Anti-social behaviour
Everyone should be able to feel safe and secure in and outside of their home. There are some differences between what is considered as anti-social behaviour, and what isn’t.
We’ve pulled together a list of behaviours so you have all the information you need to handle an uncomfortable situation. We are here to help so please contact us if you feel unsafe in your community. We also recommend reading our ASB handbook (PDF, 2MB).
What are criminal offences?
Assault, abusive or violent threats, drug use or dealing, drunk or rowdy behaviour, gun and knife crime, sexual offences, verbal harassment and intimidation are all classed as anti-social behaviour and criminal offences. We encourage you to report this to the police immediately.
Once you have reported it please contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can work together to keep you safe.
What situations are classed as ASB?
This is a criminal offence, and you need to report it to the Fire and Rescue Service and Police immediately.
You must also let them know if you are concerned about your safety. Once you have reported it please contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can work together with you and the Police and Fire and Rescue Service.
A hate incident is any non-crime incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic.
A hate crime is any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic.
There are five centrally monitored strands of hate crime:
- race or ethnicity
- religion or belief
- sexual orientation
- disability
- transgender identity
This is a criminal offence, and we encourage you to report this to the Police immediately, or you can report to us.
Some dogs can become aggressive and bite other people or animals.
Under the law, any dog, of any breed or type, can be considered dangerous in any place if it is not kept under control.
The dog doesn’t have to bite anyone; it could just show aggressive behaviour that makes someone feel in fear for their safety.
If you are in fear of your safety, please contact the Police immediately.
This might involve groups who are causing criminal damage or threatening or intimidating residents.
If the associated behaviour is of a criminal nature, we encourage you to report this to the Police immediately. You must also let them know if you are concerned about your safety. You can also report this directly to us.
If you have reported it to the Police, please contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can work together with you and the Police.
This is any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.
The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to: psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional.
If you are concerned about your safety or the safety of someone else, you must contact the Police immediately.
If you have noticed items, you believe have been fly-tipped, start by speaking to your neighbours to see if the items are theirs and they have already made arrangements to clear. If you have made enquiries and no-one knows, there are a couple of actions you can take.
If the items are on our land, please contact us. Once we receive your report, we will arrange to get them removed.
Graffiti is criminal damage and can be reported to the police. However, they will not remove it.
If the graffiti personally targeted towards you or your family, please refer to our verbal abuse, intimidation and harassment section of the ASB leaflet (PDF, 2MB).
If the graffiti isn't personally targeted towards you and is on our land, please contact us if possible and we will arrange to get this removed.
If the graffiti is abusive or racist, we will arrange to remove it within one working day.
What situations are not classed as ASB?
We wouldn’t consider a baby crying to be anti-social behaviour but if you have concerns about the welfare of a child, please refer to the report a concern for a child section of our website
Play is an essential part of every child’s life and is vital for the enjoyment of childhood as well as their health, well-being and development.
Children playing in the street or communal areas (unless they are causing damage) is not anti-social behaviour. If you have children yourself, read our tips for reducing noise in the home at the bottom of this page.
We want everyone to enjoy living in their home and to be considerate and tolerant of others. It is natural for dogs to bark. However, if it’s happening persistently, it can be annoying and upsetting. We would suggest you have a friendly word with your neighbour as they may not be aware their pet is causing a disturbance. We’ve put together some tips to help you resolve noise issues with neighbours at the bottom of this page.
If the situation doesn’t improve, we can arrange a meeting with your neighbour to try and reach agreement to resolve it.
If you feel unsafe approaching your neighbour, or you have tried and the situation has not improved, our Community Safety Team can carry out an investigation into your concerns.
If you have concerns about the welfare of a pet, you should contact the RSPCA.
This is not considered anti-social behaviour. You may want to have a friendly word with your neighbour as they may not be aware you can hear them. We’ve put together some tips to help you resolve problems with neighbours at the bottom of this page.
General living includes noise such as vacuuming, walking around, doors opening and closing, general conversations, or children playing and this is not anti-social behaviour.
You may want to have a friendly word with your neighbour as they may not be aware you can hear them. We’ve put together some tips to help you resolve problems with neighbours in our ASB handbook (PDF, 2MB).
We want everyone to enjoy living in their home and to be considerate of others around them. A neighbour playing loud music or making noise persistently can be considered anti-social behaviour.
First of all, try to speak with neighbour – they may not be aware they are disturbing you.
If that doesn’t work and the noise continues you can report it to us.
We can arrange a meeting between you and your neighbour to try and resolve the situation. If you don’t feel safe approaching your neighbour, or you have tried and the situation has not improved, we can handle this for you.
How can I reduce noise?
It’s important to be mindful of others when living in our homes. No house or apartment is totally soundproof but there are some things we can do to help.
Alarms are designed to make a noise, however misfiring alarms can be disturbing and annoying so try these tips:
- make sure you choose a reliable product and service it regularly
- car and intruder alarms should have a 20-minute cut out
Whenever possible, let your neighbours know that you are carrying out noisy work and try to work during normal waking hours. Avoid doing the works between 11pm and 7am.
Carry out the noisiest tasks in the middle of the day – if you have to start early, do quieter jobs first.
Keep tools well maintained and use lower or quieter settings on power tools where you can. Wherever possible use hand tools.
Keep the volume down, especially the bass which can be more annoying than higher frequencies. Don’t put speakers on or close to party walls, ceilings or floors.
If you have a bedroom TV, keep it quiet at night – especially if your bedroom adjoins someone else’s.
If playing an instrument, practice where and when it will have least impact on neighbours. Where possible, use headphones. Be mindful of open windows.
Take care when closing doors, particularly if you live in an apartment with a shared entrance or are coming out or in late at night or early in the morning.
Close cupboard doors gently especially if the units are fixed to party walls. Avoid slamming doors. Adhesive furniture pads are cheap and can be an effective way of reducing noise. Stick them to the inside of cupboard doors, around internal door frames and under furniture such as table lamps and chairs.
If you live in an apartment, avoid putting down laminate flooring. Research has shown that when you remove a carpet and replace it with wood or laminate flooring the noise your neighbour in the property below hears will increase significantly.
Our gardens are a place to rest, relax and play. Remember that any noise you make in your garden will be heard by your neighbours.
- try and carry out noisy activities in the middle of the day, for example mowing the lawn
- where possible, use quieter equipment and maintain it properly
- if a child’s toy or game is extremely noisy, try and find quieter alternatives
- if you have a barbeque or party, tell your neighbours, invite them if appropriate, avoid loud music out of doors and if anyone does complain, turn it down - either end your party or bring your guests indoors at a reasonable time
When buying new appliances, buy a quieter model – not all models have a noise rating, but look out for the ‘quiet mark’. Where possible, position them to cause the least disturbance to your neighbour.
For washing machines, if possible, place on an even floor. Don’t overload and run the machine at a time when it will least disturb neighbours.
Do the vacuuming at a reasonable time, especially if you live in an apartment or terrace, avoid early morning or late-night cleaning sprees.
In the kitchen, avoid banging pans and cupboard doors and don’t use blenders or grinders on surfaces attached to party walls.