What is ASB?
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) refers to actions that cause harassment, alarm, or distress to others, or negatively impact the community. We know these situations can feel stressful, and our aim is to respond with care and fairness.
- Hate-motivated behaviour
- Violence or threats of violence
- Persistent verbal abuse (e.g., shouting or swearing at someone)
- Criminal damage
- Proven damage to property such as windows, doors, or arson
- Damage to communal areas may also be considered
- Persistent, evidenced, harassment
- Persistent noise or disruptive behaviour
- Drug-related activity
- Taking or selling illegal drugs, including proven drug dealing.
- Nuisance caused by pets or animals (e.g., persistent dog barking, fouling, misuse of communal spaces)
- Using a property for illegal purposes (e.g., prostitution or other criminal activity)
Everyone has the right to enjoy life in their own way, as long as it doesn’t harm others. Some behaviours may feel frustrating but are not considered ASB. Examples include:
- Noise from children playing or babies crying
- Everyday living sounds (doors closing, footsteps, conversations)
- Cooking smells
- Personal disputes or falling out with neighbours
- Cooking smells
- Household noise from appliances or DIY
- Cultural or lifestyle differences
- Ball games – we encourage active play and only intervene if other issues arise (e.g., verbal abuse or criminal damage)
- Parking disagreements
- Reports of dangerous driving (unless linked to criminal behaviour)
Sometimes, disagreements arise between neighbours that do not amount to ASB, such as:
- Non-verbal gestures (e.g., looks)
- Comments in passing or on social media
- Disagreements over bins or parking
- Lower tolerance to children playing
When this happens, we aim to help neighbours understand each other’s perspective. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, we can refer you to a free and confidential mediation service. You won’t need to speak or meet face-to-face with your neighbour if you prefer not to.
We may not take action if:
- The person involved is not our customer or a visitor to our properties
- There isn’t enough evidence
- We do not have support from those affected or witnesses
- The behaviour is reasonable everyday living noise
- Complaints appear to be malicious
- The issue falls outside our responsibility as a landlord
In these cases, we will offer advice and guidance to help you manage the situation.
Disturbances caused by household noise are covered in our Housing Management Policy.
If you're experiencing ASB, please get in touch and we will:
- Be clear and honest about what we can do
- Explain what steps you can take
- Signpost to other agencies such as the police or local authority
- Set up a clear contact and action plan, and stay in touch regularly
- Work in partnership with other agencies/organisations
- Carry out risk assessments and safeguarding measures including target hardening where appropriate. Target hardening means making a home or property more secure to reduce the risk of harm or further incidents. It’s about creating a safer environment, not blaming anyone for what happened. These measures are designed to help people feel protected and supported
Check out our ASB policy to find out more about our approach
- Additional Signposting and Support: You can report ASB or crime through Police UK https://www.police.uk/pu/contact-us/antisocial-behaviour/ or anonymously via Crimestoppers - https://crimestoppers-uk.org/
- For emotional and practical support, https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/ Victim Support offers free, confidential help to anyone affected by crime or ASB. In the event that you have an open ASB case with us, we can consider an internal referral for free additional 1:1 support
- Additional resources include: https://asbhelp.co.uk/
We've also popped together some tips on how to report ASB to help.
