I strongly believe that everyone will encounter at least one neighbor who would do one of the things I am about to list below. It is not that I don’t have faith in humanity but simply because some people are just inconsiderate, sometimes equally uncommon as common sense.

Don’t worry if you haven’t encountered one yet, you will eventually read this as a warning. If you have already encountered one, then you will understand.

1. Putting your trash can in front of your neighbor’s mailbox

Although space can be limited depending on the layout of the street in front of your house or complex, you still should not be blocking other people’s mailboxes. If you have to, block your own mailbox with your own trash cans. Better yet, block your own driveway or leave the trash can further away. Be considerate of the person who delivers your mail and respectful of your neighbors’ space.

2. Partially blocking the driveway with your car

Sometimes you park worse than the people that get posted on social media. There is no line to show the space you are supposed to park in, but according to the California Driver’s Handbook, you are supposed to park within 18 inches of the curb, not 80 inches. To make the matter worse, when you block part of someone’s driveway, even by just a few inches, for people who drive SUVs or bulkier cars, those few inches could be especially inconvenient.

3. Constantly has construction work

I understand that after you moved into a new house, some remodeling or renovations might be needed, but there is a point when there is too much work. If you were to build a swimming pool, redo the roof, install a gate and reinstall all the windows, please do that in one go. Your neighbors would appreciate not having to deal with all the noise and construction equipment that sometimes last for months.

4. Having gardeners come at 8 a.m. every Saturday

Most people would love to sleep in on the weekend after a long week of work, so it would be nice to not be waking up to the sounds of an obnoxiously loud leaf blower. A later time such as 9 a.m. or even 10 a.m. would be a better and more courteous option. While you choose to wake up at 7 a.m. on Saturdays and enjoy watching your gardeners tidy up your lawn, not everyone wishes the same.

5. Playing loud music after midnight

Whether you are a classical fan or a rap music enthusiast, I don’t want to hear it, especially after midnight. Most of the time, the loud music late at night would be associated with a house party. Besides the loud music, there would be noisy, drunk people and numerous cars that often take parking spots away from people in front of their own homes.

There is one more annoying thing that makes you a horrible neighbor, but this usually only occurs during the holidays. You might have guessed it – holiday decorations. During Christmas time, the number of snowmen, reindeer, Santa Clauses and lighting on trees and houses can be a lovely sight, but they can also be overwhelming. Having them up before November and keeping them up until the end of January is not only a waste of energy, it is also annoying, especially when you have bright lighting next to your neighbor’s windows. If I want to live in a place where the sun doesn’t set for months, I would be living in Svalbard, Norway, where sometimes the sun doesn’t set for months.

That’s all I have to say. Do you have a “great” neighbor story that you want to share?