Study: These are the most common housing-related conflicts
Living is about more than just four walls – it’s also about living together. Our new study shows which conflicts actually arise within the household, in the neighbourhood and with property management, where the main points of friction lie – and where things are, surprisingly, harmonious.
How well we live depends not only on the apartment itself, but also on how harmoniously people live together. Our latest study reveals clear patterns: 30% of respondents report having arguments with people in the same household often or fairly often.
By comparison, relationships with the immediate neighbourhood tend to be largely conflict-free. More than half of respondents (51%) say they rarely or never fall out with their neighbours, while only 15% report frequent disputes. Problems with landlords, property management services or people in the wider neighbourhood are also relatively uncommon overall.
These findings show that, for most people, day-to-day living arrangements are generally calm – even though certain points of friction remain part of everyday life. We take a closer look below at which of these tend to cause the most stress (note: as multiple answers were possible, the percentages do not necessarily add up to 100%).
What most commonly causes conflict within a shared household?
The most frequent source of tension in a shared household is lack of tidiness: at 47%, it is by far the most common trigger. This is followed by failure to stick to agreements (26%), noise (23%) and inconsiderate behaviour (22%), all of which regularly lead to conflict.
The well-known flat-sharing cliché of food disappearing from the fridge without asking, on the other hand, is rarely confirmed: only 9% of respondents say they actually experience this problem.
What most often causes conflict in the neighbourhood?
When it comes to disputes with immediate neighbours, one issue clearly stands out: noise is (unsurprisingly) the most common trigger for conflict, cited by 45% of respondents. This is followed by everyday situations such as use of the shared laundry room (18%), smoking (17%) and dirt or rubbish in shared areas (16%).
Issues such as planting or barbecuing, by contrast, are rarely perceived as problematic.
What most often causes conflict with property management?
Compared with other areas, the study results show that most tenants experience little or no problems with property management. As many as 42% say they have not had disputes or problems in relation to any of the aspects surveyed.
Among those who do experience conflicts, these most commonly relate to minor repairs (31%) or the service charge statement (19%). Less frequently mentioned are hidden defects (13%), mould (13%) and issues surrounding the handover of the apartment (11%). Renovations, inspection reports or terminations, by contrast, only occasionally lead to tensions.
