How to resolve anti-social behaviour (ASB) issues
While we may decide to carry out enforcement action for anti-social behaviour (ASB) cases, there are a few other things that can be tried to resolve the issues first.
Try talking to your neighbour
Talk through your problem first with a friend or relative. This can sometimes help make it clearer in your mind. Before you approach your neighbour to discuss the issue, think about what you want to say and what you want to achieve. Be clear about the problem. Try and explain how you feel and how it’s affecting you.
Most people do not realise they are causing a problem. So you may find they are reasonable if you go and talk to them. Talk to them calmly as you are more likely to get a positive response this way. Please try not to lose your temper or use threatening or abusive language.
Be willing to listen if your neighbour says they have a problem about your behaviour and be prepared to negotiate. You may find you can resolve your differences together. Avoid interrupting when they’re talking.
Try to reach an understanding with your neighbour that suits you both. Please be considerate towards your neighbours, for example, if you are planning a party or an event that may impact them please let them know.
If you’re not comfortable doing this, you can make use of the “Dear Neighbour Card”
Mediation
After listening to each other’s views, if you’re unable to reach an agreement, mediation might help you both.
Mediation is an informal, confidential and independent service available to help neighbours sort out their differences and reach an agreement. Mediators are experienced in dealing with a range of disputes including:
- Noise
- Behaviour of young people and visitors
- Fences and boundaries
- Parking spaces
- Rubbish
Mediators can help you and your neighbours understand each other’s point of view and reach a solution. If mediation is appropriate, we will discuss it further with you and give you more information.
More information on Mediation services in your areas please use the links below:
For more information on mediation services in your local area please see Mediation Surrey Community Mediation or West Sussex Mediation Service.
What can we do to help if things don’t improve?
We’re committed to promoting a safe, peaceful environment where everyone can enjoy their home and the local area. Where necessary, we’ll work with all relevant agencies to achieve this. You can contact us by phone, in writing, email or through your MyRaven online account. We’ll let you know we’ve received your report and we will agree an action plan with you.
How do we decide what action to take?
We look at the following when considering what our next steps will be:
- The type of behaviour
- The severity and frequency of incidents
- The available evidence
- The effect of the behaviour on you
- Who else is being affected?
- Whether the people whose behaviour is causing problems have been given an opportunity to change it (depending on its severity) and whether it has improved
- Any disabilities known to us of those being affected and the alleged perpetrators
- What other interventions have been considered or tried so far
What action can we take?
If all other courses of action have failed and the ASB continues, we will consider legal action.
We need precise details of the problem to use as evidence in Court. It is very important you help us gather these detailed records. We will try to avoid any delays, but we can only work within the timescales of the Court services and we may have to wait some time for a Court hearing.
The main types of legal action we use are:
- An Injunction; this means asking the Court for an order to force the person causing the nuisance to stop.
- A Court Undertaking; this is an agreement the person causing the nuisance makes with the Court to stop the anti-social behaviour. If the problems continue we can go back to Court to ask for a more severe or restrictive order.
- A Suspend Possession Order; this means asking the Court for an order to evict the person causing the anti-social behaviour (or allowing it the behaviour to happen in their home) but suspending this order on agreed terms. If the terms are broken and the anti-social behaviour continues, then we can apply for a full possession order for eviction.
We will only apply to Court to evict a tenant as a last resort and only for extreme anti-social behaviour which continues over a period of time.
There are other enforcement powers available to local authorities and Police. From time to time we will work with them either stop the anti-social behaviour continuing or in extreme cases, to regain possession of a property.