Anti-Social Behaviour Policy

Part of Fairhive's Tenancy Management Framework Level 2 policy approval

1. Purpose and Scope

1.1. The purpose of this Policy is to outline the principles for managing and addressing Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB). It provides a framework which will enable employees to work positively with customers and external agencies to effectively address ASB.

1.2. We are committed to tackling ASB. We believe that everyone has a right to live in a safe environment that allows them to enjoy their home and community. We recognise the impact that ASB, including harassment, hate crime and other hate incidents, may have on our resident’s lives.

1.3. Our service aims to provide an inclusive, supportive, victim-centred and nonjudgemental approach, demonstrating sensitivity at all times.

1.4. This Policy sets out what we expect from our residents and what they can expect from us in terms of protecting their right to peaceful enjoyment of their homes and their community.

2. Definition

2.1. We will adopt the definition of ASB provided by the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, as follows:

• Conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person.
• Conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises. Or,
• Conduct capable of causing housing related nuisance or annoyance to any person.

2.2. However, we recognise that this is a very wide definition and there are certain acts or omissions that will not be considered as ASB under this Policy. These are generally issues where it would be unreasonable for us in our capacity as Landlord, to be expected to address, including, but not limited to:

• Inconsiderate parking.
• Cooking smells.
• Reasonable living noises, such as children playing, children crying, washing machines, dishwashers and other similar household appliances, going up and down the stairs, doors and drawers being shut, loud talking or laughing.
• Wheelie bin placement.
• Overgrown gardens, hedges and trees.
• Boundary disputes.
• Noise from routine DIY jobs being undertaken at a reasonable hour.
• Tobacco smells.

3. Noise and Reasonable Living Expectations

3.1. In assessing noise complaints that may amount to ASB, we recognise that everyday household sounds are an unavoidable part of normal living. As a general guide, reasonable hours for household and living noise are between 7am and 11pm, during which activities such as talking, moving around the home, using appliances, or playing music/TV at a normal level are typically expected.

3.2. What is considered “reasonable” can be highly subjective, and we therefore focus on whether the noise is excessive, persistent, and unreasonable, rather than simply inconvenient.

3.3. In high-density housing, such as flats or maisonettes, noise naturally travels more easily, meaning that even moderate sounds may be more noticeable than in detached homes. While noise can be anti-social at any time of the day, it is far more likely to be considered ASB between 11pm and 7am, when most people reasonably expect quiet.

3.4. In summary, music, TV, or general living noise during reasonable hours will only be considered ASB where it is excessive, persistent, and causes an unreasonable disturbance, rather than forming part of normal daily life.

4. Policy Statement

4.1. We will:

• Seek to limit the escalation of minor ASB and neighbour disputes, by encouraging the parties involved to discuss the matter between themselves and engaging in the Mediation Process. If one party does not wish to engage in the mediation process, we shall offer an alternative form of support, such as a conflict support and management referral.
• Aim to focus on sustainment of tenancies by balancing prevention initiatives and enforcement actions whilst ensuring that the victims of ASB are at the centre of our approach.
• Investigate all reports where the matter constitutes ASB against or caused by our residents in line with our ASB Procedure. However, we reserve the right to decline to investigate reports of ASB where the complainant is
  vexatious or the complaint is clearly malicious.
• If the alleged perpetrator is not one of our residents, we will support and assist the complainant in reporting the matter to the relevant local authority and/or the police.
• Remove any offensive graffiti on our properties/land within 24 hours.
• Accept reports of ASB received through our Contact Centre, by email to the ASB Team email address, from key partners and via our employees.
• Provide relevant training to our employees to give them the support and confidence to deliver the ASB service effectively.
• Deal with all cases of ASB in accordance with our ASB Procedure, Equality Diversity & Inclusion, and Safeguarding Policies.
• Provide support and advice to victims and witnesses engaging with and making referrals to external agencies where appropriate.
• Adhere to and follow our separate Domestic Abuse and Cannabis Procedures where these reports are outside the scope of our ASB Procedure.
• Adhere to and follow our Potential Violent Persons Procedure when employees or contractors are subject to ASB.
• Attempt to resolve ASB through prevention, early intervention, working with our residents, complainants, perpetrators and victims, and in partnership with other agencies. We will pursue fair, reasonable and proportionate enforcement actions to effectively tackle ASB. Whilst in the course of investigating the anti-social behaviour complaint, where appropriate and when identified as a proportionate response, we will utilise our community safety fund to assist our residents in feeling safer in their homes.
• Information sharing with partners will comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 (as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025) and the Home Office ASB statutory guidance (2025).
• We will adhere to the relevant local authority’s ASB Case Review (formerly the Community Trigger) arrangements under section 104 ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Where the locally defined threshold is met (which must be no higher than three qualifying complaints and should consider persistence and harm), we will participate fully in multi-agency case reviews.
• Record, monitor and evaluate ASB reports and actions and take into consideration all feedback in order to improve and develop the service.
• Emphasise at sign-up and New Tenant Visits, the expected behaviours of residents and the relevant tenancy clauses in relation to ASB.
• Encouraging self-resolution in all appropriate cases.
• Seek to regain possession of a property, where all other interventions have failed to resolve the issue and/or it is a severe case of ASB where eviction is proportionate and reasonable to achieve a legitimate aim.
• Support the local police service and/or local authority with their closure order applications – where appropriate and proportionate to do so – on our properties where significant ASB, that is negatively impacting upon our residents and the local community is occurring

