Anti-social behaviour

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Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour, usually called ASB for short, is when someone’s actions are causing a nuisance or annoyance to another person, or impacts on us as a social housing provider.

We want our customers to live in a peaceful and safe environment, free from anti-social behaviour.

What is and what is not ASB?

  • Examples of what is ASB

    There’s a wide variety of actions that can be defined as ASB. Some examples include:

    • Actual violence against people and property
    • Aggressive threatening language or behaviour
    • Domestic violence and abuse
    • Failure to control pets
    • Frequent noise nuisance caused by loud music, shouting or disturbance from parties
    • Graffiti, vandalism and damage to property
    • Hate behaviour (targeting members of identified groups because of perceived differences, including race, sexual orientation, gender, age, religion, and disability)
    • Illegal behaviour or unruly behaviour as a result of substance misuse
    • Intimidation, threatening behaviour or harassment
    • Using your home for unlawful purposes, such as supplying or possessing drugs
  • Examples of what is NOT ASB

    Some examples of issues that are not classed as ASB include, but are not limited to:

    • Children and young people playing
    • Cooking smells
    • Day to day noise at reasonable hours
    • Disagreeing or having a fallout with your neighbour or when there is no evidence of who caused the issues
    • Traffic or parking issues on public roads

    If we're unable to help, we will signpost you to an agency who be able to.

How to let us know about an ASB concern

  • Reporting ASB

    Please see the information in the section below about what we'll need to know if you do get in touch.

How we respond to reports of ASB

  • How we respond to ASB

    We take the safety of our residents very seriously, and although we aim to resolve ASB through informal action, we will use court proceedings where it's appropriate to do so to protect our residents

    The first time you contact your housing officer they will:

    • ask you for the name and address of the person the complaint is about
    • ask for details about what has happened including times, dates and what was said or done
    • ask for details of any witnesses
    • ask you how this impacted you and/or your family and how this made you feel.

    We will then:

    • Complete a Risk Assessment. This will determine the level of risk and response times. It will also determine if you need to report the incident to the police or any other agency.
    • Agree with you an action plan and update you on a regular basis until the case is closed.
    • If necessary, ask you to gather further evidence in the form of diary sheets or by using the nuisance noise app. The Noise app is free and is available on most smart phones. It can be used to record noise nuisance that you are experiencing and may be used as part of evidence gathering.

    Download the noise app guide

  • Our timescales for responding to you

    High risk incidents

    We aim to respond within one working day and aim to carry out a home visit within two working days where required. You may also need to report the incident to the police.

    Low to medium risk incidents

    We aim to make contact within three working days and aim to carry out a home visit with two working days where required.