Successful Tenement Living


When you live up a close, you can have people living below you, next to you and above you. You have people all around – your neighbours. People are different. Everyone has a different viewpoint, different values, and different lifestyles. Sometimes these clash, and when they do mountains can soon grow out of molehills. We hope that that doesn’t happen too often, but if does, then we’d hope that common sense prevails and you can sort it out amicably. However if you can’t resolve it then mediation might be the answer.

Mediation is a way of bringing people together to sort out their differences – and it can be very successful. Glasgow City Council provides a free impartial and confidential Mediation Service. If you are interested, get in touch with your Housing Officer or call the Mediation Service on 0142 276 7522.

Successful ‘tenement living’ depends on a whole host of factors, but here are a few ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ that are worth following.

Do

  • Take your turn of doing the stairs
  • Keep your close tidy.
  • Keep your backcourt and you bin area tidy – pick up any litter lying around and put it in a bin, and why not sweep out the bin area every now and again?
  • Make sure your close doors are secure and your door entry system is working properly – if anything is broken, report it at the Office and we’ll get it fixed.
  • Think about your neighbours – let them live in peace and quiet.
  • Look out for your neighbours – especially elderly neighbours. Keep an eye out for them to make sure that they are okay.

Don’t

  • Store stuff on your landing or in the close. In the event of a fire the close is the escape route for everyone living in the block so don’t impede your escape by putting things in the close.
  • Jam the close door open or leave the back door unlocked.
  • Let people into the close who have no business being there. If you have a problem with people hanging about your close, tell your Housing Officer.
  • Play music too loud or be partying every night. Have consideration for your neighbours.
  • Let your dog mess in the backcourt. Take it somewhere else to do its business, but if it does mess in the backcourt, clean it up and bin it.
  • Don’t hog the washing line. Make sure that your neighbours get a chance to use it.