5. Outcomes and Monitoring

5.1. Regular monitoring of ASB service performance will be conducted by the Housing Services Manager. Our ASB Customer Commitments and performance against the ‘Responsible Neighbourhood Management’ ASB Tenancy Satisfaction Measure will be reported to the Executive Leadership Team and our Board.

5.2. We will, on a periodic basis, gather and submit the following information to Housemark:

• Number of new ASB cases reported.
• Number of new ASB cases that involve ‘hate incidents’.
• ASB cases reported – relative to the size of the landlord.

5.3. We will, on a monthly basis at random, undertake satisfaction surveys, seeking the views of customers who have used the service. Our surveys will be carried out by an independent third-party agency. Feedback received by way of these surveys will be used to shape future ASB services.

5.4. In addition, on an annual basis, the Housing Services Manager will provide a report for the Directorate Management Team. A wide range of indicators will be collected and reported on, most notably:

• Number of cases per 1,000 homes.
• Number of new ASB cases reported.
• Number of ASB cases closed.
• Number of new ASB cases that involve ‘hate incidents’.
• Responsible Neighbourhood Management TSM performance.
• Percentage of tenants satisfied with the way their case was handled.
• Percentage of tenants satisfied with the outcome of their complaint.
• Cost of service provision.

6. Period of Review

6.1. We will review this policy when a business need arises and in line with the relevant Policy Framework. Our review programme is driven by service improvement initiatives, changes in legislation, regulation, practice or as a result of feedback from key stakeholders. Typically, we review policies on a three year cycle.

7. Impacts

Resident/Staff Implications - 

Any major changes to this Policy will be reviewed with the Resident’s Forum.

The Housing Services Manager is responsible for the implementation and monitoring of this Policy.

Regular training of employees, case reviews, performance monitoring and reporting will be carried out by the Housing Services Manager, and Neighbourhood Team Leader.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion - 

We will ensure that in delivering our services we continue to be inclusive and representative. We will ensure that this is achieved through the delivery of our Equality and Diversity Policy.

We will ensure that the Policy is widely available at our office and on our website. The Policy can be made available in large print, braille, on audio tape on request. Translations into other languages will be available.

Value for Money - 

Addressing ASB through efficient administration and partnership working will ensure cases are dealt with efficiently and effectively and the service delivers value for money. 

One of the Policy’s key aims is to act swiftly and decisively when ASB is reported. This swift action ensures that victims receive a consistent service.

Data Protection - 

All due care is taken to protect data held by us and in particular, we ensure we keep all resident data secure and meet with data protection requirements.

Accountability - 

A group from the Resident’s Forum was involved in the creation of this Policy, however they have not been involved in the most recent changes to this policy due to the lack of substantial changes.

Quality - 

We look to ensure that our residents are safe in their homes by supporting the provision of well-maintained homes which are in line with legislative and regulatory requirements.

When things go wrong - 

Residents can communicate concerns through our formal channels. Via: telephone, email, our website or our social media channels.

7. Related legislation and other documents: 

Housing Act 1988
Crime and Disorder Act 1998
Human Rights Act 1998
UK GDPR & Data Protection Act 2018 (as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Eqaulity Act 2010
ASB Crime and Policing Act 2014
The Charter for social housing residents: Social Housing White Paper 2020
Social Housing Regulations Act 2023
Domestic Abuse Policy
Hate Crime and Harassment Policy
Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Safeguarding Policy

Policy author details

Author	Grahum Labrum
Job title	Neighbourhood Team Leader
Date approved	April 2026
Review Due Date	April 2029