[philrykoff]

Same here in germany. If the neighbor accepts the package, the parcel service notes his/her name on the receipt, so the responsibility has been handed to the neighbor.

If the neighbor "looses" the package, the loss can be enforced against him.

One alternative is to allow the parcel service to put the parcel in a safe space (e.g. throw it over the fence ;). Only if you allow the parcel service to do that, they will do it, because only then they are not responsibly for what happens to the package once they've put it in the "safe space".

The best invention in parcel servicing over the last few years are so called Packstationen (package stations), big cupboards with large lockable compartments. The parcel service places the packages there, sends you a text with a mobile TAN, you get the package from there whenever you have time (within the next 2 weeks or so, then it's being sent back). They are placed all over larger towns.