Anti-Social Behaviour

At Co-op Homes we understand the effect that anti social behaviour (ASB) can have on the lives of our customers and we are committed to taking action where possible to prevent and resolve these problems. Our housing officers are experienced at dealing with all types of anti social behaviour and will use the full range of resources available to prevent and resolve problems. If you live in a co-op property your housing co-op will have their own ASB procedures.  However, most of the following also applies to their approch and we will actively work with them to try to resolve the nuisance.

We define anti social behaviour as: 'Any conduct which is capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to any person, or conduct which involves using, or threatening to use, our housing for unlawful purpose'.

These are the kinds of problem and the ASB levels they are usually classified as that may affect customers:

• Abandoned vehicles (Low)
• Neighbour disputes (Low - Medium)
• Animals - uncontrolled dogs and other pets (Low)
• racial harassment and sexual harassment (High)
• Criminal activity (Medium to High)
• Domestic disputes and disturbances (Low)
• Upkeep of gardens and communal areas (Low)
• Graffiti (Low to Medium)
• Youth anti-social behaviour and disorder ( Low to Medium)
• Drug and alcohol abuse (Medium)
• Drug dealing (High)
• Domestic violence (High)
• Using or threatening to use violence (High)
• Hate Crimes (High)
• Fly tipping (Low)
• Rubbish (Low)
• Noise nuisance (Low to Medium)

Our Service Standards

• A member of staff will make personal contact with you within one working day of reporting a case of serious anti-social behaviour e.g. racial harassment or where there is physical violence or a threat of physical violence.
• We will acknowledge any low or medium level cases of ASB reported to us within 2 working days
• We will offer you an appointment for personal interview to discuss the case within 3-5 working days.
• We will review your case at least once every 10 working days and keep you informed.

What remedies are available to deal with anti-social behaviour?

These are the remedies we can use to prevent anti-social behaviour continuing:

• Offer mediation
• Produce informal warnings
• Refer the problem to enforcement agencies such as the Police or local authority Environmental Health Department
• Partnership working with other agencies such as Social Services or Youth Services who have additional skills and powers e.g. to organise parenting contracts
• Arranging support for vulnerable perpetrators to help them control their behaviour for example where this is due to mental health problems
• Carrying out physical improvements e.g. better lighting in communal areas where appropriate
• Instigating community development projects e.g. diversionary sports activities for young people
• Issuing Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs)
• Issuing Demoted tenancies

If these fail to produce any improvement we are prepared to use legal enforcement measures, such as:

• Injunctions
• Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs)
• Possession Orders

We will explain each of these to you.

How Do I Report ASB?

If you wish to make a report of anti-social behaviour, you should contact us  on:

Tel: 020 8568 4112

email: homes@coophomes.coop

You can also call into our office in working hours and speak to someone at reception.

We will put you in touch with a member of staff who will arrange to see you to take full details of the complaint.

What are your responsibilities as a resident?

Many of our homes are situated close together with shared communal spaces.  Therefore, some noise and lifestyle differences are inevitable. We nevertheless expect our customers to be considerate of their neighbours and neighbourhood, to be responsible for the behaviour of members of their household and visitors, and to comply with the conditions of their tenancy or licence prohibiting nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

How does Co-op Homes prevent Anti Social Behaviour?

Prevention is an essential part of Co-op Homes’ approach to anti-social behaviour.  We run a number of initiatives that seek to neutralise and reverse the effects of anti-social behaviour and we support schemes run by voluntary agencies and community groups. These include voluntary mediation,  joint work with the Community Safety Partnership to combat anti-social behaviour across the Boroughs in which we work and the ability to refer to support agencies for those who have difficulty maintaining their tenancy due to vulnerability. 

What if I am unhappy with your service?

You can feedback any information to Co-op Homes including complaints, compliments, comments and suggestions. You can do this in person, by phone, fax, or email.   Information you give us is kept completely confidential. We work to time limits and will let you know about progress and action we propose taking. If, after investigating your complaint, we do not think we are at fault, we will explain why.

If you need an interpreter or sign language interpreter, we can arrange this for you. Translation Information