Believing in accessibility for all

Anti-social behaviour (ASB)

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) covers a wide range of behaviours. Experiencing ASB can be distressing and affect your enjoyment of your home. We take reports of ASB very seriously and are committed to tackling it swiftly, firmly and fairly.

Not all nuisance behaviour is ASB. Every household is different, and although you may not like the way your neighbour lives or behaves, this does not necessarily mean your neighbour has demonstrated ASB, especially if no one is at risk of harm.

We would not usually consider these behaviours to be ASB:

  • ball games
  • reasonable domestic noise such as vacuuming, doors closing, washing machines, televisions or babies crying
  • cooking smells
  • reasonable external noise including mowing lawns, DIY and repairs or children playing in and around their homes or in play areas
  • neighbours' cats coming into your garden 
  • one-off incidents of loud music or noise disturbance, including celebrations, family and religious events
  • parking congestion in the street

As a general rule we will not usually take action on these types of issues.

We would describe ASB as behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress to a person. This can include:

  • threatening, intimidating or discriminatory behaviour
  • criminal activity, including drug dealing and hate crimes
  • domestic violence
  • persistent shouting and arguing
  • persistent loud noise (TV, music) that can be heard outside the home
  • What you can do to resolve the situation

    Most neighbour disputes stem from a misunderstanding. Try speaking to your neighbour about the problem. Before you do, please consider the following:

    • be calm and polite
    • choose a time that seems convenient to them
    • if you’re friendly with your neighbour and the problem concerns noise, invite them round so that they can hear it for themselves
    • describe the problem clearly and explain why it concerns you
    • allow your neighbour to express themselves and listen to their point of view
    • be open to suggestions and be willing to compromise

    If you choose to speak to your neighbour, let someone else know where you’re going. Please don’t confront your neighbour directly if you don’t think it’s safe and always walk away if they become aggressive.

    If you don’t feel able to speak to your neighbour or the person who is causing the problem, or have spoken to them but it hasn’t made a difference, please let us know.

  • How to report ASB

    You can report ASB by:

     

    We treat all reports of ASB in the strictest confidence. Though you are entitled to not give us your personal details, it is very difficult for us to investigate cases of ASB or take action against perpetrators without your support. We prefer you to share your details with us so that we can contact you for more information if necessary.

    In the event of an emergency, always call the police on 999. For other matters where you need the police, but it's not an emergency, you can call them on 101.

  • What we will do

    We will speak to you about the issues you're experiencing, ask questions about what has happened and assess how serious the problem is.

    We will be open and honest about any action we can take and give you advice to help you resolve or improve the situation. 

    For more serious reports of ASB your case will be allocated to your tenancy officer or an ASB officer. They work closely with other agencies, including the police, environmental health, social care, mental health services and many more.

    When the teams receive your report, depending on the nature of what you are experiencing, we will contact you within five working days.

    Find out more about how we tackle ASB

    Read our ASB policy

  • ASB case review (Community trigger)

    If you’ve been a victim of ASB and are not happy with how your case was dealt with, you have the right to activate the ‘ASB case review’.

    Find out more about ASB case review. 

     

  • Love your community meetings (formerly PACT)
    'Love your community meetings' can provide you with practical ways to influence your neighbourhood, working with local partners such as the police and council to determine local policing priorities.

    At your local meeting you can:

    • meet representatives from WH, the police and council
    • help determine local policing priorities
    • be informed on performance of local policing
    • receive feedback on previous priorities
    • seek help on individual or community wide problems

    Love your community meetings in your area
  • Hate crime ASB self-referral

    Here are some useful links and details to refer victims of hate crime. 

    Telephone

    0114 2536669

    E-mail

    rj@remediuk.org

    Website

    Remedi Hate Crime Victim Service

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