Filed under Roommates and Neighbors on May 23rd, 2008:
5 Things You Can Do to Be a Good Neighbor
If you’ve ever lived in an apartment before, you already know the experience is only as enjoyable as your neighbors happen to be. Good neighbors can make apartment living fantastic; bad ones can make coming home a nightmare.
So, how can you hedge the bets in your favor that living in an Orlando apartment will turn out to be a truly enjoyable experience? The best way is to take a proactive approach. If you take the time to be a good neighbor, chances are those around you will, too.
Here are five things in particular you can do to be a good neighbor.
1. Be mindful of parking.
There is nothing worse than coming home at the end of the day and discovering all the resident parking in a complex is gone. Bad neighbors let their guests park anywhere. Good neighbors, however, are considerate enough to make sure their guests park in designated spots.
2. Help out when they’re out of town.
If you know your neighbors are going to be out of town, offer to pick up mail and newspapers. This is a great way to be a good neighbor and it can also help keep crime lower in your neighborhood. As any neighborhood watch group will tell you, stacks of newspapers equal an open invitation to bad guys looking for easy targets.
3. Soundproof…or try to.
If you like turning up your television or stereo a bit, try to muffle the sounds. Your neighbors will adore you if you take the time to block up sound leaks with heavier floor rugs, more substantial draperies and so on. If you cannot add a little bit of soundproofing, keep the volume lower. This consideration is likely to go both ways.
4. Keep your pets under control.
If you have a pet or pets sharing your Orlando apartment, make sure your four-legged roommates are good neighbors, too. Clean up after them when they are outside, try to keep barking at a minimum and make sure they are trained to be well behaved in front of neighbors.
5. Get to know your neighbors.
This is a great way to help ensure a happy living situation. Invite your neighbors over when you entertain, say hello when you see them and even offer to help them when they need it. Again, the random acts of kindness are likely to go a very long way. Plus, they might be returned in kind when you need a little help.
Being a good neighbor doesn’t take a lot of work. With a little bit of courtesy and commonsense, though, you can help make sure your Orlando apartment experience is memorable and enjoyable.