Dirty laundry and noise: Switzerland’s nuisance neighbour problem
Airing dirty laundry: Swiss neighbours can be rowdier than expected.
Keystone
According to a survey, almost one in three people in Switzerland has been in a dispute with neighbours, mostly over noise pollution, laundry problems, non-compliance with parking regulations and property disputes.
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Roupa suja e barulho são os problemas de vizinhança mais comuns na Suíça
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Some 43% of those surveyed tried to resolve the conflict by speaking with their neighbours, 24% were quietly annoyed and 22% contacted the property management company. Only 7% called the police, according to the survey published on Tuesday by the Zurich-based Marketagent Institute.
More than a third of those surveyed found arguments with neighbours stressful. The majority of respondents (80%) blamed their neighbours for the dispute.
In addition to disturbances of the peace, non-compliance with the laundry schedule or a dirty laundry room were the most often cited offences. However, parking behaviour and disputes regarding property boundaries, for example over fencing or planting, also often led to conflicts.
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What has disappointed you as a visitor to Switzerland?
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We asked you whether there were any places or experiences in Switzerland that had left you thinking “Is that it?”.
Many disputes also started because communal areas such as the stairwell were used to store personal belongings.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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Fact check: Lonely guinea pigs and other quirky Swiss rumours
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