For all too many people, a neighbour is merely someone who has just run out of something, be it sugar or patience. Gone are the days when neighbours leaned up against each other's fences and chatted about the cricket while the wives hung the washing out.

In most cities, 'neighbour' is actively a dirty word… they are all too often the ones who make the noise, grab the prime parking space, spill their bin-bags or fight with you over the party wall.

Crimes committed on a domestic scale have become so mythical that 'Neighbours from Hell' programmes are now everyday fare on television and police have been brought in to address actual bodily violence between neighbours.

Don't feel the need to emulate such people, no matter how frustrating the late-night noise or the chip-fat smells. Follow our golden rules to ensure that your neighbourly relations are cordial and civilised.

Golden Rules for Neighbours

• Share online