Anti-social behaviour

We want everyone to live safely and happily in their home and neighbourhood, but we know that this can be affected by anti-social behaviour (ASB). 

Our Anti-social Behaviour Policy outlines our commitment to tackling anti-social behaviour.

We work with a range of partner organisations, including Avon and Somerset Police, Local Authorities and specialist agencies to respond to reports of anti-social behaviour and support victims.

What to do if you're experiencing anti-social behaviour

Before reporting anti-social behaviour, there are a few steps you can take to help our Community Safety Team resolve your report more effectively.

• Step 1: Check that it’s something we can help with. We’ve put together a list of things we consider ASB further down on this webpage.
• Step 2: Try to resolve the issue with your neighbour first, and only if you feel safe to do so. To help, we’ve put together a ‘Dear neighbour’ card which you can download.
• Step 3: Keep a record of behaviour, this includes time, date and type of behaviour. To make this easier, we’ve put together a ‘Diary Sheet’, which you can download and use here.

How to report anti-social behaviour

If you’re experiencing anti-social behaviour, you can report it by:

• Emailing communitysafety@alliancehomes.org.uk
• Completing our ‘Contact us’ webform
• Calling us on 03000 120 120
• Reporting it through, Connect, our online customer portal
• Talk to us using the Live Chat function on our website
• Send a letter to Alliance Homes, 40 Martingale Way, Portishead, BS20 7AW.

Report anti-social behaviour anonymously

We understand that reporting ASB can be difficult, especially if you're concerned about your safety or privacy. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can still report ASB; just let us know that you wish to keep your identity confidential.

Reporting ASB anonymously may impact how we're able to investigate your report, but we'll always take it seriously and investigate it thoroughly, handling your information with care and confidentiality. 

What is and isn’t considered anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour is any behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress to an individual or group of people.

What is anti-social behaviour:

• Persistent and excessively loud noise
• Offensive behaviour, violence and threats
• Abusive or insulting language about someone’s faith, disability, gender, sexuality, age or appearance
• Criminal activity, including using or selling drugs, prostitution, theft or receiving stolen good
• Vandalism and graffiti
• Allowing pets to cause a nuisance by fouling or straying
• Dumping rubbish and fly-tipping.

Not all examples of anti-social behaviour are something we can deal with directly. However, we’ll always do our best to support you and help you report it to the right place.

What isn’t considered anti-social behaviour:

• One off parties, occasional noise and normal day-to-day living noise such as children playing, footsteps and washing machines
• Personal disputes that do not involve threats or violence
• Smells from cooking
• Parking disputes that do not involve threats or violence
• Household lifestyle differences such as shift workers moving around at night.

What to expect when you report anti-social behaviour

When we receive reports of ASB, our Community Safety Team will look at the details and prioritise the case based on urgency and risk of harm. We have two priorities, these are:

Priority one (High risk)
These are reports where someone might be at serious risk of harm. Examples include:

• Serious assault
• Threats of violence
• Hate crime
• Arson
• Cuckooing.

We aim to respond to these within 24 hours (excluding weekends and bank holidays).

Priority two (Medium risk) 
These are reports where the risk of harm is lower. Examples include:

• Vandalism
• Property damage
• Noise nuisance.

We aim to respond to these within five working days (not including weekends or bank holidays).

What happens next

We will record your report and assign an officer to investigate it. We'll talk to everyone involved to understand what's happening and we may contact other services that can help.

We'll work with you to create an action plan to resolve the problem, address the behaviour of the preparator and make sure your needs are considered, including any support or adjustments you may need.

To support your wellbeing, we work closely with NextLink, SARI, Resolve West and other agencies, for impartial and independent support. We can also signpost you to our free-to-access, and anonymous counselling service Tenant Support and Wellbeing Service.

As a social landlord, we have powers under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to take action when serious anti-social behaviour occurs. In these cases, we may consider eviction if the behaviour breaches the tenancy agreement. This is only ever considered in the most serious situations and when all other options have been tried.

ASB Case Review (Community Trigger), your right to a review

If you have reported anti-social behaviour several times and feel nothing has been done, you have the right to ask for an ASB Case Review (formally known as the Community Trigger).

This means your case will be looked at by your local council, police, health services and housing provider together, to agree what should happen next.

We will tell you how to apply and give you the contact details for your local authority if you want to use this process. 

ASB Help have more information about the review, visit their website here.