At Black Country Housing Group we take Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) very seriously and recognise the negative impact this can have on our customers and neighbourhoods. We work with other agencies in helping to prevent and tackle ASB in all areas where we have homes. We have a zero tolerance approach for any form of discrimination against our customers, staff and contractors.
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What is ASB?
In accordance with the ASB, Crime & Policing Act 2014, ASB is defined as follows:
- Conduct that has caused, or likely to cause, harassment, alarm, or distress to any person
- Conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises
- Conduct capable of causing ‘housing related’ nuisance or annoyance to any person
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Examples of ASB
Below are some examples of ASB, but this list is not exhaustive: -
- Causing or committing any act of violence or any form of harassment
- Using or threatening to use violence
- Hate Crime which is actions of hostility or prejudice against anyone because of their religion, disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity, or alternative sub-culture
- Verbal abuse, harassment, bullying, intimidation, or threatening behaviour
- Vandalism and deliberate damage to properties including graffiti
- Domestic Abuse
- Persistent noise nuisance
- Criminal Behaviour such as drug dealing, prostitution, or sexual acts
- Dog barking & fouling
- Dropping litter and fly tipping
All criminal or illegal activity such as drugs, domestic abuse or theft should be reported to the police in the 1st instance.
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What isn't ASB
It is important to remember that people live in different ways and therefore tolerance levels can differ. We would not normally consider behaviour around different cultures or lifestyles. Examples of behaviour that is not automatically considered anti-social includes:
- General domestic noise at reasonable times such as footsteps, washing machines and DIY
- Cooking Smells
- Babies crying or children playing
- Minor or occasional car repairs
- One off party’s
- Social media disputes or gossip
- Lawful parking outside your home
- Personality clashes with neighbours
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How do I report ASB?
Report here.
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What you can expect from us
- We assess your complaint and advise appropriately if this is not ASB
- We will record the complaint and advise who will be dealing with the issue with approximate timeframes
- We will investigate thoroughly and interview all necessary parties as required
- We will provide you details on how to gather evidence; we will set you up on the ASB App which enables residents to record and submit evidence in real time
- We will agree an action plan with you and provide feedback at each stage
- We will close the complaint once we have got a satisfactory solution or have exhausted all options available to us
