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Anti-social behaviour and harassment

Large print format availableIf someone in your household needs this information in large print or as an audio recording please contact our Customer Service Centre on 020 3535 3535.

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This leaflet explains what anti-social behaviour (ASB) and harassment are and what to do if you are experiencing ASB in your neighbourhood.

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What is anti-social behaviour?Anti-social behaviour is behaviour by a resident, a member of their household or a visitor to the household that causes nuisance, annoyance, disturbance or distress. It can also include using, or threatening to use housing for an unlawful purpose.

Our residents are entitled to live in safe communities. We look for solutions that respect the diverse needs and circumstances of all our residents.

We review our processes regularly to reflect changes in the law as well as general good practice.

Examples of anti-social behaviour include:n unreasonable noise e.g. loud

music (for more information please visit our website)

n violence or threats of violence

n hate-related incidents (for more information please visit our website)

n intimidation and harassment

n domestic abuse and domestic violence (for more information please see our website)

n dealing or taking drugs

n pet nuisance.

What is not anti-social behaviour?Although annoying, some types of behaviour are unlikely to be classified as anti-social behaviour. Examples include children playing, loud voices and slamming doors during the day and minor disagreements with your neighbours.

Dealing with anti-social behaviour incidents At times, other people’s children, pets, noise or rubbish may annoy you. You should make every attempt to resolve issues privately with your neighbours before you

Respecting your neighboursMetropolitan believes that everyone has a right to live the way that they wish as long as they do not spoil or impact on the lives of others, by doing so.

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make a formal complaint or get other agencies involved.

It is likely you will often continue to live alongside your neighbours so it is in everyone’s interest to reach an understanding. If you’re involved in a dispute with a neighbour try discussing the problem face-to-face. If you’re worried about approaching your neighbour write them a letter, clearly explaining what the problem is, sticking to the facts. Do not get emotional or use language which makes it personal.

What you can doBy working together with us, your neighbours, local residents’ groups, agencies and the police

you have the power to improve the quality of life in your neighbourhood. You can help by:

n being aware of the conditions of your tenancy agreement or lease

n thinking about how your behaviour may affect your neighbours – would you be happy with it?

n talking to your neighbours. If you can solve problems yourselves, we won’t have to get involved in minor disputes. Sometimes the person causing the anti-social behaviour might not know they are creating a problem. We can refer you

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to an independent mediation service if you need more help

n helping to gather evidence, which may include keeping diary sheets, witness statements and by acting as a witness in court

n reporting crimes (including violence or threats of violence) to the police and reporting unreasonable noise to your local environmental health team

n respecting your neighbours chosen lifestyle as long as it does not spoil the quality of life for others

n not asking us to get involved in personal disagreements.

How to report ASBIf you experience antisocial behaviour, or if you see a vulnerable neighbour experiencing it, please report it.

There are a number of ways you can report anti-social behaviour to us such as online via www.metropolitan.org.uk, by telephoning us on 020 3535 3535, by letter and by email.

Please try to keep appointments with us and get back to us if we have asked for more information. This is important to assist with

the case and also to improve our processes.

Your local council are also a key source of assistance in dealing with problems such as noise, alarms, barking dogs, bonfires, fly tipping and abandoned vehicles on the highway. You can find details about your local council at www.direct.gov.uk.

The Police can also be contacted to discuss your problem.

You can call the Police non-emergency number of 101 to report anti-social behaviour. In an emergency always dial 999.

Domestic violence and abuseIf you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or abuse, you can call us in confidence. We have specific procedures for dealing with domestic violence. You can contact us for a copy of our Domestic Abuse and Domestic Violence leaflet or find a copy on our website.

You can also contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline (24 hours), tel: 0808 2000 247.

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Hate-related incidents and harassmentA hate-related incident is where you become a victim of any incident or experience prejudice because of your ethnic group, religion, faith, age, sex, sexuality, physical or mental health or disability.

You should report these incidents to the police and to us, as your landlord.

For an URGENT response dial 999. An urgent response may be needed when a crime is happening or when someone is injured, being threatened or in danger.

For non-urgent incidents call the police on 101.

What action will we take? When you contact us to discuss serious incidents such as hate crime and domestic violence or we decide that the event you have called us about is an ASB case, we will undertake the following:

n We will listen and record all details relating to the problem.

n We will acknowledge your report with a case reference number and the name and contact details of the case manager.

n We will get in touch with you for an interview or visit. This is so we can assess the situation, draw up an action plan, start any immediate action needed and involve you in decisions about what happens next.

n We will ask you to keep a log of the nuisance. The case manager will get in touch with you in the following timeframes:

High priority – one working day (or next working day after a weekend or bank holiday)These problems include any imminent threats to personal

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safety including violence or threats of violence, domestic abuse, racial and other hate-related incidents including harassment.

