Anti-social behaviour

Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure in their own home - we want anyone living in or around a Trust home to be able to go about their day-to-day life without fear or feeling upset, scared or intimidated.

Violence of any kind is very distressing. The threat of violence or intimidating behaviour like swearing or verbal abuse can be upsetting too. 

What can you do? 

We understand you might feel too scared or threatened to speak to the people who’re causing the problem and you should never put yourself in potential danger.  

Contact us to report the problem and we’ll do what we can to help.

And, because violence is a criminal offence, you should also report it to the police.

What can we do? 

We take reports of violence very seriously. We know you’ll be feeling scared and anxious but don’t worry, we’ll provide you with advice to help keep yourself safe.  And we’ll keep anything you share with us confidential. 

We’ll look at all the information and decide whether any tenancy agreement rules are being broken. And if they are, don’t worry. There’s lots we can do, depending on how serious the problem is. These can include: 

• Issuing verbal and written warnings 
• Arranging mediation for both parties. This is where everyone sits down together with an independent person to try to sort out the problem
• Starting eviction proceedings
• Getting the police or local council involved to provide extra support
• Supporting in the identification of emergency accommodation

Unfortunately noisy neighbours are more common than you’d think. The main problems are caused by things like barking dogs, loud music, shouting, banging doors and DIY activities.  

Remember, no home is totally soundproof so you’re always going to hear some noise from your neighbours.   

However, if you’re being disturbed it might be because: 

• your neighbours are behaving unreasonably. Maybe they’re playing loud music late at night or letting their dog bark all day.
• your neighbours are behaving normally. But the insulation in the floors and walls maybe isn’t good enough to cut out the sounds of everyday living.

What can you do? 

The first step is to have a chat with your neighbour. Explain politely that the noise they’re making is bothering you. You might find this a bit awkward but it’s surprising how often people don’t even know they’re being noisy! 

Most neighbours are happy to do what they can to keep the noise down. But if that doesn’t sort things out, let us know. Contact us to report the problem and we’ll do what we can to help. 

What can we do? 

When we’re looking into a report of a noise nuisance we need to know: 

• when the noise happens
• how often the noise happens
• how long the noise lasts
• the type of noise 
• how loud the noise is

We’ll look at all the information and decide whether any tenancy agreement rules are being broken. And if they are, don’t worry.  There’s lots we can do, depending on how serious the problem is. These can include: 

• giving you a sound recorder to record incidents as evidence (Local Authority are responsible for supporting with this equipment)
• arranging mediation for both parties. This is where everyone sits down together with an independent person to try to sort out the problem
• issuing written warnings 
• starting eviction proceedings

Harassment and hate crimes are specific offences which are motivated by hostility or prejudice- it can sometimes be about someone's race, culture, gender, age, religion or sexuality. Or because they’ve got mental health issues or a physical disability. 

What can you do? 

We understand you might feel too scared or threatened to speak to the people who’re causing the problem. Never put yourself in potential danger.  

Contact us to report the problem and we’ll do what we can to help. And you should also report it to the police because harassment and hate crime is a criminal offence.

It’s important that once you’ve reported it to us, you’re able to help us with our investigations. We might also ask you to keep an incident diary, to keep track of all the dates and times when things have happened. 

What can we do? 

We take reports of harassment and hate crime very seriously. We know you’ll be feeling scared and anxious but don’t worry, we will provide you with advice to help keep yourself safe.  And we’ll keep anything you share with us confidential. 

We’ll look at all the information and decide whether any tenancy agreement rules are being broken. And if they are, don’t worry.  There’s lots we can do, depending on how serious the problem is. These can include: 

• Issuing verbal and written warnings 
• arranging mediation for both parties. This is where everyone sits down together with an independent person to try to sort out the problem
• starting eviction proceedings
• getting the police or local council involved to provide extra support.

We want our communities to be safe places. But we know that people sometimes use their homes for the wrong reasons or for criminal or illegal purposes. 

What can you do? 

We understand you might feel too scared or threatened to speak to the people who’re causing the problem. Never put yourself in potential danger.  

Contact us to report a problem and we’ll do what we can to help. And you should also report it to the police.

It’s important that once you’ve reported it to us, you’re able to help us with our investigations. We might also ask you to keep an incident diary, to keep track of all the dates and times of when things have happened. 

What can we do? 

We take reports of criminal acts very seriously. We know you’ll be feeling scared and anxious but don’t worry, we’ll provide you with advice to help keep yourself safe.  And we’ll keep anything you share with us confidential. 

We’ll look at all the information and decide whether any tenancy agreement rules are being broken. And if they are, don’t worry. There’s lots we can do, depending on how serious the problem is. These can include: 

• issuing verbal and written warnings 
• arranging mediation for both parties. This is where everyone sits down together with an independent person to try to sort out the problem
• starting eviction proceedings
• getting the police or local council involved to provide extra support.

It’s not just the people in your neighbourhood who can cause problems. Stray or dangerous animals or animals fouling in public spaces can be a big problem too. 

What can you do? 

If you know the owner of the animal, the first step is to have a chat with them about your concerns.  You might find this a bit awkward but it’s surprising how often people don’t even know their pet is causing a problem.

But we understand that you might not want to do this if you’re scared or feel threatened by their behaviour. Never put yourself in potential danger. Contact us to report the problem and we’ll do what we can to help.

If you're worried about the wellbeing of an animal you should contact the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA). And if you think the animal is a stray, please report it to your Local Authority. 

What can we do? 

We’ll look at all the information and decide whether any tenancy agreement rules are being broken. And if they are, don’t worry. There’s lots we can do, depending on how serious the problem is. These can include: 

• Issuing verbal and written warnings 
• Arranging mediation for both parties. This is where everyone sits down together with an independent person to try to sort out the problem face to face
• Starting eviction proceedings
• Getting the local council involved to provide extra support.

When we live in a community, we’ve all got to get along together and share space with our neighbours. Spaces can be the likes of stairwells, entrance halls, lifts, outdoor areas as well as shared living spaces.   

When these shared spaces are being misused it can be really distressing for some residents.  Untidy gardens can also be classed as a misuse of shared areas too.

What can you do? 

The first step is to have a chat with the person or people involved. But we understand that you might not want to do this if you’re scared or feel threatened by their behaviour. Never put yourself in potential danger.  

Contact us to report the problem and we’ll do what we can to help.

Misuse of shared areas might also be the responsibility of your Local Authority, so you might need to discuss this with them. We’ll be able to guide you on whether you should involve the local council or not.

What can we do? 

We’ll look at all the information and decide whether any tenancy agreement rules are being broken. And if they are, don’t worry.  There’s lots we can do, depending on how serious the problem is. These can include: 

• issuing verbal and written warnings 
• arranging mediation for both parties. This is where everyone sits down together with an independent person to try to sort out the problem
• fitting extra security measures like CCTV, locks and security lights
• starting eviction proceedings
• getting the local council involved to provide extra support.