Trick, Treat or Terrifying?

It’s September but people are already buying Christmas presents. Well, if they’re there in the shops, it does kind of encourage us to think ahead, doesn’t it!

But amongst the baubles and Santa shaped chocolates there’s more holiday trinketry of a darker kind. Halloween is on October 31^st and while for many it’s a ghoulishly fun time, for others it’s a pain in the erm… neck.

Not all of the recipients of trick or treaters are glad to welcome them. So if you’re accompanying a band of young ghosts and vampires on their door knocking pursuits this year, spare a thought for the elderly people in your area, or simply those who want a quiet evening in without being disturbed.

Advise Trick or Treaters not to spook the elderly at Halloween -

The tradition of trick or treating is relatively new to the UK, although the US has been embracing it for many years. As a result many older people are, understandably, wary of the activity. Even when it’s not Halloween they’re not keen on opening the door to strangers at night.

How you can help keep your elderly neighbours feeling less vulnerable during Halloween:

1. Remind them that trick or treating will be happening so that they are prepared.
2. Suggest they put a polite notice on their front door, something like, “No trick or treaters please. Have a happy Halloween.”
3. Have a chat with other neighbours about chaperoning children who want to do trick or treat, they’ll be more aware of who their elderly neighbours are than the kids will.

To talk about how trick or treat is being handled in your neighbourhood why not go over to the forums at www.neighbourblog.com.

Nightmare neighbours? Here are some tips on dealing with them - Part 1

To be at odds with a neighbour can really be stressful. Here's how to take steps to stop war breaking out and hopefully find a peaceful solution:

• Keep Notes

Having a nightmare neighbour is stressful enough as it is, so it’s hardly surprising that you’ll be feeling confused and angry. But, it’s really important to keep a written record of any incidents. Yes, even the littlest ones. Make a note of dates and times. Include as much detail as possible. At some point you may need to refer to this information, and you’ll be glad you took the trouble to keep a dairy. You could even blog about it!

• Communicate if and when possible

If you can have a friendly talk with your nightmare neighbour then do give this a try. Although if the person seems volatile or potentially dangerous it’s not worth the risk. In many cases though, the nightmare neighbour doesn’t realise they’re causing you hassle and an amicable chat can help pave the way for smoother relations. If talking to your neighbour face to face isn’t an option, then write them a letter – keeping the tone polite – and do keep a copy of what you’ve written. Again, you may need this in future if things don’t settle down.

• Reconciling differences

Your local housing department may be able to advice you about neighbourhood conciliation service that are available in your area. Set up for just this purpose, these sort of mediation services are there to help neighbours resolve issues with a little outside unbiased assistance.

  

• If you rent or own your home 

If you rent your home from your Local Authority or you’re a home owner you can contact Environmental Health Department of your local council. Outline your circumstances to them and find out what measures they might take when sorting out nightmare neighbour issues – If you have a strong case they may be able to investigate the situation for you.

Are you a home owner? Then don’t forget to read through the small print of any insurance policies relating to the property. Some policies include the right to use a legal help line or even cover for legal costs.

Like to add anything, then leave a comment here. Or talk with others from your neighbourhood over at the forums on www.neighbourblog.com

Twinned Towns, Tumbleweed and Topping up your Oyster

1. The Good Neighbours Scheme is a support and befriending organisation. Its aim is to support the elderly, people who live alone or are victims of social or emotional isolation Find out more here
2. Find your local Neighbourhood Watch group – or set one up: Yes, I want to know about Neighbourhood Watch
3. A quick tour of London’s Neighbourhoods http://www.londontreasures.com/neighbourhoods.htm
4. Claim disused or abandoned land. No, it’s not April Fools, and it IS legal. www.uklandclaims.com
5. Find NHS services near you. Doctors, Dentists, and what to do in an emergency
6. £61.00 Tumbleweed Tiny House. It’s small but perfectly formed. www.tumbleweedhouses.com
7. Squatters! What to do if you want to remove them. And what you need to know if you are one. Squatters and non squatters click here, let's sort this out.
8. Junk Mail. How to stop it! Junk Mail!
9. Land registry search:  Search by location, house name or number, or postcode.
10. Is your property at risk from flooding? Find out here: Find out here!
11. Green Britain – How many reclamation yards are there in the UK, and where are they? Extensive list
12. Things you can do for FREE in London. Yes, free! www.londonforfree.net
13. Top up your Oyster card online. Do it now!
14. Britain’s listed buildings… in a list: www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk
15. Which are the safest boroughs in London? Tell me about the borough I live in
16. Before you have a bonfire, check out the rules and regulations. If you don’t and you step outside the law on this you could face a fine of up to £5,000! Ouch. Here are the rules.
17. Find cheap or preferably FREE parking in London here: www.findfreeparking.co.uk
18. Is your town twinned with another? And if it is, what exactly does that mean? www.towntwinning.org.uk 

Leave a comment... 

