Anti-social behaviour policy

We understand that anti-social behaviour (ASB) can have a significant impact on your life and on the community where you live. 

We are committed to both preventing ASB from happening in the first place, and tackling ASB when it does happen. 

That’s why we have put together this ASB policy so that you know exactly what we’re committing to, and what you can do to help. Including how you’re responsible for the actions and behaviour of the people who live in and visit your home. 

The full version of the anti-social behaviour policy Anti-social behaviour policy is available for you to read.

 

Aim of the policy

Create a balance between protecting your right to live peacefully in your home, with helping other customers to sustain their tenancy. Set out how we will deliver our services to prevent ASB from happening and explain how we will stop further incidents of ASB if they do occur. Explain how we will work with other agencies to resolve ASB. Highlight your rights and responsibilities relating to ASB.

As part of the ASB policy, we will

  • Make sure our staff have the appropriate training, support, and resources to manage ASB concerns. 
  • Fulfil our legal and regulatory requirements from the ASB Act 2003 and the Regulator of Social Housing’s Neighbourhood and Community Standard. 
  • Make sure that personal data is treated fairly, lawfully, and appropriately. However, when someone’s safety is at risk, we are required to report our concerns to the relevant authorities in line with our Safeguarding Policies. 
  • Tackle ASB and Hate Crime through a combination of: 
    • Prevention, 
    • Enforcement, and 
    • Support 

 

What is Anti Social Behaviour (ASB)

Icons of ASB We may all have a different idea of what we class as anti-social behaviour. Unless we are clear about what Incommunities officially class as anti-social behaviour, we won’t be able to deliver what we have said we will as part of this policy. 

We all need to be on the same page about what ASB is. 

Some examples of ASB are: 

  • Verbal abuse
  • Behaviour which is aggressive, threatening or causes intimidation or harassment
  • Threats or physical violence
  • Dealing or taking drugs
  • Excessive noise
  • Uncontrolled animals
  • Hate Crime
  • Meter tampering
  • Nuisance vehicles including motorbikes

 

Icons of what ASB is not ASB is not

  • Clash of lifestyles including cultural differences or different working patterns
  • Babies crying
  • Cooking odours
  • Children’s play
  • One off parties/BBQs
  • Reasonable DIY and other household activities
  • Parking issues
  • Staring at people
  • Social media disagreements
  • Dog barking every now and again

How we’ll prevent ASB from happening

Two icons that are representing ASB We can’t prevent ASB by ourselves, we must work together with you, partner agencies and the local communities to take a stand against anti-social behaviour and crime within our neighbourhoods.  It's a partnership. 

Some of the things we will do are: 

  • Make sure that our new customers know their rights and responsibilities.  
  • Work closely with our new tenants in the first year of their tenancy. 
  • Improving the design of your estates, such as lighting alleyway closures to improve levels of safety and security. 
  • Work closely with our partners (such as the Police, Council, and other multi-agency groups) to address ASB and Hate Crime together. 
  • Use CCTV services. 

 

How to report ASB

Victims of ASB and Hate Crime can report incidents to Incommunities in a variety of ways:  

 
PhoneBy telephone - 0330 175 9540
In person In-person, at our offices
In person In-person, to a Neighbourhood Housing Officer

If a crime is being or has been committed you should contact the Police before calling Incommunities.

What will we do about ASB when it happens?

Icons of ASB When we receive a report of ASB we’ll do a fair investigation, listening to what each person has to say. We’ll also carry out a risk assessment to help us understand the level of potential harm to customers. And we’ll make sure that there is appropriate confidentiality for both victims, witnesses, and perpetrators. 

There are then a few steps that we will go through, so of these are explained below. 

1. Support and encourage our customers to try and resolve issues calmly with their neighbours, if they feel safe to do so.

2. Understand the victim's expectations and be honest about what can be achieved. 

3. Agree an action plan with the victim, with regular communication. We will consider; the severity and frequency of incidents, the evidence that’s available, the impact the behaviour is having, and what other intervention(s) have been considered. 

4. Depending on the risks associated with the case, we may involve Community Safety Officers 

5. In some cases, we may need to take immediate action. In other cases, we may consider a variety of solutions, including legal and non-legal remedies. 

 

 

Enforcing ASB 

Two people stood talking Not every case of ASB is the same, which is why we will use different tools to deal with each case. Some of these tools are: 

  • Mediation and warnings  
  • Creating ‘Acceptable Behaviour Contracts’ 
  • Civil injunctions – With or without notice  
  • Community Protection Notices  
  • Banning Notice  
  • Committal proceedings  

We’ll also work closely with our partners, such as the Police and Council, to use their available tools. 

Complaining about your ASB case

If you’re unhappy about how we have handled an ASB or Hate Crime case, you can make a complaint in line with our complaints policy here link 

For ASB and Hate Crime, customers can also instigate the ASB Review Process. This can happen if there have been three complaints of ASB or Hate incidents over the preceding six months. All of this information is available on our website here  

 

The full version of the anti-social behaviour policy Anti-social behaviour policy is available for you to read.