Record number of Victorians seek help over neighbourhood disputes More than 20,000 people called the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria over street feuds in the past year - one in three because of the behaviour of a neighbour. RECORD numbers of Victorians are seeking help to settle fights with neighbours. Calls to the centre from people seeking advice rose five per cent in 2012-13 and the number referred for mediation was up three per cent. "This shows that more people are seeking help at an early stage, which will hopefully prevent smaller disputes from escalating to more complex ones," centre director Gina Ralston said. "Don't let disagreements over issues such as fencing, barking dogs or loud music degenerate into more serious conflict such as assault, criminal damage or harassment," she said. Police in Melbourne and Geelong are called to more than 115 neighbourhood disputes a day. Social analyst David Chalke said the pressures of city life and congestion seemed to be making people more "antsy" in general. "There is a lot of anecdotal evidence around that there is a general increase in grumpiness, therefore a propensity to ark up," he said. We see it in road rage, tram rage, all these kinds of rages - a lot of it is to do with congestion. This translates itself into neighbourhood disputes. People are under a bit of pressure most of the time and too short of time, and probably don't know their neighbours that well. He said modern housing developments meant people were living in closer confines, with 'McMansions' built right up to the fence line and blocks of land carved up into units. 1 problem reported to the Dispute Settlement Centre are fencing disagreements, with 6611 calls for help in 2012-13. Behavioural issues sparked 6245 calls for help and led to 1173 referrals for mediation. Other common areas of dispute included trees and shrubs (3163 calls), property disputes (1007), debts (650), noise (441), and animals (335). Melbourne City Council residents sought the most help with 1019 calls for advice, followed by Casey City Council with 919. The centre provides phone advice, information or face-to-face mediation to help people come to an agreement outside the courtroom. Advice on resolving disputes is available on the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria website www.disputes.vic.gov.au or by phoning 1800 658 528. A DISPUTE over a Williamstown hedge saw the County Court order the $83,000 removal of a row of cypress, that it found had begun cracking a neighbour's wall, in 2007. A MAN was charged by police after allegedly severing his female neighbour's finger with gardening shears during a dispute. The woman had surgery in hospital to reattach her finger. A VCAT scrap erupted at the ritzy Republic Tower, amid claims one of Melbourne's wealthiest families flooded their downstairs neighbours by overwatering soil-filled garden beds on their balcony. Issue/Calls for help/Referred for further advice or mediation Fence dispute 6611 /443 Behaviour 6245 /1173 Trees, shrubs 3163 /123 Property 1007 /60 Financial debt 650 /139 Noise 441 / 32 Animals 335 / 26 Tenancy 239 / 8 Contract 237 / 145 Drainage 178 / 13 TOP 10 Local Government Areas LGA/Calls for help/Referred for further advice or mediation Melbourne 1019 /147 Casey 919 / 68 Brimbank 755 / 115 Frankston 727 / 75 Wyndham 672 / 80 Boroondarah 653 / 56 Whitehorse 579 / 76 Yarra City 578 / 76 Whittlesea 549 / 44 Effective communication is the key to trying to resolve disputes yourself, while this may not always be possible or advisable, generally you should: MAKE sure you both have enough time to talk through the issues COMMUNICATE your needs and concerns KEEP your emotions in check, stay relaxed ATTACK the problem, not the person LISTEN to the other party, and acknowledge their needs and feelings IF this fails, agree to take a break and set a time to try again later