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Read our Anti-social Behaviour Policy
Help and support
If you are experiencing anti-social behaviour (ASB), noise disturbance or a neighbour dispute help and support is available. Find the information you need to take action.
The legal definition of housing-related anti-social behaviour (ASB) is:
`Conduct capable of causing housing-related nuisance or annoyance`
However, there are lots of behaviours that people may consider a nuisance or annoying but would be inappropriate to define as ASB and/or breach of tenancy.
To decide if to deal effectively with reports of ASB, we are likely to consider the following:
• How often are the incidents happening
• The duration of the incidents
• The times of day the incidents are occurring
• The impact the incidents are having
• The intention behind the behaviour
We know that ASB can negatively affect our residents, our schemes, our communities, and our teams. If we receive reports of behaviour we believe to be ASB that impacts housing management, we’ll take action quickly and do our best to resolve the issue.
We understand the impact of intentional Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) on a person’s safety and wellbeing.
Step one: If safe to do so, calmly speak with your neighbour
to make them aware of the impact their behaviour has caused.
Step two: If the issue has not been resolved, speak with your
local manager who will carry out a full investigation.
Step three: A risk assessment will be conducted if needed and an action plan agreed with you.
Step four: The local manager may ask you to keep a record of any incidents to gather evidence.
Step five: You may be asked to provide a full statement.
Step six: Anonymous statements will only be accepted where by the witness would not be easily recognised or in the instance a `Community Impact Statement` is appropriate (this is where a number of residents are affected).
Step seven: The local manager may need to involve partner agencies, such as the Police, who may also need to speak with witnesses.
Step eight: You will be updated throughout and advised when all actions have been completed.
If your local manager is unavailable you can email: enquiries@housing21.org.uk
Where appropriate and proportionate, we will consider legal action including:
The legal actions we may take includes:
- Injunction (including exclusion orders)
- Powers of arrest and undertakings
- Notice of seeking possession/ forfeiture
- Possession/ forfeiture.
A neighbour dispute typically arises from disagreements, often related to lifestyle choices. Common issues include the use of shared spaces, car parking, and visitors.
At times, we may live near people with whom we don’t easily get along. We encourage residents to resolve lifestyle
disagreements themselves, as these situations are generally not classified as Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and at times our involvement can escalate matters.
As your accommodation includes a number of shared spaces, disputes may involve:
• Use of laundry area.
• Participation in recreational activities.
• Personal conflicts between residents.
We address such cases under our Neighbour Dispute procedure to foster tolerance and understanding. Mediation services may be offered to prevent escalation. However, if a dispute significantly impacts other residents or the management of our housing, further action might be necessary.
This can be when there is a
disagreement between people
Step one: Calmly speak with your neighbour and come up with
a solution, even if it`s `agree to disagree`.
Step two: If the issue has not been resolved, speak with your local manager. They can often offer simple solutions.
Step three: If the issue continues, speak with your local manager who will investigate if it should be dealt with in line with the ASB policy.
Step four: The local manager may offer to bring in a partner agency, such as a mediation company, who would need to speak with all parties to understand and help resolve the disagreements.
Step five: You will be notified when all available actions have been completed.
Noise complaints about excessive, disturbing, or unreasonable noise coming through from a neighbouring
property will not always result in an anti-social behaviour (ASB) case being opened and may be dealt with under the noise nuisance procedure.
However, we understand that noise can impact a person’s quality of life and wellbeing, and we will consider some
options to help resolve it, including:
- Review practical measures that can be taken to help reduce noise issues, such as cushioning door closers.
- Help neighbours agree with what is acceptable.
- Make sure we explain clearly what is a noise complaint and what is a complaint about ASB and what we can do about each.
- Work with and refer to partner agencies, such as Environmental Health, and Social Services if we need further help.
- Use data and insights to identify potential service improvements, such as looking at any building
enhancements.
We understand that certain noises and levels of noise can impact a person’s quality of life and wellbeing.
- Step one: Calmly speak with your neighbour to make them aware and come to an agreement eg. if doing DIY, agree within certain hours.
- Step two: If the issue has not been resolved, speak with your local manager. They can often offer simple solutions.
- Step three: You may be asked to note the types of noise along with times and dates.
- Step four: If the issue continues, speak with your local manager who will carry out a full investigation.
- Step five: Your local manager may need to involve partner agencies, such as Environmental Health which may also need to speak with you to understand the disturbance being experienced.
- Step six: You will be notified when all actions have been completed.
Your feedback
We welcome any feedback from our residents and partners, both positive and constructive.