Broken fences, fallen trees, invasive tree roots, barking dogs, late night parties and piles of rubbish – these are some of the small day-to-day annoyances that can lead to ongoing neighbourhood disputes.

To help you understand your rights and responsibilities as a neighbour the State Library’s specialist legal information team, who coordinate the Find Legal Answers service online and in public libraries, have produced a new edition of the popular resource Neighbours and the Law.

Author, Nadine Behan, has worked as a barrister, and as a lawyer in a community legal centre, and has written the book to provide plain English information on commonly asked questions about neighbourhood issues.

Nadine recommends treating your neighbour with courtesy and respect, as well as trying to resolve your issues without resorting to expensive legal action except as a last resort.

Figures from the NSW Community Justice Centres:

The new edition has been revised and updated for recent changes to the law.  

It is provided free of charge to public libraries by the State Library of New South Wales. You can find it in the plain English collection of legal information resources called the Legal Tool Kit – check with your local library.

The full text of the resource is also available on the Find Legal Answers website: www.legalanswers.sl.nsw.gov.au