Home Group estate

Anti-social behaviour and nuisance noise

We believe that everybody has the right to a safe place to live. That’s why we always take any reports of anti-social behaviour extremely seriously.

What is anti-social behaviour?

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is behaviour which has caused or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

It can affect one person or a whole neighbourhood and covers many things such as illegal behaviour, violence, harassment, youth nuisance and sometimes noise.

Examples of ASB can include:

  • Hate crimes. Harassing or causing harm to people based on their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or other protected characteristics
  • Crime/illegal activity. Unlawful acts that break the law, like drug dealing and consumption
  • Vandalism. Damaging or defacing property, such as graffiti or breaking windows
  • Bullying. Repeatedly harassing, intimidating, or threatening someone
  • Public disturbance. Loud and rowdy behaviour, public drunkenness, or causing other disturbances
  • Public intoxication. Alcohol or drug use in public places, leading to disruptive or dangerous behaviour
  • Assault. Physically harming or threatening to harm someone
  • Theft. Stealing someone’s property or belongings without permission
  • Harassment. Repeatedly bothering or tormenting someone through unwanted attention, actions, or communication

What is nuisance noise?

Noise nuisance is more to do with excessive loud music, parties, or noise disturbances that disrupt neighbours and the community. Even though it is slightly different from anti-social behaviour we manage both under the same processes.

Examples of nuisance noise include:

  • Loud music. Playing music at a high volume in a residential area late at night
  • Construction work. Noisy construction activities like drilling, hammering, or using heavy machinery during unreasonable hours
  • Parties. Hosting loud parties with blaring music and shouting that impacts a person or community
  • Barking dogs. Persistent and loud barking or howling from dogs
  • Car alarms. Continuous car alarms going off in the middle of the night
  • Traffic noise. Loud engines, honking of horns or sirens disrupting a quiet neighbourhood
  • Noisy neighbours. Frequent arguments, shouting, or slamming doors within apartment buildings

We deal with excessive noise within our anti-social behaviour (ASB) process and will manage generic household noise under our neighbourhood management process.

How to report ASB or nuisance noise

We would never expect you to chat with a neighbour or handle cases of anti-social behaviour (ASB) if you do not feel safe, or if criminal acts have been carried out.

You can report acts of ASB by:

In some cases, you might have to report cases of ASB to the police or local authority.

If you are in immediate danger, phone the police on 999.

Can I make a report without saying who I am?

You can report anonymously. We would never share your details with the neighbour you reported unless you requested this and were happy for us to do so.

We would prefer you to give your contact details as we may need more information. This could help us prove the issue and carry out the correct action.

By providing your details, you can receive regular progress updates. We can also contact you to agree an action plan to help solve any issues.

In some cases, there may be safeguarding issues. We may have to inform colleagues or the emergency services if we think you are in danger.

What can you do about ASB and nuisance noise?

Try to have a conversation with your neighbour in a calm, polite and reasonable manner to try and understand the other customer's point of view. Show willingness to listen and to come to a compromise. Never go around with the intention to make it worse and cause an argument. 

Make notes of any conversation and detail, as this may be needed later to show you attempted to resolve the matter.

If you do not feel comfortable talking to your neighbour, then contact us and we will decide next steps depending on the circumstances.

If you do report issues of anti-social behaviour or nuisance noise, we may then ask you to collect evidence of ongoing issues.

We may ask you to collect evidence like:

  • Recordings of noise. You can download The Noise App, which sends recordings directly to us. Please let us know if you would like to register
  • Photos that can support your diary entries
  • Keep a diary of events which notes the dates and times of any incidents

We could also refer you to mediation. A mediator is trained to help people resolve disagreements fairly and provides an unbiased view on the problem. Both parties must agree to mediation before it can begin.

We can refer you to mediation for:

  • Excessive or persistent noise
  • Verbal abuse and threats
  • Parking and garden disputes
  • Damage to property or vandalism
  • Misuse of communal areas

What is not considered ASB or nuisance noise?

Some problems may disturb, annoy or upset you, this is considered as a neighbourhood management issue. This is different to anti-social behaviour (ASB), which could cause harassment, alarm or distress.

Examples of neighbourhood management issues are:

  • Banging doors or closing doors within reason
  • Cooking smells
  • Cigarette smoke smells
  • Inconsiderate parking
  • Children playing, including ball games
  • Young children or babies crying which do not raise any safeguarding concerns
  • Reasonable day to day living noise
  • DIY in reasonable hours
  • Moving furniture
  • Dogs barking, an isolated incident or for a short period of time
  • Social media, gossip or email disputes that are not harassment or a hate crime
  • Singing, whistling, and talking loudly
  • One off parties, celebrations, barbecues, or household gatherings at reasonable times
  • Using household appliances such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, showers, toilets, or lawnmowers at reasonable times
  • Walking around the property, including going up and down the stairs
  • Young people gathering socially, unless they are being intimidating
  • Lifestyle or cultural differences like noise from coming home from shift work, meditation, praying and bins not being back

If you are bothered by any of these issues the first thing to consider is how unreasonable your neighbour is being. It may be best to discuss the issue with family or friends before contacting us about it.

Most neighbours do not mean to irritate others and are sometimes unaware they are doing it. If it is persistent rather than a one-off incident, then prolonged noise can impact our day-to-day living and become an ASB issue.

Ask yourself before contacting us:

Is my neighbour trying to annoy me or upset me on purpose?

Is the disturbance out of their control?

Is it at an unreasonable time or the day?

Are my neighbours causing nuisance or do they have a different lifestyle?

What happens after you report ASB and nuisance noise

We take your reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and nuisance noise seriously, which is why we follow this set of commitments:

  • We make sure to take steps to support anyone experiencing ASB or noise nuisance
  • We acknowledge reports of ASB and noise nuisance within one working day
  • We prioritise reports of ASB and noise nuisance based on risk to customers. We carry out a risk assessment by asking questions on the impact it has had to you and the ongoing issues it causes.

How long will it take us to investigate?

Personal - One working day. If you have been deliberately targeted. Examples include arson, gun and knife crime, hate crimes, domestic abuse, verbal abuse, harassment, and assault.

Nuisance - Three working days. If it affects more than one household, Examples include drug use and dealing, group disorder, underage drinking, and some types of noise.

Environmental – Ten working days. If the behaviour affects the environment around you. Examples include fly-tipping, neglected gardens, pet issues, and unsanitary conditions.

  • We then agree an action plan with you once we have assessed your case and keep you up to date in a way that suits you. The action plan will have agreed timescales of when we expect to solve the issue
  • We investigate using the appropriate legal powers available to us to help tackle ASB
  • We make sure Home Group colleagues are trained so the service you receive is the best it can be
  • We look to prevent ASB from happening in the future. This may include working with other organisations to help improve your quality of life

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Focus on anti-social behaviour

We want everyone to feel safe in their homes so dealing with ASB is a priority for us. Find out what customers have been telling us about how we deal with ASB and what changes we're making.

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