Antisocial behaviour policy

Housing Leeds understands that antisocial behaviour can have a significant impact on our customers and the communities in which they live and is committed to ensuring that residents feel safe in their homes and communities. This policy outlines how Housing Leeds deals with antisocial behaviour (ASB), including hate incidents and hate crimes through a combination of prevention, support and swift enforcement where appropriate.

Aims and objectives of the policy

This policy aims to:

• outline our key principles to preventing and managing incidents of ASB, balancing customer’s rights to live peacefully in their homes with helping others to sustain their tenancies
• show how we will work with, and signpost to, other agencies to resolve ASB and maximise community safety
• highlight customer’s rights and responsibilities relating to ASB
• outline support that will be made available to anyone experiencing issues of ASB and what service they can expect from Housing Leeds

As part of this policy we will make sure:

• our staff have the correct knowledge, training and support to manage ASB concerns
• we fulfil our legal and regulatory responsibilities
• personal data is treated fairly, lawfully and appropriately

Legislative context

In managing ASB we will have regard to all relevant legislation which will include:

• Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014
• Housing Act 1985. 1998 and 2004
• Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003
• Crime and Disorder Act 1998
• Equality Act 2010
• Social Housing Regulation Act 2023

Under the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023 social landlords are required to meet specific expectations in their management of ASB, these are:

• registered providers must have a policy on how they work with relevant organisations to deter and tackle ASB in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing
• registered providers must clearly set out their approach for how they deter and tackle hate incidents in neighbourhoods where they provide social housing
• registered providers must enable ASB and hate incidents to be reported easily and keep tenants informed about the progress of their case
• registered providers must provide prompt and appropriate action in response to ASB and hate incidents, having regard to the full range of tools and legal powers available to them
• registered providers must support tenants who are affected by ASB and hate incidents, including by signposting them to agencies who can give them appropriate support and assistance
• Housing Leeds considers guidance on the management of ASB as issued by the Housing Ombudsman Service, including the spotlight report on Noise complaints “time to be heard”

Strategic context

In the development of this policy consideration has been made to the wider approaches as outlined in:

• Leeds Ambitions
• Leeds Community Safety Strategy 2024 to 2027
• Better lives strategy
• Health and wellbeing strategy
• Housing Strategy
• Leeds Domestic Violence and Abuse strategy

Definitions

Housing Leeds acknowledges that antisocial behaviour is a broad term that is used to describe a wide range of behaviours and incidents. Generally, ASB is classed as unreasonable behaviour that can interfere with a person’s peaceful enjoyment of their home, garden or community.

Some examples of behaviour that could be classed as antisocial  are:

• verbal abuse
• drug dealing and drug taking
• excessive noise
• nuisance vehicles and motorbikes
• threats or physical violence
• vandalism or graffiti
• harassment
• making malicious complaints

Other types of behaviour may cause an annoyance but would not generally be classed as ASB such as:

• personal disputes
• children playing or crying
• normal day to day living noises
• clashes of lifestyle
• parking issues

In these instances, we may be able to offer mediation and other types of support to help people deal with these issues themselves.

Where residents, their visitors or pets are engaged in reasonable activities Housing Leeds will not consider it as antisocial behaviour.

The Leeds City Council tenancy agreement outlines tenants’ rights and responsibilities in relation to antisocial behaviour. Residents are expected to behave in a respectful manner towards their neighbours, report incidents of ASB promptly, and adhere to their tenancy agreement where applicable.

When enforcing the tenancy agreement and taking legal action Housing Leeds will consider the definition of ASB as outlined in the relevant legislation:

• conduct causing or likely to cause nuisance or annoyance to a person residing, visiting or otherwise engaged in unlawful activity in the locality(Housing Act 1996)
• conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person or conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises or conduct capable of causing housing-related nuisance or annoyance to any person (ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014)

Housing Leeds takes reports of any hate incidents or hate crimes very seriously.

A hate crime or hate incident is defined as any criminal offence or incident which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic such as ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation.

Complaints of household noise will also not generally be dealt with under the ASB policy unless noise is caused in conjunction with other antisocial behaviour. Concerns around noise nuisance are covered under the domestic noise policy.

Partnership approach

Housing Leeds will work with a number of partner agencies to promote community safety and manage antisocial behaviour. We are part of the Community Safety Partnership delivering services to make people feel safe in their homes and communities. The Community Safety Partnership are committed to reducing the detrimental effects of crime and ASB wherever they take place. The CSP is made up of several partners including Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Police, Fire Service, Probation Services and Health Integrated Care Board. The partnership also works closely with other key partners across the city.