Don't Let This Be The Winter Of Your Discontent

The English summer seems to have come and gone without many of us noticing. Now, it may seem that it’s a little early to start thinking about the winter, but seeing as there are people out there who are already doing their Christmas shopping, I don’t think a blog post about cold weather is too premature.

Here’s some useful advice about keeping yourself and vulnerable or elderly neighbours safe and warm in winter.

It’s especially important during cold weather to be a good neighbour. So if you have elderly neighbours please take the time to check on them.

Snow looks pretty on a Christmas card but the cold weather can be cruel. Photograph by Kofler Jurgen 

Get in touch with your local council, many of the will be able to point you in the right direction for help regarding grants for loft and home insulation. They can also offer advice about arranging for a lower tariff or change of payment plan for fuel bills over the winter months.

You can dramatically reduce heating costs over the winter by doing to the following.

·         Take a shower instead of a bath – bathing uses a lot of water and heating it doesn’t always come cheap.

·         Another useful tip is that of placing foil behind radiators. This helps to reflect the heat back into the room rather than into the wall! You can always remove the foil when the milder weather returns.

·         Keep the curtains shut to keep heat in.

·         Insulate your loft.

·         Only heat the rooms you use. Turning off radiators in rooms you don’t use can make a big difference to fuel costs. It’s always worth giving unused rooms a little het every now and then just to prevent them getting damp.

It’s important to keep warm in order to prevent colds, flu bugs and more potentially serious problems like pneumonia. Remind vulnerable people to get a flu jab in readiness for winter. Most GP surgeries run flu clinics with regularity in the winter.

Here’s where you can get more help and advice.

Cold Weather Payments

Was this advice useful? Have you any tips for the winter? Leave a comment!

19 REALLY useful places you can go online to find out stuff about where you live

1. Confused about how much Housing Benefit you are entitled to? 
2. Got noisy neighbours? 
3. Postcode finder 
4. Find a school 
5. Remember libraries, those places with books in? See if there's one near you. 
6. In the not so distant past before email people used to write letters and post them. Here's where to post yours if you're feeling old fashioned. 
7. Community radio stations
8. List of London Boroughs 
9. Need advice about homelessness or housing? These people know their stuff. Shelter. 
10. Property search Search by area, property type, sales or rental
11. From Aberdeen to York, it's the The A-Z of local councils. Well, not quite an A- Z. More an A-Y. Useful though.
12. Find out who your MP is and write to them. 
13. Do you qualify for PDSA vet care? 
14. Citizens Advice
15. British Papers – National and Local Press
16. What's on in London?
17. Your Local Job Centre Plus Find the nearest one to you
18. Home swap - (not as scary as the TV show Wife Swap) Info on house exchanges
19. Are you a Freegan? Best things in life are free!

Leave a comment!

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, (but 100 ways -at least - to annoy your neighbours – here we tell you the first 10!)

