Anti-social behaviour is “acting in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to one or more persons not of the same household”. This includes acts such as

  • Criminal damage
  • Criminal activity
  • Alcohol & drug misuse
  • Neighbour disputes
  • Intimidation
  • Noise
  • Racial abuse
  • Harassment.

ASB (Anti-Social Behaviour) means different things to different people, but it is not:

  • Doing household chores, DIY or car repairs (unless its late at night)
  • Leaving the door open.
  • Parking issues because you cannot park your car.
  • Using the household waste and recycling bins incorrectly.
  • Children gathering or playing in the street or communal areas.

We can investigate types of anti-social behaviour such as alcohol and drug misuse, noise, neighbour disputes, intimidation and harassment, discrimination, vandalism and graffiti to our properties. We will work with the Police and your local Council to tackle complaints about serious anti-social behaviour, illegal activity or excessive noise problems.

If you are experiencing problems with a neighbour or a neighbour’s visitors and are not sure if it is anti-social behaviour please contact our ASB Team for advice – asbteam@dwphousing.co.uk

Although sometimes we are unable to investigate a complaint or resolve it the way you would like, where possible we will give you the reasons in writing if we cannot help you. It may be because:

  • The complaint is anonymous and you will not give us your name.
  • We consider the complaint to be malicious or because of any discrimination.
  • You don’t know who it is or where the problem is coming from.
  • You have not tried to resolve it for yourself first by talking to your neighbour.
  • You are unwilling to help resolve your complaint by gathering information when we ask you to record incidents.
  • The complaint is a clash of lifestyles such as children crying or playing or you work shifts and are disturbed during the day or it is a one off incident such as an argument.
  • You do not, when requested, return any diary sheets we have given to you.
  • If we are unable to help or your issues are about a property not belonging to us, you could consider other legal options by consulting a Solicitor or taking out a private injunction. You may want to look for further information or advice on anti-social behaviour and follow the links to your local Council.

Reporting an anti-social behavioural problem to us.

  • In an emergency if you or someone else’s safety or property is at risk or you witness a crime taking place then you should call the Police on 999.
  • If it is not an emergency and you experience anti-social behaviour you can report it to us by:
    • Speaking to our Anti-Social Behaviour Officer on (01202) 301244 and press for option 4 during office hours,
    • Emailing your complaint to our ASB Team at asbteam@dwphousing.co.uk
    • Write to us at DWP Housing Partnership, 25a St Clements Road, Bournemouth, BH1 4DU
    • Visit the office and request a private and confidential interview with our ASB Officer.

We will take your complaint seriously and respond to you without delay. We will also keep you informed while your complaint is being investigated. To help us we will ask you to record any incidents which happen and to return incident diaries when we request them. Download PDF incident diary here

When the evidence is available we will consider taking appropriate action to enforce our Tenancy Agreement which may ultimately lead to the loss of the tenants’ home, the actions we may take to resolve your complaint could consist of:

  • Contacting the person causing the problem to discuss their behaviour.
  • Working with Dorset Police or your local Council.
  • Enter into an Acceptable Behaviour Contract with the person which is a signed agreement to rectify their behaviour.
  • Apply for a Court Injunction,
  • Issue a Notice, to end the Tenancy
  • When the Notice has expired we may apply to the Court for a Possession Order
  • We may use the service of a Court Bailiff

We will inform you if we are unable to progress your complaint any further, this may be because of:

  • Lack of evidence or witnesses,
  • Supporting evidence is not available when you are the only complainant, or
  • The perpetrator is unknown.

Things you can help with yourself

Your neighbour may not know the problems they are causing. If you feel comfortable speak to your neighbour first before reporting your complaint, try to:

  • Keep calm and not shout or swear this will only make the situation worse,
  • Explain the problems you are experiencing and how it affects you,
  • Listen to the other person,
  • Where possible agree a solution and keep to any promises you have made.

If you feel you have been a victim of anti social behaviour we will support you, listen and investigate your complaint thoroughly. You can request our victim support pack by contacting the Anti Social Behaviour Team

If you are a victim of crime we would encourage you to report it to the Police. For more information including contact numbers for your local police station or to report a crime follow the link to www.dorset.police.uk