To prevent and address ASB on a neighbourhood level Housing Teams work in partnership with key partners in a variety of ways, by attending tasking meetings, holding case management meetings, neighbourhood improvement boards and problem-solving groups. Where appropriate joint visits and coordinated enforcement actions will enhance the partnership approach.

This ASB policy is used when dealing with ASB complaints from Council tenants and residents. Delivery of the policy may be undertaken by Leeds City Council, namely Housing Leeds, Leeds antisocial behaviour team and Belle-Isle Tenant Management organisation.

Housing Leeds will also work in partnership with residents and communities to tackle incidents of ASB. This includes working with individual residents and community groups, carrying out reassurance and evidence gathering visits, attending residents’ meetings, PACT meetings and gathering information. Estate walkabouts are completed with residents and when required local housing teams will arrange community action days and other local initiatives to promote community safety at a neighbourhood level.

News and updates on community safety issues is shared with residents via email, tenant newsletters, and social media, welcoming feedback from residents where appropriate.

Prevention

Housing Leeds will proactively use the following tools to help prevent and minimise the impacts of antisocial behaviour in communities:

• promote our Good Neighbour Guide, advising how to be a good neighbour and avoid conflict with neighbours
• advising of the rights and responsibilities in the Tenancy Agreement and discussing these at the start of a new tenancy and during tenancy visits
• issue Introductory Tenancies to work closely with new tenants in their first year of tenancy
• completing environmental inspections to identify solutions to discourage crime and ASB
• community engagement, with residents, including working with tenant and residents' associations, to build relationships and promote responsible behaviour
• offer mediation at early stages to resolve issues where appropriate
• attending local and city-wide meetings with Community Safety Partnership members to share information and agree priorities. These include but are not limited to; Problem solving groups, Tasking Meetings Neighbourhood Improvement partnerships and Clear Hold build partnership working
• the training of Capable Guardians to work in our communities
• make effective use of our CCTV services and other security measures in areas this applies
• work with partners where support is needed to help sustain tenancies.

Reports of ASB will be triaged by Leeds antisocial behaviour team and allocated to the appropriate service for the type of concern. 
All reports of ASB will be treated as confidential unless agreed otherwise with the customer making the report.

Housing Leeds may decline to accept or act on anonymous reports of ASB but may decide in certain situations to use information that has been supplied anonymously where appropriate. The way information is used will be discussed and agreed with customers raising the concern. Housing Leeds may pass information on to partners for their action and awareness.

Any complaints that are made which are intentionally malicious and false may be treated as acts of harassment or antisocial behaviour and appropriate action will be taken against anyone behaving in this way.

Once a report of ASB has been received Housing Leeds will:

• ensure the customer raising the concern is contacted to confirm details
• confirm what actions will be taken in relation to their report
• ensure customers are kept up to date with the progress with their case

Hate Incidents and Hate Crimes undermine community cohesion and feelings of safety and security for residents. We aim to prioritise our initial contact with customers within 1 working day where the report is of a hate crime or hate incident. In addition, we will work with, and signpost customers to partners who can help provide support to the customer and help us address reports of this type. Partners include, but are not limited to:

• Stop Hate UK
• True Vision
• Community Security Trust
• Tell Mama
• Leeds GATE

Intervention and enforcement

When a customer has reported what they believe to be an issue of ASB, we will assess the customers’ needs and advise whether we have powers to act and deal with the concern. Where issues are reported that are not within the remit of ASB we will seek to address those concerns through other means.

We will respond to ASB reports through the following routes:

• providing advice to customers about how to manage the situation independently
• signposting residents to another service which may be able to offer support, where appropriate
• offering mediation between residents
• working collaboratively with partners to seek resolutions to the issue
• addressing the issue as part of a tenancy enforcement procedure
• address the issue under another more relevant policy. For example Domestic noise policy or another tenancy management procedure
• the opening of an ASB case, as described in the ASB procedures
• customers may be advised their concern does meet the definition of antisocial behaviour and no further action can be taken

When an investigation and case is opened under Housing Leeds ASB procedure, customers will be advised of:

• a named case officer
• the service offer and timescales involved in their case
• the frequency that they will be updated on progress
• what support can be offered to help with the situation

The ASB service offer is outlined in Appendix A of this policy.

