Helpsheet 27 Anti-social behaviour - Hanover

Helpsheet 27
Anti-social behaviour
What is anti-social behaviour?
Anti-social behaviour is usually defined as ‘behaviour that would generally be
considered to cause nuisance, annoyance or disturbance to anyone in the area’. Antisocial
behaviour can be classified as nuisance, harassment or abuse and it may
sometimes involve criminal activity.
Hanover’s commitment
Hanover is committed to the safety and well being of all our residents who live in
properties that we manage, regardless of tenure. Resolving anti-social behaviour is
important because we want to promote independence and support residents to enjoy
life; play an active part in their communities and take pride in where they live. By
providing early support to resolve anti-social behaviour it may be possible to prevent
more serious situations developing.
Residents have a big part to play in helping to tackle anti-social behaviour. By signing
your tenancy agreement you agree that you and your visitors will be considerate
neighbours and will not cause a nuisance or annoy other people.
Low level anti-social behaviour or nuisance
When people live in close proximity, it is to be expected that some of the things that
your neighbours do may cause you annoyance or irritation. Examples may include:
■ Noise such as music and TV
■ General littering
■ Door Slamming
■ Pets fouling communal areas
■ Graffiti
■ Parking disagreements
■ Noise and litter from Do It Yourself (DIY) works
Hanover Housing Association, Exempt Charity, Industrial and Provident Society No. 16324R, Homes and Communities Agency No. L0071. Registered
Office: Hanover House, 1 Bridge Close, Staines TW18 4TB. Member Independent Housing Ombudsman Scheme.
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When residents approach Hanover regarding such problems, staff will always
recommend that residents try to address this directly with each other in the first
instance, respecting and valuing disabilities or cultural differences. You may find our
help sheet entitled ‘Being Neighbourly’ offers useful help and advice.
More serious anti-social behaviour, harassment, intimidation or abuse
Where local disputes cannot readily be resolved between residents or where there is
incidence of more serious anti-social behaviour, Hanover can step in and help to
resolve by arranging mediation; working in partnership with Government agencies and
local organisations or seek legal recourse.
Our procedure for dealing with anti-social behaviour
If you have tried and failed to resolve the situation yourself, you should:
contact your Estate Manager who will make an appointment to come and discuss
the anti-social behaviour with you within 5 working days
Your Estate Manager and/or Housing Manager will:
discuss the matter with you, obtaining details of the incident, the perpetrator (if
known) and witnesses; discuss your preferred course of action and seek your
agreement to visit and discuss the anti-social behaviour with the person/s being
accused
agree an action plan with you about how Hanover can provide you with support
and how you, Hanover and sometimes other partner agencies e.g. Police, Crime
Reduction Partnerships, Local Authorities, Health Authorities can all work
together to resolve the problems
hold regular case reviews and keep you advised of what we are doing to resolve
the anti-social behaviour and the progress we are making
Hanover’s approach to dealing with anti-social behaviour is to stop the harm caused by
anti-social behaviour as quickly as possible and with the lowest level of formality.
But if less formal responses have been unsuccessful or inappropriate, then Hanover will
seek to resolve the problem by taking enforcement action. Please contact your Estate
Manager if you would like further information about our Anti-social behaviour policy
and procedure.
Help sheet 27 – Anti-social Behaviour 2
V.5 Issued April 2013