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Antisocial Behaviour
What is Antisocial Behaviour?
The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 defines Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) as:
- (a) Conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person
- (b) Conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises
- (c) Conduct capable of causing housing-related nuisance or annoyance to any person.
Examples of antisocial behaviour:
- Physical violence and/or threats of violence
- Hate-related incidents (such as those based on race, sexual orientation, gender, disability or belief)
- Verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation or threatening behaviour
- Noise nuisance – an ongoing or persistent noise at any time of the day or night
- Vandalism and damage to properties, including graffiti
- Dropping litter or dumping rubbish, including fly-tipping
- Criminal behaviour, for example prostitution or sexual acts, drug dealing, violence or threats of violence
- Pets being allowed to foul in public spaces
- Misuse of communal areas, public areas or loitering.
What isn’t antisocial behaviour?
We would not normally consider behaviour around different cultures or lifestyles, or which may not be considered unreasonable by most people, as ASB. These are:
- Cooking smells
- DIY during reasonable hours
- Minor or occasional car repairs
- Young people gathering socially or children playing
- Someone parking lawfully outside your home
- Civic disputes between neighbours (such as boundary issues or shared driveways)
- Day to day living noises such as:
- Footsteps in a neighbouring property
- Children playing,
- Occasional dog barks
- The noise of household appliances, or music or TV noise at a low level.
We want everyone to be able to live peacefully in their home and community.
However, as part of your tenancy agreement or lease with us, you also have a responsibility to ensure that you, your family and any visitors do not behave in an antisocial manner that has detrimental effects on other people.
Some things, such as noise from a late-night BBQ, or inconsiderate parking, can usually be quickly and amicably resolved by chatting to your neighbour and we would always advise that you try to resolve minor issues yourself before escalating.
However, we understand there may be times when you may not feel comfortable speaking directly to someone to try to resolve an issue. In this case you can let us know about the problem online or call us on 0800 916 1522 or 0300 123 3568.
If you are threatened with violence, or are concerned for the safety of yourself or others, call the police immediately on 999, or in a non-emergency on 101.
When you report an incident to us, we will:
- Decide whether it is antisocial behaviour and then prioritise it depending on its nature and how it is affecting you
- Ask you for as much detail as possible to make sure that we fully understand the issue and the impact it’s having on you
- Always make sure that your report is treated in the strictest confidence. However, to protect your confidentiality, we may be limited in the action we can take
- Contact you to agree an action plan and update you on the amount of time the case is likely to take. We will always deal with the situation sensitively and explain what action can be taken.
- Make sure that you are kept updated throughout the case, and explain if we are unable to share specific details
- Take reports very seriously and take the necessary steps to protect our residents. This can mean working in partnership with other agencies to resolve cases of antisocial behaviour, including the Environmental Health, Council, local councillors, community groups and the police.
On receiving your report:
- We may offer a range of relevant support and advice to try to resolve your complaint
- Where informal action hasn’t worked, or the situation is more serious, we may need to take formal action. This could include Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs), Injunctions and, as a last resort, even seeking possession of a home.
As a landlord, we have a responsibility to make sure that all residents are able to enjoy their home and neighbourhood peacefully and without experiencing antisocial behaviour.
However, if you feel that there is more we can do to resolve your ASB case, please tell us by using our complaints and concerns form.
Alternatively, you may wish to initiate a Community Trigger (also known as the ASB Case Review) which gives a resident who reports persistent antisocial behaviour the right to request a multi-agency case review of their situation where a local threshold is met.
The local threshold is usually decided by the relevant local authority and each area chooses a lead agency to manage the process; usually the council or police.
We recognise that it’s not always easy to report concerns about antisocial behaviour or relationships with your neighbours.
If you would like someone else to act on your behalf, please let us know and we will make sure that your case is updated.
You can also contact us as a group of residents but it is important to note that staff may ask to speak to those affected individually and in private.
Our staff are here to listen to your concerns and consider what action we can take as a landlord. Staff will make sure that they provide guidance and advice based on your individual circumstances. We will also discuss any specific needs you have, such as if English is not your first language.
