New Neighbours

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niceoneted

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Hi,

I have new neighbours that have just moved in. I got on really well with the previous owners and the house has been vacant for a number of months. I'd like to do something as a form of welcoming them rather than just introduce myself. So if any of you have suggestions can you post them please.
Also given as the house was vacant for so long I had a set of keys in case there was a problem with alarm etc so I need to hand these back.

Thanks in advance.
 
Why not just invite them over some evening rather than dropping over unannounced when they're not expecting you. Or if you think they might decline your invitation call over with a plant/bottle of wine and the keys just to say welcome to the neighbourhood.

When friends of mine moved to a new house the previous owner had left a note with a list of nearby facilities such as shop/chemist opening hours, local restaurants which they found really useful.
 
Could you invite them and the rest of the near neighbours that you are (presumably) friendly with and have a getting to know the neighbours evening?
 
i would keep it simple, personally i can't stand neighbours trying to be too friendly! - see if you like them first, they might be awful. everyone is nice in the beginning !? what if they start playing loud music at all hours, have a barking dog, keep parking in your space, repairing cars and the rest.
or maybe i have lived in London too long ????????? and have lost some of my irish breeding. never mind, going back in 2-3 years so can rekindle the nice friendly side ! my seven year old is reading this as i type and laughing her head off !
 
Niceoneted

I'd be inclined to drop a "welcome" card in their letterbox. That gives your new neighbours an opportunity to talk to you. You will be able to gauge matters from the response you get. All going well, you'll have many years ahead of you to build up a good neighbourly relationship. If you invite them over, they may feel obliged to return the invite and they may still be trying to get their home into some kind of shape, and not yet ready for neighbours to see.
Cheers.
 
When it is suggested dropping them over a bottle of wine and "the keys" what is that refering to? Surley not giving total strangers keys to your house:eek:
 
lightswitch said:
When it is suggested dropping them over a bottle of wine and "the keys" what is that refering to? Surley not giving total strangers keys to your house:eek:
Click to expand...

If you read the OP's post they have the keys for the new house.

I agree with earlier posts. Drop a note in the door with the keys, welcoming them to the neighbourhood, maybe with a list of local ammenities and hints about the area.

See what happens then.

I think starting off with giving them a bottle of wine is a bit much.

Nice post for a monday morning though.
 
I too would be inclined to agree about not being too much in thier face. Personally if I purchased a new house, I wouldn't like to have a neighbour come over to me with the keys of the new house I was after buying, no matter how nice they were. But I guess there isn't much you can do about this unless you still have the phone no of the previous owner or whoever asked you to mind the house. I would give the keys to them and let them hand them over.

I'd keep it simple. Call over - but not when they've just got in the door and could be preparing & eating a meal. Introduce yourself and welcome them & give them and tips and hints about the area, but no talking about other neighbours, either good or bad or you will seem like a gossip & they'll avoid you forever more. Let it play out from there. You don't know what they are like and vise versa.
 
One thing about the bottle of wine idea: when we first moved in to our current house, our new neighbours were very helpful. To say thank you we dropped in a bottle of wine or two. Turned out neither of them drank.

Potted plant as someone else suggested, if you want to give a gift?

Personally, I'd just call in to introduce myself and say welcome, give them some information on stuff around (not opinions on Mr. so and so's habits down the road!), say to drop in if they need anything, and then let anything else develop over time.

By the way, if they've moved from London as someone else mentioned, even this aproach will make them think they've arrived on Mars....
 
When we moved in our very very friendly neighbour invited herself over one friday with 2 bottles of wine and stayed drinking them til 1:30am, we were not best pleased and still get texts from her inviting herself over and asking us out. Take the softly softly approach.
 
Thanks a million for all the great responses. I just want to clarify that I'm not planning on them being my best friends or near it. I don't want to be in their face or theirs in mine. I just wanted to be neighbourly. When I moved in over 5 yrs ago it was a new estate to everyone so it made it easier in some way to get to know people. They are attached to me and at the end of a cul de sac so have no one the other side.
One person suggested that I send the keys back to original owners but they had been renting and now moved again so I no longer have their address.
Thanks again.
 
I'm surprised at some of the responses.
I don't see any problem with either calling in to give them the keys or a welcome bottle of wine/box of chocs. However, if you want to be a little bit more reserved, you could drop them a note explaining that you were friends with the previous tenants, have keys and would like to return them at a mutually convenient time. Leave your phone number on it and then the ball is in their court.
 
Id just wait until you see one of them in the garden and say hello and ask if they need any info on the area etc just call in .
nowadays people like to keep themselves to themselves , i was shocked at how many people told me when i bought my house to keep to myself ! god when i was a kid my parents could go off for a weekend and leave all 4 of us with the few neighbours and vice versa ,now i guess you,d prob get charged by the hour !!
 
I don't even get a hello from some of my neighbours, when we are just passing on the path!
 
I like Clubmans brass band idea. Alternatively you could let yourself in with the keys while they are sleeping and start ironing ;)
 
I'd be handing those keys over ASAP. I would be freaked out to learn that my new neighbours had keys unbeknownst to me!
 
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