Anti-social behaviour

Introduction

Most people show respect and consideration for others in the communities where they live.  Unfortunately, a few individuals or groups do act in an anti-social way.  Hundred Houses Society is committed to taking seriously all reports of nuisance and anti-social behaviour.  We will help and support any tenant affected by this type of behaviour as well as members of their household, visitors and anyone else who is lawfully going about their business.  We will deal promptly with individuals or groups whose conduct causes fear, distress or annoyance to others.

What is anti-social behaviour?

Anti-social behaviour includes, but is not limited to:

• Noise nuisance
• Intimidation and harrassment
• Fouling of public areas
• Aggressive / threatening behaviour, language and graffiti
• Actual violence against people or property
• Domestic violence
• Hate behaviour towards minority groups
• Using your home unlawfully
• Untaxed / unroadworthy vehicles
• Untidy gardens
• Unruly pets

Anything else specified in your Tenancy Agreement

What should I do if I'm affected?

It is always best to try and resolve the situation by talking in a friendly way to the people who are causing the problem.  They may simply not be aware of the effect that their conduct is having, and many problems are easily solved in this way.

If this does not resolve the situation you or your representative should contact us as soon as possible.  We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and will arrange to visit you within another 5 working days in order to take a statement from you.  Once we have visited you we will than agree an action plan with you within a further 5 working days.  However, if your situation involves violence or the threat of violence, we will investiagte it within one working day.

Inevitably we will have to talk to the person(s) who are causing you the problem.  Once we are satisfied that a serious problem exists we will arrange to speak to them, and explain clearly to them the effect that their behaviour is having on you.  We will also listen to their side of the story.  If they accept that their behaviour is causing problems we will work with both of you to help alleviate the situation, and will monitor the progress made.  This may involve the use of mediation or other third party services.

In some cases there may be a counterclaim against you or denial of your claim.  Unless we are convinced that a serious situation does exist we may defer your case until such time as we are convinced.

Legal action

There are many legal remedies available to enforce action against perpetrators, but we will only take legal action if we are sure that there is sufficient evidence to support a case.  In some cases we may have to refer your situation to another organisation who can take action.  The types of legal action will include:

• Possession Proceedings - this means that if a prepetator is  atennat of Hundred Houses, they may lose their home if they have broken the terms of their Tenancy Agreement.
• Demoted Tenancies - this also applies to Hundred Houses tenants, and if the courts are convinced that there is sufficient evidence of anti-social behaviour, they can 'demote' the tenancy.  This means that there will be less security of tenure for  aperiod of 12 months.
• Injunction - an application for an injunction can be made against groups or individuals whose conduct is acpable of causing nuisance or annoyance and where it affects our ability to manage homes properly.  In these cases the perpetrators do not need to be our tenants.
• Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO's) - examples could be where children aged 10 years or more are causing a problem, an an ASBO can be made which prohibits them from carrying out certain acts in defined areas.  If breached the offender could be fined or receive a custodial sentence.
• Anti-Social Behaviour Contracts (ABC's) - this could also apply to children, and perpetrators will be referred to the police and asked to sign an undertaking to refrain from further acts of anti-social behaviour which will be monitored.

 Protecting Victims

We recognise that being a victim of anti-social behaviour is not only disruptive to peoples lives, it can also cause then further worry, anxiety, distress and fear of recrimination if they feel intimidated about giving evidence against perpetrators.  We will always take action to safeguard witnesses.  We will carry out a risk assessment in each case, and options to assist may include the provision of  a personal alarm, vandal proofing letter boxes, setting up surveillance cameras, counselling, rehousing victims or notifying the police.  We will also arrange for help and support if the case is referred to court and they are required to attend to give evidence.

 Help from other organisations

We may have to refer your problem to another organisation who has the power to take action in certain circumstances.  Examples include:

 

Organisations that can help with anti-social behaviour

 

Organisation	Problems they deal with
Local Councils	Litter and rubbish Noise pollution Abandoned vehicles Dog nuisance Penalty notices for grafitti and fly posters High hedges Unsanitary conditions / vermin
Police	Racial harassment Dangerous dogs Criminal acts Firearm offences Dispersal of groups
Social Services	Children not under parental control People with mental health problems