The private life of scottish homeowners

• Over half of homeowners would choose to purchase a property with privacy
• More than one in three (37%) can go weeks without seeing their neighbours
• Residents in Central Scotland value their privacy the most

Homeowners in Scotland are shunning their neighbours in pursuit of privacy and personal space.

According to Clydesdale Bank’s quarterly Housebuyers Survey more than half of homeowners (54%) admitted they prefer to keep themselves to themselves and don’t want nosey neighbours knowing their business.

More than half of those questioned (51%) said they would prefer to buy a home that was private and not overlooked by neighbours. More than one in three (37%) even admitted that they could sometimes go weeks without so much as seeing or speaking to their neighbours.

Steve Reid, Clydesdale Bank’s retail director said: “Privacy and personal space are high on the list of priorities for homeowners keen to avoid nosey neighbours. As increasing numbers of young professionals and first time buyers are choosing to live in city centre apartment blocks or purpose built flats, it seems that more of us aspire to own a property with a little more privacy.”

“But, even if you are not prepared to speak with your neighbours, you should still make time to talk to your bank!”

Central Scots crave privacy
Those living in central Scotland value their privacy the most, with 64% of residents in this region saying they’d prefer to purchase a more private property and almost two thirds (63%) confessing to being private people who prefer to keep themselves to themselves.
 
But old-fashioned neighbourly spirit appears to be alive and well in the Borders region, with 91% of those questioned on ‘full name terms’ with their neighbours.

Nosey or neighbourly?
No matter how neighbourly their intentions might be, new comers may want to think twice before rushing to meet the neighbours. Almost one in 10 (9%) of those questioned said that if neighbours arrived to introduce themselves the day they moved into the street, they’d think they were being more nosey than neighbourly.

Parking permitted?
According to Clydesdale Bank’s research, homeowners appear to be willing to share a postcode but very little else with their neighbours. Indeed three out of five (60%) admit they wouldn’t want to purchase a property with a shared driveway. A further 39% admitted they don’t like neighbours parking outside their property - an issue which has long been notorious for causing arguments between residents.