Neighbour Issues

We believe that everyone has the right to enjoy a quiet and peaceful life in their homes.
We recognise, however, that some of our residents may suffer distress, fear and insecurity as a result of anti-social behaviour.  We will therefore make every attempt, within our resources, to enable our residents to live in their homes without being harassed, subjected to noise, nuisance or intimidation.   

Click here to view our Anti-Social Behaviour Leaflet

What is Anti-Social Behaviour? 

The Anti-Social Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 defines anti-social behaviour (ASB) as ‘A person engages in anti-social behaviour if he/she’: 

1. a) Acts in a manner that causes or is likely to cause alarm or distress; OR
2. b) Pursues a course of conduct that causes or is likely to cause alarm or distress, to at least one person who is not of the same household.

‘Conduct’ includes speech and a ‘Course of Conduct’ must be conducted on at least two occasions. 

Section 3 ‘Respect for Others’ of your Tenancy Agreement mirrors this definition of anti-social behaviour and also provides examples of actions or conduct which would constitute anti-social behaviour and therefore a breach of your tenancy conditions. 

The scope of anti-social behaviour is therefore very broad, ranging from minor disputes between neighbours who have differing lifestyles to severe nuisance, harassment and violence. It is not confined to the home, it occurs within the local vicinity/area, between neighbours and may involve others not living in the area. 

What to do if you are experiencing Anti-Social Behaviour 

If you are having problems with a neighbour we would encourage you to consider the following actions: 

1. Ask yourself if your neighbour has a different lifestyle to you and if their actions really are unreasonable.
2. If it feels safe to do so, speak to the neighbour directly. This often solves problems at an early stage. You may be surprised to find they are unaware that they are causing a problem.
3. Listen to what your neighbour says to you. Talking to each other can clear up misunderstandings and often problems can be resolved.
4. If a friendly word does not work and the problem persists or you are worried about approaching your neighbour, please contact our Customer Service’s Team for advice and assistance on 03451 772244, if required they will log the complaint to the Housing Assistant. 

What can you expect from us? 

You can report an incident of anti-social behaviour to the Customer Service’s Team in person by calling at the office, by phone, by email or in writing.  When you report an anti-social behaviour incident to us we will prioritise it according to the following categories depending on how serious it is.  We will manage the case according to the category it is allocated: 

Category 1  

Incidents of a very serious nature including but not limited to, physical violence, criminal behaviour, harassment relating to a protected characteristic, significant escalation or increase in frequency of disturbances or excessive noise.  

Category 2   

Incidents which indicate antisocial behaviour, such as persistent excessive noise, frequent disturbances, threats of violence, vandalism to property 

Category 3  

Incidents which clearly breach a tenancy condition, but which are of a relatively minor nature.  These are further categorised into Noise, Nuisance and Disturbance or Harassment 

We will respond quickly, sensitively and objectively to complaints of anti-social behaviour.  The response may be in the form of a telephone call, a home visit or an interview in the Association’s office as appropriate.  We will contact complainants and take any initial required action within the following timescales:  

We may ask you to keep a diary / record of the problems you are experiencing.

Mediation 

Mediation between neighbours can be a useful tool in sorting out disagreements and misunderstandings between neighbours and the Association encourages this.  If Mediation is appropriate and in agreement with you and your neighbour we will make a referral to an independent mediator who will try to help you both reach a resolution to the problem.   

Issues that we will not deal with as an Anti Social Behaviour Complaint: 

• Disputes between neighbours across Social Media 
• Disputes between neighbours where no clear breach of tenancy applies  
• Anonymous complaints lacking information such as appropriate address being complained about or specific information   
• Day-to-day living noise i.e. washing machine or household appliances on between 08:00-19:00  
• Day-to-day noise of children playing, estates will often have children playing outside particularly during holidays and we will not take further action unless noise is proven to be excessive  
• Parking issues will not be dealt with as an Anti-social complaint.  If the complaint relates to unroadworthy cars, parking over two bays or parking in bays designated for others then this will be dealt with as an Estate Management issue in the first instance. Vehicles (including commercial vehicles) parked legally either on the road, within a space and where parking is first come first served will not be logged as a complaint. Complaints of obstruction should also be reported to the Police.  
• Pet Complaints will be dealt with in the first instance as an Estate  Management issue.  Dog Barking complaints should be referred to the local  Dog Warden on Angus 03452 777 778  Dundee 01382 436285