How To Be A Good Neighbour

Whether this is your first time renting, your first time out of home or first time in Australia  - getting on well with your neighbours will make the experience a lot more enjoyable. These tips and tricks for being a good neighbour will help you settle into your new life in residential Illawarra quickly and smoothly.

• Introduce yourself! Meet your neighbours and exchange contact information. Get to know them and always be friendly and courteous when speaking to any members of your neighbourhood.
• Observe the general activities in your neighbourhood – some neighbourhoods have street events, BBQs or just general getting-to-know-you contact. Join in and enjoy the opportunity this brings to make some new friends!
• Observe rubbish and recycling collection days – don’t leave your bins out all week. You can find more information on the Wollongong City Council website. 
• Maintain lawn and landscaping around your home if not provided by your landlord. An untidy lawn and garden can upset your neighbours. Check out this factsheet on green (garden) waste.
• Show courtesy when you or your guests park in the neighbourhood. Try to avoid slamming car doors, honking car horns, parking on your lawn (or anyone else’s for that matter) etc.
• Keep the peace! Notify your neighbours when hosting a party and give them your phone number – remember many of your neighbours may be elderly or have small children, excess noise can be very intrusive and disruptive! You can find more information on noise restrictions here, and Dealing With Neighbourhood Noise.
• Clean up immediately after any social function – make sure all rubbish is put into your bins and any mess is cleaned up as soon as possible once the party has come to an end. You may want to consider getting up early in the morning to ensure your yards are clear of any rubbish or mess before the rest of your neighbourhood awaken for the day. Check out this information on the different types of recycling:
  • Glass recycling
  • Plastic recycling
  • Paper recycling
  • Green cleaning
  • Waste Tips
• Be aware of shared walls – if living in an apartment or a duplex house, remember noise can carry so attempt to keep noise levels to a minimum. You can find more information on noise restrictions here.
• Practice parking etiquette – If you have a car, or you have friends visiting who have cars, be sure to park outside your house and in your own driveway but never in your neighbours driveways!
• Moving out? If you have any items you no longer want, why not recycle them or donate them to charity? There are lots of options that are much more appropriate than leaving this stuff outside on the footpath.

  You will find there are charity bins around shopping centres, some service stations, churches and also outside or around charity stores - some stores will allow you to drop your stuff in to the store. You can also arrange for these charities to collect bulky items like furniture if you can't give it away or sell it before you leave.