Standard priority – five working daysThese problems include, but are not limited to allegations of aggressive or abusive behaviour, allegations of breaches of tenancy conditions such as pet nuisance, frequent loud noise and non-abusive graffiti. In some instances we may decide that there is preliminary action that you can take, such as speaking to your neighbour. We will offer you advice and guidance and make a note on our system but the report will not be followed up by us. We will let you know if your report is recorded as a note.

How we will deal with your caseWe will investigate the problem and take action to solve it.

In doing this,

n we will keep you updated on the action we are taking.

n we will give you advice and support during the case.

We may at our discretion:

n talk to the people you think are responsible and ask them to explain their behaviour

n offer mediation (see our factsheet)

n send a warning letter

n use good neighbour agreements or acceptable behaviour contracts

n ask for undertakings to keep to the tenancy agreement or lease

n use CCTV or noise monitoring equipment

n apply for an injunction

n Support the police in taking action

n apply to the court to repossess the home of the person causing the nuisance.

We will contact you before closing your case.

What we will not do Get involved in personal arguments, disputes or non housing matters

Be able to take action though the courts unless we have solid proof of anti-social behaviour.

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If you don’t want them to know you made a report, we will tell them you want to remain anonymous. But, if we do this it may limit the action we can take.Fortunately most disputes are resolved without us having to take serious action. For example, we may help residents to solve disagreements between themselves. Some incidents of anti-social behaviour are extremely difficult to prove and it may not always be possible to achieve a positive outcome. It is important that you keep a record of all incidents and tell us about any other people who may have seen or heard what happened. We work with key partners to tackle anti-social behaviour and make communities safer. We usually share information with other agencies such as the police and local authorities that deal with anti-social behaviour. We will only share information if it is lawful to do so. Please let us know if you are unhappy about this. We have a duty to report criminal activity to the police.

In certain circumstances, leaseholders may be asked to pay for the costs of any action.

Making your neighbourhood feel saferOur residents are entitled to live in safe communities. We look for solutions that respect the diverse needs and circumstances of all our residents – which include the vulnerable and ex-offenders. Our processes are reviewed regularly to reflect any changes in the law as well as general good practice.

What we are doingThe way a place looks can affect how people feel and how they behave. Where possible, we will design neighbourhoods that feel safer and make it more difficult for troublemakers.

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We carry out regular inspections of your neighbourhood. This means we can make sure that:

n broken windows and doors are repaired

n rubbish is cleared away

n graffiti is removed.

We help organise neighbourhood events and activities that build strong communities and prevent anti-social behaviour from occurring.

Other organisations that can helpVictim Support Offers practical help and emotional support to anyone affected by crime.

Tel: 0808 1689 111 (between 8am and 8pm weekdays and 9am and 7pm weekends)

www.victimsupport.org.uk

24-hour National Domestic Violence Helpline Freephone helpline provides support, help and information to anyone experiencing domestic violence.

Tel: 0808 2000 247 www.nationaldomesticviolence helpline.org.uk

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) Free advice including advice on undertaking your own prosecutions can be obtained from your local CAB. You can also get free legal advice from a law centre or an advice centre.

Talk to usWe want to hear about the things that matter to you. If you’ve noticed something that needs repairing or cleaning, tell customer services or join your housing services officer on their next inspection.

Call us on 020 3535 3535.

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Translations This leaflet explains what anti-social behaviour (ASB) and harassment are and what to do if you are experiencing ASB in your neighbourhood.

We want all of our customers to be able to understand the customer information we provide. If you would prefer to receive this information in your own language, please contact us on 020 3535 3535 and we will take reasonable steps to arrange this for you.