As a landlord Leeds City Council has the following enforcement tools which may be considered when addressing instances of ASB and Hate incidents where it is proportionate and appropriate to do so:

• early and informal interventions
• mediation
• tenancy warnings
• housing cautions
• possession proceedings

Housing Leeds may also work with our partners in the Community Safety Partnership to apply the following enforcement tools:

• closure of premises orders
• noise abatement notices
• public Space prevention orders
• community protection warnings or Community Protection Notices
• dispersal orders
• demotion orders
• criminal behaviour orders
• antisocial behaviour Warnings and Injunctions

Housing Leeds will seek to resolve the case as swiftly as possible. An appropriate conclusion could consist of the following examples:

• it is confirmed that the antisocial behaviour has stopped
• it is confirmed that no customer wishes to pursue the concern
• it is confirmed LCC have no powers to act
• it is confirmed that LCC cannot reasonably take any further action

Housing Leeds also co funds and deploys a specialist team of police officers (Leodis Team) to carry out intensive targeted work in hot spot areas where incidents of ASB and crime particularly impact on a community. This team work with the community to gather evidence and issue appropriate legal remedies

Performance management

The number and type of ASB and hate crime cases is monitored to understand any trends in ASB at a citywide or local level and information used to inform our preventative and partnership work.

A quality assurance framework, including case audits, will be completed by managers and reviewed by senior managers to ensure compliance with the policy and procedure. Cases are monitored for the length of time they are open to ensure that appropriate and timely actions are taken.

Customer satisfaction levels are monitored by contacting a sample of customers after case closure and feedback used to improve our approach to the management of ASB.

Tenant satisfaction measures are monitored alongside our own management information to understand overall trends in satisfaction, alongside benchmarking with other landlords.

ASB performance will be reported regularly as part of internal performance management arrangements, and to the Communities Housing and Environment Scrutiny Board and the Leeds Housing Board. All performance reports are collated and reported annually to the ASB Board of the CSP.

Tenant satisfaction measures are reported quarterly to customers, alongside information highlighting what has been delivered within the context of the CSP.

Complaints and case reviews

If a customer is dissatisfied with the service, they receive from Housing Leeds they can take the following steps:

• make a complaint through Housing Leeds complaints policy
• access the housing or local government ombudsman service to raise their concerns. The ombudsman may decline to engage with a case if the council’s complaint procedure has not already been exhausted

Customers may also request a case review of an antisocial behaviour case (formally known as a community trigger) during a case where the criteria have been met.

Equality and vulnerability

Housing Leeds will consider the vulnerabilities and needs of all customers involved in the case and tailor our service to meet the needs of each customer, whether they are presented to us as the person causing the ASB or the person reporting.

Where an ASB Case is needed to investigate alleged ASB, we will provide a customer focused service by assessing the individual needs of each customer. Housing Leeds will provide a customer focused service by assessing the individual needs of each customer.

Consideration will be given to information provided by the customer during the initial contact, any that has previously been disclosed and by the completion of a THRIVE assessment. A THRIVE assessment is a model of assessing customer’s needs and assessing risk.

Customers’ needs will be reviewed as required during a case and proportionality assessments are undertaken when considering what action should be taken to resolve issues.

Housing Leeds will refer customers requiring support to Housing Leeds Tenancy Support Team, or other appropriate supporting service depending on their individual needs.

Information will be shared as appropriate across the Safer Leeds Partnership. Where an individual’s safety is at risk concerns will be raised in line with our safeguarding arrangements.

An Equality Impact Scoping Document was completed to support this Policy.

Resident consultation

This policy, and associated procedures, was developed in consultation with customers during October and November 2024. The consultation was completed via a targeted online survey with 250 respondents and a sample of in-depth discussions.

As a result of the feedback, changes have been made to increase the ease in which customers can report and maintain contact with the service when experiencing ASB as well as changes to the way incidents of most concern to customers are recorded and managed in partnership with our partners. Guidance on dealing with incidents of noise has also been improved.

Customers will receive feedback on the operation and effectiveness of the new policy and procedure through the sharing of performance information at least once every quarter.

Communication of the policy

Details of the Housing Leeds ASB policy will be summarised online will the full policy available to interested customers via the website.

The ASB policy will be promoted to existing customers via LCC website, Housing Leeds social media platforms and via the tenant newsletter.

Delivering and monitoring of policy

The head of housing management and area housing managers are responsible for overseeing the effective application of the ASB policy.

The effectiveness of the policy will be measured through customer feedback and tenant satisfaction measures in relation to ASB and community safety.