Disagreements, disputes and anti-social behaviour
If you have any problems with your neighbours, calmly discuss
the matter with them before you do anything else. Disagreements are
often caused by misunderstandings.
If talking does not solve the problem, our leaflet about
nuisance and anti-social behaviour may help. This explains whether
we might be able to help, what you should do next and what
you can expect from us. You can download a copy by clicking the
link opposite.
However serious a disagreement may be, it could be no more than
a disagreement and we will only be able to try to help you to solve
it.
Sometimes, we may be able to arrange for a 'mediator' (a person
trained to help people to sort out their differences) to help you
solve the problem.
However, if we have enough proof from other residents or
organisation (such as the police or the local authority's
Environmental Health Department) to suggest that a tenant's
behaviour is causing a serious and persistent nuisance, or is
causing racial or any other kind of harassment, we will consider
taking formal action under the terms of the tenancy agreement. The
amount of proof we need will be different in each case. If we take
formal action, the case is likely to go to a court. The court will
ask us to provide evidence so we will only proceed if we are
confident that we have enough proof.
We may ask a court for an injunction, an Anti-Social Behaviour
Order (ASBO) or a possession order. In some circumstances we might
ask a court to 'demote' the tenancy of a tenant responsible for
anti-social behaviour. This means that their tenancy will be less
secure.
We are committed to:
- investigating all complaints thoroughly;
- telling tenants the outcome of our investigations;
- being honest about what we can and can't do;
- working with other agencies to help solve problems; and
- acting firmly and quickly when the anti-social behaviour of a
tenant or their visitor is causing a persistent nuisance to local
residents and neighbourhoods.
There are other things that you can do if you can't sort out
your dispute. You can go to a 'mediation' service yourself. In
cases involving noise and some other kinds of nuisance, your local
Environmental Health Officer may be able to help. You can also
start legal proceedings yourself, either through a magistrates'
court or a county court. We suggest that you get advice from a
solicitor first.