Have you ever had a conflict with your neighbors? Whether in an apartment, a residential building, or over the back fence: Wherever people live together, there is conflict. It's no different in this country, where rules – which Germans are said to love – are also broken: If dirty dishes pile up in the sink despite a cleaning schedule, or the neighbor insists on mowing the lawn every Sunday, it can get very annoying.

In apartment buildings, your rights and obligations are set out in the "Hausordnung" or building rules. You accept these when you sign the lease. In some buildings you have to clean the hall stairs regularly, put the trash cans out on the street for collection and do other, similar jobs. But not everyone sticks to the rules: unregistered pets, buggies and prams in the hallway, cars parked in the wrong place, bins not emptied ... you may have experienced something similar. In particular, loud noise like party music after 10 p.m. is a common cause of conflict between neighbors.