Nuisance & Anti-Social Behaviour
Granta's Policy
Suffering from nuisance and Anti-Social Behaviour can be a stressful and upsetting experience.
We have a policy to deal with all sorts of things that can cause a nuisance from the minor to the very serious.
What we can do depends on how serious the problem is, what is causing the nuisance and how much evidence there is. We can't tackle nuisance without your help. This page explains the steps we can take and how we can help.
Click here to report anti-social behaviour online
How you can help us tackle nuisance
- Speak to your neighbour - they may then stop doing what annoys you.
- If your approach fails you may, where available, consider Independent Mediation to resolve the problem. These services are impartial, confidential and employ trained mediators. They will need to speak to both parties in the dispute and will endeavour to broker an agreeable resolution.
- Mediation can help to resolve a wide range of disputes, including arguments over fences, parking, noise, children's behaviour and pets. The Mediators will listen to both you and the person you are in dispute with. You will then have the opportunity to meet the other party face to face with the Mediators, both have your say, and focus on reaching an agreement to resolve the issue.
- Full details on the mediation services available and how to arrange use of these services can be obtained by contacting your Neighbourhood Officer on 0203 535 2345 or at info@grantahousing.org.uk
- Where the above options fail or are not available, speak to your Neighbourhood Officer. They will be able to provide advice on what action we can take to deal with nuisance. If appropriate your Neighbourhood Officer will contact the person(s) causing the nuisance to try and resolve the problem.
- Where serious incidents occur report them to other agencies as well as ourselves. They maybe able to offer alternative or more effective solutions to your problems. Examples of such agencies include Local Authority Environmental Health Departments or the Police.
- Where we have agreed to take action we will need your assistance in recording and providing evidence. If any legal action is to be considered such information will be vital, without it it is very difficult for us to commence the legal process. Again wherever possible get other agencies involved as they maybe able to assist in providing supporting evidence as well as taking or advising you on other solutions available.
What we expect from tenants, their families and invited guests
The tenancy agreement sets out that tenants, their families and invited guests must:-
- Not cause nuisance or annoyance to others in the locality.
- Not use their home or common areas for any illegal or immoral purpose.
- To keep music to a volume which cannot be heard outside the premises.
- Not to undertake any form of harassment (including towards other members of their own family).
- Not to allow authorised pets to cause a nuisance to other residents and,
- Generally to respect the rights of other residents in the locality.
DO NOT take the law into your own hands to tackle a problem with your neighbour as this could result in action being taken against you by the Society and other agencies and may escalate the dispute.
What tenants can expect from the Society
If you complain about a neighbour we will want to know what the problem is to help us judge what action to take. We will need to consider whether your problem: -
- Is minor or serious
- Is it the first time it has happened or has it been going on for some time?
- Are there several households complaining or just one?
- Can be resolved through Mediation or another organisation that has more appropriate powers to deal with it, for example the Environmental Health Department, or the Police.
- Is there another side to the story?
Once a complaint is received, we will:
- Always listen and try to find the most effective course of action.
- Expect you first to try to sort the problem out yourself - unless there is a real threat.
- Encourage mediation - where an independent party listens to both you and the person you are in dispute with, then meets with both of you to help you come to some sort of agreement.
- Advise you of what action we are taking and what you need to do to assist us.
Case priorities and response times
High priority cases might include (but are not limited to)-
- Any imminent threats to personal safety including violence or threats of violence
- Drug dealing
- Criminal activity involving violence or assault
- Domestic abuse
- Racial and all hate-related harassment
- Serious damage to property
- All hate-related incidents
- Abusive graffiti
In high priority cases, the Neighbourhood Officer will -
- Contact the victim or complainant within one working day of the initial report, either by telephone or face to face.
- 10 working days after the initial report, aim to have completed and agreed a physical action plan with the complainant
Standard priority cases might include (but are not limited to)-
- Allegations of aggressive or abusive behaviour
- Frequent loud noise
- Non-abusive graffiti
- Allegations of breaches of tenancy conditions such as pet nuisance, untidy gardens, litter or car repairs
In standard priority cases, the Neighbourhood Officer will -
- Contact the victim or complainant within 7 - 10 working days of the initial report, either by telephone or face to face.
- 10 working days after the initial report, aim to have completed and agreed a physical action plan with the complainant
Different courses of action
There will be some occasions when we decide not to get involved , for example if we do not think the complaint is reasonable. Sometimes, simply speaking to your neighbour may solve the problem.
In some cases we may make a referral to an independent Mediation service. This is a way of helping those in dispute with eachother to come to an agreement between themselves and solve the problem. A trained mediator will listen to you and the person you are in dispute with, identify the issues and help you to come to a solution. This process is confidential between you, your neighbour and the Mediators, and is free to you.
Mediation can solve a wide range of disputes, including arguments about fences, pets, children's behaviour and noise.
If speaking to your neighbour does not work and mediation is not an option, we may try to sort the problem out by simply talking or writing to the person you are complaining about.
In some cases we will investigate and then decide what action, if any, to take.
In more serious cases we may work with you in taking legal action. You can apply to take out injunctions yourself against a neighbour. The Society may take injunctive action or possession proceedings to evict a tenant in breach of their agreement. If we do this, we will always need your co-operation along with other agencies (if appropriate) in providing evidence. Where this is not forthcoming the Society will be unable to act. Courts need good evidence before seriously considering making an injunction and/or giving possession of someones home back to the Society.
Further Information
If you would like more detailed information on how the Society tackles neighbour nuisance and anti-social behaviour, please write to Daniel Thurlow, Neighbourhood Manager at Granta Housing Society Ltd, 1 Horizon Park, Barton Road, Comberton, Cambs, CB23 7AF. Alternatively, email daniel.thurlow@grantahousing.org.uk or call 0203 535 2345.
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