Renting a Home: Good Neighbors¹

Mary N. Harrison²

Good neighbors make a good neighborhood.

A good neighborhood has:

1. Privacy

• Quiet, no noise pollution.

• Controlled children and pets.

2. Safety

• There is no fear of verbal or physical abuse.

• Children play outside without harm.

• Cooperative residents respect their property and the rights of their neighbors.

• No stray or unsupervised animals.

• Crime free.

3. Appearance

• Premises are clean and orderly.

• No junked vehicles.

• No overflowing trash.

You are a good neighbor when you:

Keep your home neat and clean.
Make sure there is no trash or clutter in your yard including bottles, packages, and garbage.
Keep lids on trash containers, avoid overflowing containers and promptly remove the trash containers after trash and garbage collection.
Supervise children so they do not annoy others, vandalize, or destroy property.
Don't yell or scream at children.
Manage pets so they do not roam, cross into other's yards for “bathroom breaks,” bark, or create a nuisance. Control your pets. Animal Control Number __________________.
Behave courteously and politely to your neighbors. Avoid disagreements and especially angry responses. Cool heads and polite responses prevent problems.
Work with your neighbors to keep your community neat and safe. Organize or join a neighborhood crime watch if there is one to keep the neighborhood safe. Crime Watch Number___________________.

Footnotes

1. This document is FCS5231-01, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences, University of Florida. Publication: May 2002. Revised: December 2005. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Mary N. Harrison, professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.

Renting a Home: Good Neighbors1

Footnotes

Renting a Home: Good Neighbors¹