Anti-Social Behaviour
We all deserve to feel safe and comfortable at home. We understand how anti-social behaviour can make you feel and that’s why we treat it very seriously.
When it comes to anti-social behaviour, proof is always key. It’s really important to keep a diary if you can. Make sure you make a note of what’s happening, when it’s happening and who is causing the anti-social behaviour.
Letting us know about a problem quickly, means we can help to stop things from getting worse. Once we’ve talked with you, we’ll agree on the next steps together.
We understand that every-day life can sometimes be noisy. We expect everyone to consider this before getting in touch with us. We won’t follow up on things like:
- Children playing outside
- A one-off party
- Online arguments (unless it’s considered harassment)
If this is the case, we will offer self-help on sorting out the problem yourself. We can help to arrange a conversation between you and the other party to find a solution.
Remember if there’s a risk to your own or someone else’s safety, please call 999.
ASB consultation
A recent customer consultation was carried out to identify opportunities to improve the experience of customers through our policy and procedures. Throughout the review, over 200 customers were involved to help shape and influence the improvements through the following activities.
- ASB survey and focus group – to establish a clear understanding of what is most important to customers, any barriers when reporting ASB, who customers believe is responsible and what is and isn’t defined as ASB
- Customer review of draft revised policy – customers were asked if the policy was easy to understand, along with the responsibilities for resolving ASB and reviewed timescales from reporting the issue to it being resolved
- ASB web page consultation – we asked customers to feedback on the content of this web page, if it was easy to read and understand and if it was clear how to report ASB.
You said, we did:
- Revised policy and procedure – ensuring all customers enjoy their right to peace, quiet and security in their homes. We understand the impact ASB can have on people’s life and that’s why we treat ASB very seriously
- Improved web page content – easy to read information with additional supporting information on who is responsible for key issues such as ASB, hate crime, fly-tipping, mediation and more.
Our commitment to you
We will:
- Take ASB seriously and respond to your initial report within five working days, except where immediate action needs taking to safeguard someone in which case your report will be responded to within one working day
- Understand the impact of ASB and treat you as an individual, not a case type
- Assess your case and agree an action plan with you
- Use appropriate legal powers if necessary
- Assign you appropriately trained colleagues to ensure you receive the best service and best possible outcome
- Support you every step of the way
- Involve other organisations if appropriate such as the police, departments in the local council including social services, neighbourhood safety, fire brigade and probation service.
Customer responsibilities
We expect our customers not to commit or allow their family, household members or visitors to cause ASB. In addition to the legal responsibilities set out in the tenancy agreement, we expect our customers to:
- Take responsibility for minor personal disputes with their neighbours and try to resolve issues themselves in a reasonable manner
- Where appropriate, talk to their neighbour first to try to resolve any issues relating to noise or pets
- Report incidents of ASB
- Report criminal activity to the police, in addition to ourselves
- Respect other people’s right to their chosen lifestyle and be tolerant of everyday, reasonable levels of disturbance, such as babies crying, sounds from domestic appliances or religious practices.
Work and co-operate with us fully to resolve ASB, for example, by providing us with full details of incidents, in a timely manner.
We strive to effectively resolve cases of ASB. If however, you feel dissatisfied with the service or the actions taken by us to address the situation you can make a complaint.
Who is responsible for resolving ASB and how to report it
- *Police
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- Alcohol related ASB
- Crime
- Domestic abuse
- Drugs
- Hate crimes
- Physical violence
- Prostitution/sex acts
- Vandalism and property damage
- Vehicle nuisance
- Verbal/harassment/intimidation/threatening.
* If you report any ASB to the police, please also report this to Beyond Housing with any crime reference numbers.
To report ASB to the police, you can:
- Call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger, or if the crime is in progress.
- Call 101 to contact the police if the crime is not an emergency.
You can also contact Crimestoppers to report a crime anonymously. They will pass the information about the crime to the police.
Crimestoppers
crimestoppers-uk.org
Telephone: 0800 555 111 - Beyond Housing
-
- Garden nuisance
- Loitering/communal area misuse
- Noise
- Pets and animal nuisance.
To report ASB to Beyond Housing you can:
- Download the ReMOTE app and report ASB directly on your mobile phone
- Fill in the online report form at the bottom of this page (please select ‘report anti-social behaviour’, fill in your details and a member of the team will be in touch within one working day
- In writing to any of our housing offices
- By visiting us at any of our housing offices.
- Local authority
-
- Litter/rubbish/fly-tipping.
You can report this to:
Redcar and Cleveland Council
Telephone: 01642 774774
Scarborough Council
Telephone: 01723 232323
Anonymous reports
If you report ASB anonymously, we will always record it, however the action we can take may be limited. Each report will be looked and if required investigated further. Click the link below to read our Anti-Social Behavior Policy.
How to be a great neighbour
We all know that great neighbours make great neighbourhoods and we all have a responsibility to be a great neighbour.
Click the button below for some great advice on being a great neighbour.
What is and isn’t defined as ASB
ASB covers a broad scope of activities and behaviours, ranging from that which might appear to be a nuisance and a lack of consideration for others, through to malicious intent and serious criminal activity.
The following lists are examples of what is and isn’t defined as ASB (lists are not exhaustive):
- What is defined as ASB:
-
- Noise nuisance
- Verbal abuse/harassment/intimidation/threatening behaviour
- Hate-related incidents
- Vandalism and/or damage to property
- Pets and animal nuisance
- Nuisance from vehicles
- Drug and alcohol related activity
- Domestic abuse
- Physical violence.
Hate incidents, whether or not they are crimes, are a form of ASB. Hate incidents are targeted and victims are singled out because they are different in some way, based on one of the following:
- Disability
- Race
- Religion
- Transgender identity
- Sexual orientation.
This gives rise to a second distinction, which is the danger of repeat incidents. Once identified as being different, victims are more likely to experience further attacks and, even if they avoid this, many will live in fear of being targeted again.
Not all reports relating to behaviour that impacts on an individual can be deemed ASB and it is important to show tolerance and be respectful of differing lifestyles and circumstances.
- What isn't included in the definition of ASB:
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- Noise from children when they are playing (unless involved in verbal abuse, damage to property or more serious behaviour)
- Family disputes
- Babies crying
- Smells from cooking
- Everyday household noise such as the washing machine, vacuum cleaner, flushing the toilet, opening and closing of doors, going up and down stairs
- One-off parties such as BBQs, birthday or Christmas parties providing they do not cause an unreasonable disturbance
- Clashes of lifestyles, including cultural differences
- Minor personal differences such as dirty looks or fall outs between children
- Putting rubbish out on the wrong day
- Parking in the wrong bay
- Mowing the lawn at a reasonable time of day.
