Council tenant services

Anti-social behaviour is any act that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to one or more persons not of the same household and covers a range of issues, including intimidation, persistent noise and rowdy behaviour, vandalism and graffiti and using a property for criminal or immoral purposes.

If the anti-social behaviour involves a criminal offence such as assault, violence, theft, criminal damage or drug use/dealing, please report it to the Metropolitan Police. For emergencies where a crime is happening or there is immediate danger, call 999. For non-urgent crimes, report them by calling 101.

As a council tenant, you have certain responsibilities outlined in your tenancy agreement. This includes not engaging in or threatening any anti-social behaviour (ASB), nuisance, or annoyance. The tenancy agreement is a legally binding contract, and we will take all reasonable steps to ensure you comply with its terms.

Handling non-ASB issues with your neighbours

Many problems between neighbours are not be deemed as anti-social behaviour and can be sorted out privately.

Before you make a report to us, try to resolve the issue by talking with the other person(s) in the first instance. Our good neighbourhood toolkit (PDF, 2 MB) has lots of advice on dealing with non ASB informally.

If this isn't possible, or doesn't work, email our tenancy management team at tenancymanagement@hillingdon.gov.uk.

The following behaviours will not be deemed as ASBs and will be addressed under the good neighbourhood management policy (PDF, 305 KB).

Issues between neighbours that are not ASB

• Parking disagreements (if the other driver is parking according to all contractual and legal requirements)
• Boundary disputes
• Fencing issues
• Children playing (except in cases where property damage has happened repeatedly)
• Reasonable dog barking and cats defecating
• Cigarette and cooking smells  
• Minor personal conflict such as:
  • dirty looks
  • positioning of rubbish bins
  • personal dislikes
  • personal relationship breakdowns
  • children falling out with each other
• Occasional loud music, including one-off parties
• Occasional loud shouting and arguing
• General household or living noises such as:
  • babies crying
  • children playing
  • people talking and walking inside their homes
  • closing doors and windows
  • vacuuming and using household appliances
  • DIY projects
  • windchimes
  • working from home in a computer-based role
• BBQs and bonfires
• Use of musical instruments and trampolines
• Noise made by a tenant or household member with a protected characteristic, such as a mental health condition or disability.

Actions that count as ASB

If someone intentionally misbehaves or commits a crime, this is anti-social behaviour and will be managed under our ASB policy. This includes (but is not limited to):

• violence or threats against people or property
• harassment or hate crimes
• criminal activities
• threats, intimidation or verbal abuse
• vandalism, graffiti and other property damage
• drug and alcohol-related nuisances
• arson (setting fire to a property, such as buildings, vehicles, or land).

Reporting ASB involving council tenants and leaseholders

If you are a council tenant or leaseholder experiencing ASB or a resident experiencing issues with council tenants or leaseholders causing ASB, email asbriskmanagement@hillingdon.gov.uk or call 01895 558127.

Evidence of ASB

In order to take action against ASB, we need the following information:

• What happened ?
• Who's involved ?
• When did it happen ?
• Where did it happen ?
• Has it happened before ?
• How has it affected you ?
• Do you receive or need support ?
• Have you reported it to anyone else, such as the police (if it's a criminal matter) ?

To support our investigation, we ask residents to keep a record of incidents, by:

• filling in an ASB diary record sheet log (Word doc, 128 KB) and/or
• recording noise using The Noise App

If you can't complete the diary sheets, your case officer will help you find other ways to provide the necessary evidence.

Please note: If you're making a report, you will need to give your consent for your case to be investigated.

How we handle reports

When you report ASB, we take your concerns seriously and aim to provide a supportive and effective response. All reports are handled with care and confidentiality.

What will happen?

1. We will assess the seriousness of your report. If you're vulnerable or the anti-social behaviour is serious, we'll treat this as high priority and contact you within 24-hours. For all other reports, contact will be made within 5 working days.
2. We will carry out a victim risk assessment with you to understand your situation better.
3. We will ask for more details about what happened and ask for your consent to gather information, contact the alleged perpetrator, and talk to other agencies that may be able to help. If a crime has been committed but not been reported, we will notify the police.
4. We will investigate the report thoroughly to find the best possible solution to address the issues. We will agree on an action plan and contact arrangements with you.
5. We will keep your information confidential and only share it with your consent or where it's lawful to do so.
6. We will keep you informed of the progress and the actions we take.
7. We will contact you when we are considering closing your case and explain the reasons why.
8. We will send you a satisfaction survey after your case is closed. Your feedback helps us improve our services for all residents.

Supporting you

We are here to help you

We will talk with you about any support you need and contact you in the way that works best for you. We can provide information in different formats and offer language and British Sign Language interpreters.

Other support might include:

• getting an injunction (a legal order issued by a court) to protect you
• arranging temporary or permanent rehousing in severe cases
• helping you through the court process and making sure you understand what to expect
• connecting you with services that offer emotional and practical support.

How we handle ASB

We try to step in early to stop ASB from getting worse and might:

• give verbal or written warnings, including Community Protection Warnings
• organise mediation - an independent person helps find a solution to the problem
• use acceptable behaviour orders - the person causing the problem signs an agreement about what they will and won't do in the future
• organise community  resolution - an informal agreement between everyone involved to solve the issue
• refer the person causing the problem to services like social services, police, or drug and alcohol support.

If the behaviour is serious or early actions don't work, we can take stronger steps, such as:

• Community Protection Notices - requires the behaviour to stop or actions to be taken
• Undertakings - a legal order to stop or prevent ASB
• Fixed Penalty Notices - an individual or business can be issued with a fine for ongoing bad behaviour
• Statutory Nuisance Abatement Notices - issued by environmental health teams  to stop nuisances
• Injunctions - a legal order to stop or prevent ASB
• Criminal Behaviour Orders - given to someone convicted of a crime to stop persistent ASB
• Closure Orders - can close places causing ASB
• Demotion Orders - can reduce a tenant's rights and security for 12 to 18 months
• Possession Proceedings - can evict someone from their home.

If you're not satisfied

If you've reported at least 3 incidents of ASB to the police, council, or housing provider within the last 6 months and no action has been taken, you can request a review through our Anti-social behaviour (ASB) review page.

If you're still not satisfied with the service, you can make a complaint using our Complaints page.

For more advice and support about complaints, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman.

For more advice and support for victims, you can contact Victim Support.

Related topics

• Draft ASB service standards for council tenants and leaseholders (PDF, 215 KB)
• Good neighbour management policy 2024 (PDF, 305 KB)
• Good neighbourhood toolkit (PDF, 2 MB)