Chinese simplified本宣传单解释了什么是反社会行为(ASB)和骚扰，以及假如你在你的邻里地区体验到了反社会行

为，那么应该如何处理。

我们希望我们的顾客都能够理解我们所提供的顾客信息。如果你希望收到本信息的采用了你的语

言的版本，请联络我们：020 3535 3535，我们将采取合理的步骤来为你安排此事。

Chinese traditional本宣傳單解釋了什麽是反社會行爲(ASB)和騷擾，以及假如你在你的鄰里地區體驗到了反社會行爲，那麽應該如何處理。我們希望我們的顧客都能夠理解我們所提供的顧客資訊。如果你希望收到本資訊的採用了你的語

言的版本，請聯絡我們：020 3535 3535，我們將採取合理的步驟來為你安排此事。

PolishTa broszura wyjaśnia, czym jest zachowanie aspołeczne (anti-social behaviour, ASB) i napastowanie oraz co należy zrobić, jeśli doświadcza się zachowania aspołecznego w swojej okolicy. Chcemy, aby wszyscy nasi klienci byli w stanie zrozumieć informacje dla klientów, jakie zapewniamy. Jeśli wolał(a)by Pan(i) otrzymać te informacje w swoim własnym języku, prosimy skontaktować się z nami pod numerem tel. 020 3535 3535, a podejmiemy stosowne kroki w celu zorganizowania tego dla Pana/Pani.

PortugueseEste panfleto explica em que consiste o assédio e o comportamento antissocial e o que deve fazer, caso verifique este tipo de comportamento na sua área.Queremos que todos os nossos clientes compreendam as informações que facultamos. Se preferir receber esta informação no seu próprio idioma, contacte-nos através do 020 3535 3535 e faremos o possível para o providenciar.

PunjabiASB

COMPLAINTS

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PAYING YOUR RENT OR SERVICE CHARGE

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SomaliBuugyarahani waxa uu kuu sharxayaa waxa ay yihiin akhlaaqda bulshada u daran (anti-social behaviour) (ASB) iyo kadeedistu iyo waxa aad samayn karto haddii aad xaafaddaada kala kulanto akhlaaqda bulshada u daran ee ASB.Waxa aan rabnaa in macaamiishayada oo dhani ay fahmi karaan macluumaadka aan bixinno ee aan macaamiisha ugu tala galnay. Haddii aad ka jeclaan lahayd in aad warbixintan ku hesho luqaddaada gaarka ah, fadlan annaga nagala soo xiriir lambarka 020 3535 3535 waxaanan si kastoo macquul ah ugu dadaali doonnaa in aan taas adiga kuu habayno.

SpanishEste folleto explica en qué consiste el comportamiento antisocial (ASB) y el acoso y qué debe hacer si existe un comportamiento antisocial en su vecindario.Deseamos que todos nuestros clientes puedan comprender la información que facilitamos. Si prefiere recibir esta información en su idioma materno, llame al 020 3535 3535 y tomaremos las medidas razonables para proporcionarle este servicio.

TurkishBu yaprakçık anti sosyal davranışların (ASD) ve rahatsızlık vermenin ne olduğunu ve mahallenizde ASD ile karşılaştığınız takdirde neler yapmanız gerektiğini izah etmektedir. Tüm müşterilerimizin tedarik etmekte olduğumuz müşteri bilgilerini anlayabiliyor olmalarını arzu ediyoruz. Eğer bu bilgilerin kendi dilinizde elinize geçmesini tercih ediyorsanız, 020 3535 3535 numaralı telefondan bizimle temasa geçtiğiniz takdirde bunu size ayarlayabilmek için her türlü makul adımı atacağız.

Urdu

VietnameseTờ thông tin giải thích về hành vi phản xã hội (ASB) và quấy rối là gì và cần phải làm gì nếu quý vị gặp phải ASB tại khu dân cư của quý vị.Chúng tôi muốn tất cả khách hàng của chúng tôi có thể hiểu được thông tin khách hàng mà chúng tôi cung cấp. Nếu quý vị muốn được nhận thông tin này bằng ngôn ngữ của quý vị, xin vui lòng liên hệ với chúng tôi theo số 020 3535 3535 và chúng tôi sẽ thực hiện các bước phù hợp để sắp xếp việc đó cho quý vị.

020 3535 3535

020 3535 3535

020 3535 3535

020 3535 3535

020 3535 3535

ASB

COMPLAINTS

GAS SAFETY

PAYING YOUR RENT OR SERVICE CHARGE

REPAIRS

Metropolitan is a leading provider of integrated housing, care and support services.

Customer Service Centre 020 3535 3535contactus@metropolitan.org.uk

Metropolitan PO Box 10262 Nottingham NG8 9LE

www.metropolitan.org.uk

Registered office: The Grange, 100 High Street, Southgate, London N14 6PW.

Metropolitan is the brand name for Metropolitan Housing Trust Limited (MHT Ltd) and Clapham Park Homes Limited (CPH Ltd).

MHT Ltd is charitable, registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, No.16337R and registered with the Homes and Communities Agency, the regulator of social housing, No. LO726. Consumer Credit Licence No. 557055.

Published March 2015. Correct at time of going to press. © Metropolitan

MET104/0315