs have no greenery to defecate on, and I don't think she walks the dogs that much so they are hyper and fighting with each other all the time and they make a bit of a racket.

Opposite side of me I've another neighbour, well....her name is meant to be on the lease of the house, she'd be renting it from the council, she'd be I suppose 25, single mother with 2 kids, the father of the kids is a scumbag and he's been in and out of prison. This one is supposed to be living in the house next door but I know well she is living around the corner in her family home with mammy and daddy and her kids which would be a pretty small house, she hasn't been anywhere near the house in the best part of a year and a half, But I often see her deadbeat older brother going in and out if it every so often with a slab of cans (sometimes with some tart) and occasionally this girl's father goes in too and opens windows maybe and f**ks off.

The house never has a light on, rubbish in the garden that blows in from other litterbugs out on the street, grass not cut or looked after in the front garden. I've reported it twice to vacanthouses.ie after someone informed me of the site, haven't seen anyone investigating nor have I received an e-mail back over it. I've even asked my own parents, how come they aren't annoyed over it? Housing Crisis and a house next door just sitting there and 10,000 people nationwide have nowhere to call home, I think it's just an insult to anyone that's struggling to find an affordable place to live, even said to my mother that her tax is paying for this one's brother to squat in it, rather than perhaps a young family or a working couple living there that could really make a go of it. Where they are like "I don't care, there is no noise, nobody annoying me, what goes on outside my door is not my business"

But that's not the point!

It annoys me to no end because before this girl got the keys, the house was fixed up for the previous tenants shortly before they moved elsewhere and it got brand new everything put in...new doors and windows, new kitchen, insulation, wooden floors, painted etc, where as my parents bought our house out for many years before the council did this scheme and my folks obviously didn't qualify for it, so many neighbours of mine that are still renting availed of this lovely fix up and next door is just sitting there not being lived in and in the middle of a housing crisis, where somebody else could be benefiting from it, where it be a down on their luck family living in a hotel or a hard working couple that could rent somewhere while saving for a deposit....also I have my own reason to be annoyed, I live at home due to the expense of rents in the area outside the estate where I live and not to blow my own trumpet but I'm more intelligent and hard working than a lot of other misfits in the estate that expect something for nothing or heavily subsidized and are generally undeserving of it.

I'd rent next door even but I know the way council houses are given out (personally I'd rather an apartment anyway, what would I really need a house for?) they are typically rented out to families anyway, hardly anyone in the estate is a single man/woman renting a house here and if they are, then they would be very long term tenants going back a long time or they are widowed, not even a group of workers that would houseshare are renting up here. Also I do think in my estate it's heavily decided by the residence committee or at least they pull strings on who gets the keys to a vacant property, the last two houses up here that were allocated to people, were allocated to daughters of one of the heads of the committee, surprise, surprise.

And I know people, good friends from this area years and years, and grew up in the area, fancied living near their family and were on the housing list longer and yet the daughters get properties! These friends of mine that couldn't find anywhere reasonable here ended up moving to England, it got that bad for them.

It's done in a way where if you're not "well in" with the committee s**theads you're going to be stepped over in favour of their own family or inner circle.

We've been living in a rural area for the last 8 years, I know my immediate neighbours and know most of the others by name and to say hello to but wouldn't know much about them other than where they live. Our house is on a country road with roughly 20 houses along a 2km stretch of road. One fella looks like he could be a serial killer but he's probably not and just a little unkempt.

Was only thinking about this yesterday, living in the same apartment block for the past 5 years and wouldn't actually know my neighbours if they lined up in front of me. I always say a polite hello when I pass anyone around the building but most of them don't even acknowledge it, they're either walking with their nose in their phone or with earphones on or just not bothered being polite.
It's pretty sad, sure people like to keep to themselves but it wouldn't kill you to respond to a greeting at least!

I've had the same neighbours for 26 years so know them really well, there's never a bother when it comes borrowing, giving a hand with something etc. There's always someone making noise be it tractors,chainsaws whatever it is normally starts about half 7 every morning and nobody ever complains. It's the joys of living in a rural area. I'd know nearly everyone within 10kms of where I'm living

Living on country by road here. 2 neighbours both sisters married and living next door to each other on sites on original farm with about 14 yrs. We'll call them A&B The home house a cottage is idle and was bought by A about 3 yrs ago after a brother put it on the market. Other sister B got odd and put her house up for sale. Whole place was delighted as herself and husband are hated.

They've had disagreements with everyone over trivial stuff. Never sold house as they breached planning when building house back in 03 and had to apply for retention . Now sister A has her house for sale. A's husband took B to court recently over a spat at a wedding 2yrs ago. A got a bill from Eircom for about 3000 after B physically stopped them from shifting a pole on As property back in 15. Job was only supposed to cost about 400. Called guards as well on the day. Pole hasnt been touched since. Mad stuff altogether. Children would conduct themselves better.

I know they exist. That's about all.

I'm the "Neighbour from Heaven" and am surrounded by at least a dozen other "Neighbours from Heaven". .

Been like that for more than 40 years.