Our members tell us that antisocial behaviour (ASB) is consistently one of their biggest concerns.
Antisocial behaviour is a term that covers a range of behaviours. Because the definition is so broad, recognising what ASB is, can be difficult. Reporting it can also be confusing.
Recognising what ASB is
The challenge with ASB is that what one person may consider to be antisocial behaviour, another person may not. The official definition is 'behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress'. That include activities such as:
- Noise nuisance including loud music, banging, DIY at unsocial hours, loud parties and frequent visitors at unsocial hours
- Household disputes including shouting, swearing and fighting
- Harassment and intimidation including intimidation through threats or actual violence, abusive behaviour aimed at causing distress or fear to certain people, e.g. elderly or disabled people, and verbal abuse
- Environmental antisocial behaviour including dumping rubbish, animal nuisance, including dog fouling and dogs barking, vandalism, property damage and graffiti, antisocial drinking, driving in an inconsiderate or careless way, for example, drivers congregating in an area for racing/car cruising, and arson.
There is a fine line between antisocial behaviour and neighbour disputes, but if they persist, they can potentially become antisocial behaviour. Download our guide to recognising, recording and reporting ASB and read case studies illustrating what ASB is in practice here.
What isn't ASB?
Antisocial behaviour is not parking (including badly parked vehicles), children playing, neighbours doing DIY (at reasonable times of the day). Groups of young people in the street or in parks are not being antisocial unless they are being rowdy, abusive, causing damage or committing other crimes. Noise caused by everyday living, religious or cultural practice, one-off parties, or general living is also not considered ASB.
Recording ASB
It is important to keep a record of the incidents and the behaviours, this will help in investigating the behaviour and tackling it. It can also help you to get some insight into how often it happens.
Should you decide to take formal action, it can help others see an established pattern of nuisance over time.
Download and fill in an ASB diary.
For more suggestions on how to gather evidence visit the ASB Help website.
Reporting ASB
Reporting antisocial behaviour early on is important to prevent it from escalating.
Local authorities, social housing landlords and the police all have powers to deal with antisocial behaviour. It is important when reporting antisocial behaviour to your local authority, police or housing provider, that you detail the impact that it is having on your health and wellbeing being.
If the antisocial behaviour is not criminal or causing a risk to a person, you should contact either the local authority or your landlord in the first instance.
- If you are a tenant or a leaseholder of a social housing landlord, contact your landlord to report the issues. Landlords should take complaints seriously. If you ask, they must provide information on the types of behaviours they can address, what information they need from you, and how they will keep you updated until your case has been closed. They should also put you in touch with services like mediation and Victim Support if needed.
- If you are in private rented accommodation or a homeowner, contact your local authority who will have dedicated personnel who deal with antisocial behaviour.
If the antisocial behaviour is serious, criminal or causing a risk to a person report it to the police. If it’s an emergency and the crime is still taking place, call 999 and ask for the police. If it’s not an emergency, call the non-emergency number 101 instead.
For more ways to report to the police, see our reporting page.
If you are unsure who to report to ASB Help provides a useful information on who you should contact.