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Antisocial Behaviour
What is Antisocial Behaviour?
The Home Office defines Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) as “any aggressive, intimidating or destructive activity that damages or destroys another person’s quality of life”.
It can affect one person or a whole community. ASB can include anything from minor disputes between neighbours to severe nuisance, harassment and domestic violence. This can include a wide range of unacceptable behaviour that can affect your quality of life and others living or working in the community.
We want you, your family and your neighbours to enjoy living peacefully in your home and community. You have a right to live peacefully in your home, but as part of your tenancy agreement with us, you also have a responsibility to ensure that you, your family and any visitors do not cause any nuisance or harassment.
We take reports of ASB very seriously and will take the necessary steps to protect our residents. This can mean working in partnership with other agencies to resolve cases of antisocial behaviour, including Environmental Health, Council ASB units, local councillors, community groups and the police.
Please be aware, antisocial behaviour or criminality either by yourself, people living with you, or your visitors could lead to the loss of your home.
If you are threatened with violence or are concerned for the safety of yourself or others, please call the police immediately on 999.
Our video below shows you what is considered anitisocial behaviour, such as fly tipping and what isn’t, such as children playing, as well as ways you can report it to us.
What can I do about antisocial behaviour?
Simple things, like too much noise from a late-night barbeque to inconsiderate parking, can often be easily resolved by a simple chat with your neighbour. Of course, there are times when a situation may get out of hand and you might need to take further steps to resolve them.
We’re here to help you manage your tenancy and we’d never ask you to handle incidents of antisocial behaviour when criminal acts have been carried out.
We understand there may be times when you may not feel comfortable speaking directly to someone to try and sort things out. You can let us know about the problem by completing our online form, or by calling us. We will offer you confidential help and support before passing your concern on to your local Housing Officer to investigate.
The types of behaviour that we consider antisocial include:
- Domestic violence and abuse
- Physical violence
- Hate-related incidents (such as those based on race, sexual orientation, gender, disability or belief)
- Verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation or threatening behaviour
- Excessive noise
- Vandalism and damage to properties, including graffiti
- Dropping litter or dumping rubbish, including fly-tipping
- Prostitution or sexual acts
- Criminal behaviour, including the dealing and cultivation of drugs
- Pets being allowed to foul in public spaces
- Misuse of communal areas, public areas or loitering
We would not normally consider behaviour around different cultures or lifestyles, or which may not be considered unreasonable by most people, as ASB. The issues listed below are usually not considered to be ASB:
- 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
However, if any of the above examples were having a harmful impact on a vulnerable person, then we would investigate further.
When you report an ASB incident to us, we’ll prioritise it depending on what is happening and how it is affecting you.
We will also ask you some more standard, in-depth, questions to make sure that we fully understand the issue and the impact it’s having on you. We’ll then manage the case according to the priority it is allocated.
Once your case has been categorised, we’ll contact you to agree on an action plan and update you on the amount of time it’s likely to take. We will always deal with the situation sensitively and explain what action can be taken. During the investigation, we may offer a range of relevant support and advice to try to resolve your complaint.
We’re committed to doing everything we can to stop antisocial behaviour. This can include issuing verbal and written warnings, acceptable behaviour agreements, injunctions and, as a last resort, even seeking possession of a home.
Often problems cannot be solved by one agency alone, but we can work together with other organisations, such as the police and local authority, to improve your quality of life.
Whatever action is taken, we will ensure that anyone experiencing antisocial behaviour is supported and kept informed of progress.
No one should be subject to harassment, abuse or bullying at any time, let alone at work. We aim to treat every resident with respect and believe that Sanctuary staff have the right to work in a safe environment and are here to help you.
We will not tolerate violence, physical aggression or verbal abuse towards our staff by members of the public. If this happens, Sanctuary Housing reserves the right to take further action against anyone acting inappropriately towards members of our staff.
Please respect the privacy and dignity of others and do not film, take photographs of, or make comments about staff or visitors on social media without their consent.
Further information about the types of antisocial behaviour:
County lines and Cuckooing
How to spot the signs of criminal activity and how to report your suspicions