1. Play your music loud at unreasonable hours. This is guaranteed to get on your neighbours' nerves. Doing so just shows you don’t consider the feelings of others. Keep it up (the volume, I mean) and you won’t be making any friends.
2. Who let the dogs out? Was it you? Did you let them out AND let them bark endlessly? Please, keep pets under control. Noise pollution from animals is a common cause of neighbourly discord. If your dog is barking all the time, you need to establish why. Maybe dog discipline classes will help.
3. Rubbish! People don’t like their own rubbish, so they’re hardly likely to feel affectionate about yours. Keep it binned. Don’t let your refuse litter the area. Find out from your local council about refuse collection days and what the recycling guidelines are.
4. The postman doesn’t always ring twice. In fact, sometimes he doesn’t ring at all and bulky post might get left outside. If you’ve been left a package that’s addressed to a neighbour don’t forget to give it to them.
5. DIY. Noise again. It probably goes without saying (or at least it should) but if you’re planning on drilling through concrete or hammering nails into the walls, try to do so at a reasonable time.
6. It’s your party, and your neighbours will cry if they want to. Hey, everyone’s entitled to have fun every now and then, but if your house is as busy as Piccadilly Circus all the time and people are coming and going endlessly, you’re not going to be flavour of the month in your neighbourhood. Why not invite the neighbours when you do have a party? Or at least send over a note to forewarn them that you’ll be celebrating [insert reason for celebration here] and follow up after the party with a small gift – and I don’t mean the bottle of Blue Nun that no-one drank.
7. They haven’t paved paradise and put up a parking lot, but you seem to think they have, and you keep blocking your neighbour’s drive. If parking is an issue where you live find out if you can purchase a space from someone who doesn’t need theirs.
8. Can you have your ball back? Sure, most neighbours will be happy to throw your kid’s ball back over the fence on the odd occasion it lands in their garden. But don’t let it happen too much. Your garden may be ball friendly if you have children, but the lady who’s lived in the house next door for 40 years might not feel the same way if her marigolds keep getting crushed by footballs.
9. Don’t borrow things and not give them back. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a cup of sugar or a lawnmower. Remember to give it back. Far too many ‘over the fence’ feuds start over these little things.
10. Respect your neighbour’s privacy. If you keep popping your head over the fence when your neighbour has company don’t be surprised if your face becomes one they tire of. Just because you live next door doesn’t mean you’ve the right to intrude.

If you've been affected by any of the issues mentioned above , then we feel sorry for you. Leave a comment in the box below or pop over to www.neighbourblog.com for a cup of tea and a chat.

How Much Housing Benefit Will My Local Authority Pay?

Figuring out how much of your rent will be covered by Housing Benefit can confusing. Don't make the mistake of thinking there's one rate per borough either. In the larger boroughs, understandably, there can be several rates, and these are dependent on the rent value of  property in each.

If you're moving to an area that's new to you and are entitled to Housing Benefit as a result of being on what the authorities call a PASSPORT benefit, such as Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance it's worth finding out the figures and doing some sums before viewing potential homes.


If you've got the post code of the road or street you want to move to then there are several helpful little tools that will give you the information you need. 

Dude, Where's My Car Insurance Documents and the Birthday Card My Aunt Sent?

Tales of misappropriated post in communal hallways...


There's been a fair bit of talk in the forums over at www.neighbourblog.com regarding the problem of misappropriated post. Anyone who has ever lived in apartment buildings where the hallways are communal may have come across this dilemma before.


It's good to see that by using the Neighbourblog forums, residents are putting their heads together in search of a solution.


But where does that erm... misappropriated post go to? Who misappropriated it? Was it junk mailers? Did the proverbial dog eat it? 

The dog ate the post? Yeah right! Look at that innocent face.

Whatever the answer it's annoying and a violation to be deprived of your post. If it's happened to you then why do as others are doing and put up a post over on the forums. Several heads are better than one, as they say, so by getting together with your neighbours you'll be able to find a solution. And you can stop blaming the dog!

Has this happened to you? Leave a comment in the box below.

Nutter, Nuisance or Just Good Neighbour?

It’s not like in the old movies, is it? You know what I mean… in those old black and white movies when someone moves into a neighbourhood the friendly residents appear at their door with cookies or a casserole. There’s always some kindly soul perfectly happy to devote their morning to baking up a storm to welcome you into the area. It’s all smiles and sunshine.

Everyone's welcome at Neighbourblog

In reality, turning up unannounced at a stranger’s door with a tray of food these days might get you a reputation as slightly peculiar. It’s sad isn’t it? It might say ‘Welcome’ on the doormat, but will your presence and offerings really be well received?

It used to be that neighbours could borrow a carton of milk, a handful of teabags or a cup of sugar and were given to chatting over the garden fence. Nowadays we live much more insular lives.

Do you know your nearest neighbours by name? Do you socialise? Many people don’t see those who live close to them from one month to the next.

That’s why www.neighbourblog.com really has a place and a job to do today. It’s somewhere you can go to meet up with people from your area.

All you have to do is register, log in and say hi. No need to bake anything or knock on anyone’s door! Yet!

Let us know what you think. Leave a comment below.