Good Neighbour - Do's & Don'ts

Good Neighbour –Dos & Don’ts

Dos

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2. Be neighbourly

Relate to your neighbours warmly. Neighbourliness encourages an environment of communication and helpfulness.

Maintain open communication

Keep the communication line open in good and in hard times. In really difficult situations, face-to-face communication may be the best way to avoid misunderstanding.

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9. Keep it down

Try to contain noise levels within your house. When planning an event, inform your neighbours beforehand. In doing this, neighbours may be more tolerant of unusual activities and noise levels.

Entertain good guests

Encourage your guests to follow your neighbourly footsteps. For example, advise them to park a clear distance from your neighbours’ driveways.

Keep your surroundings neat & clean

Keep your lawn or garden well-groomed. Apply a fresh coat of paint long before it’s overdue. Keep the area around your garbage receptacle clean at all times.

Love your pet and your neighbours too

Create fencing or other means to keep your pets within your own yard. Minimise pet noise, particularly barking. Clean up after your pet.

Position outside lights with care

Utilize lighting shields and shades to guide the direction of your lights and minimize glare. Use low lighting or recessed lighting for pathways.

Thoughtful construction

Advise neighbours before starting any project that might cause disturbance. Set reasonable hours for your work crew and instruct them to keep tools and materials away from neighbours’ driveway.

Practice road safety

Drive carefully and be mindful of children, dogs, walkers and cyclists out on the streets. Carry out a road safety project with

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your neighbours to install speed bumps, agree on a safe speed limit and erect signs that promote safe driving in the community.

Abide by municipality rules

Find out about the rules of your municipal corporation and follow them. Some of those rules are: installing your gates so that they open inwards, securing approval from the corporation before erecting any signs in your community and keeping drains clear so that surface water can flow freely onto the road.

Find out about the rules of your municipal corporation and follow them.

Don’ts

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Don’t operate shops or other businesses in your community (except in designated areas). Doing so places you at the risk of being sanctioned by the local government authority. Your business activities could also become a nuisance to your neighbours.

Don’t burn garbage in your yard or anywhere else in the community.

Don’t mix concrete, dispose of or store construction materials or debris on the roadways.

Don’t extend your property boundaries unto the common area or enclose any part of the common area for your personal use.

Don’t modify the kerb walls unless you have obtained approval from the relevant authority (municipal corporation or National Works Agency). The corporation may charge you for unauthorized breaking or removal of any section of the kerb wall.

Don’t rev your vehicle’s engine early in the morning or late at night. Avoid slamming the doors when you get out of your car and refrain from shining your headlights into your neighbour’s windows.

Don’t leave personal possessions lying about carelessly. This may attract thieves.

Don’t leave your garbage bins uncovered or unsecured.

Don’t leave old containers or tyres lying about in your yard. This could lead to the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

Don’t make illegal connections to electricity lines or to the water supply.

Disclaimer

This document is intended to provide helpful information for new homeowners including maintenance, after sales service, safety, construction guidelines and community obligations. It is not an exhaustive list of issues or guidelines which homeowners may be required to observe, neither is it meant to be a solicitation for the purchase of any units in any development undertaken by the National Housing Trust or any of our development partners.

NOTES

CONTACT US: NHT offices are located islandwide. All offices open to the public at 9:00 am except for the Kingston & St Andrew, St Catherine and St James Branch Offices, which open at 7:30 am. Our offices close at 4:00 pm from Monday to Thursday and at 3:00 pm on Fridays.

BRANCH OFFICES

Clarendon

55 Manchester Avenue, May Pen Tel: (876) 986-2051, (876) 986-9552

Kingston & St Andrew

4 Park Boulevard, Kingston 5 Tel: (876) 929-6500-9 Toll Free: 888-991-2185-7

Manchester

Lot 22 Caledonia Mall, 3 1⁄2 Caledonia Road, Mandeville Tel: (876) 962-2549, (876) 962-6368

St Ann

28 Graham Street, Ocho Rios Tel: (876) 974-4934, (876) 974-4399

St Catherine

Twickenham Park, Spanish Town Tel: (876) 984-8023, (876) 984-3148 Toll Free: 888-991-7031

St James

42b Union Street, Montego Bay Tel: (876) 952-0063, (876) 979-3418-9

Westmoreland

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SERVICE CENTRES

Hanover

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Portland

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St Elizabeth

109 Main Street, Santa Cruz Tel: (876) 966-2510, (876) 966-4150

St Mary

64 Stennett Street, Port Maria Tel: (876) 994-2216, (876) 994-9682

St Thomas

2 Georges Street, Morant Bay Tel: (876) 982-9417, (876) 982-1490

Trelawny

85 Market Street, Falmouth Tel: (876) 954-3771-2

CUSTOMER CARE DEPT.

Tel: (876) 754-7086 or Toll Free: 888-991-2232

CALL CENTRE

Toll Free: 888-CALL-NHT (888-225-5648) or 888-991-2832, (876) 929-6500-9 e-mail: wecare@nht.gov.jm Website & Live Chat: www.nht.gov.jm