I have a problem with my neighbour, what can I do?
Speak to your neighbour first. If you are unable to resolve the matter we will investigate your complaint. If we cannot prove your allegations and the problem continues, we will ask you to take part in meditation. If you refuse to do so, we will close the case.
Can I report ASB incidents anonymously?
Yes, but it may be unlikely that we would be able to take legal action without some form of evidence.
If I am a victim of ASB, will I be re-housed?
No, you are unlikely to be re-housed. Our aim is to deal with the wrongdoer and take the right action to remedy the problem.
Why should I bother to fill in the incident diary sheets?
We may ask you to fill in these sheets for noise disturbance or other reports of anti-social behaviour. If we do not have specific dates, times and details of the incidents, we cannot take any enforcement action. We will not be able to take any cases to court without this information. When taking cases to court the Judge needs to know what the impact of the anti-social behaviour is having on the victim/s, if we are unable to provide this information we will not be able to successfully evidence that the action we are taking is reasonable. Put simply, if you do not provide us with clear and detailed information we may be unable to progress your case and it will be closed.
Will you tell the person I am complaining about who I am?
No, we will not reveal your identity without your permission. However, with neighbour disputes it is often obvious who has made the complaint so we would ask that this is considered at the time. If we progress the matter to taking legal action then we may have to identify you however we will always seek your permission before doing so. It is only in very serious cases of criminal activity such as drug dealing, and serious acts of violence where we will not identify the victim and use hearsay evidence instead of witness evidence. This is because in the legal system hearsay evidence carries less weight that actual witness evidence. However, we will take all necessary steps to protect witnesses from harassment.
What happens if the person causing the anti-social behaviour is not an Opendoor Homes tenant?
We will investigate the complaint. If there is enough evidence, we can take action such as an injunction but this would depend on the severity of the case. If it is a neighbour or boundary dispute, we would expect both parties to take part in mediation.
I’ve been a victim of hate crime. What can you do to help me?
Hate crime includes all forms of racial harassment, homophobic and disability harassment. It is important that this is reported to the police immediately as well as Opendoor Homes. We can make a referral to our ‘security plus’s scheme to give you better security – this could mean door and window locks, a spy hole, chain etc.
Why does it take a long time to progress a case to court and to evict someone?
We cannot progress cases on our own. It is important that residents work with us, for example, by keeping incident diaries, giving us a witness statement and, when necessary, attending court.
Our aim is to resolve a complaint. Ideally, we do not want to take cases to court and evict tenants as our primary role is as a housing provider and we want to support tenants to sustain their tenancies and live in their homes without causing a nuisance or harassment to their neighbours. Before we take any cases to court, we must use other ways of resolving problems between residents. If we do not do this, the judge will not look favourably on us as social landlords and the court will be less likely to grant an order in our favour. Enforcement action is a lengthy process and it takes time to gather the required evidence and get a case into court. This can be further delayed by the courts’ internal processes. We will take cases to court only if we believe we have enough evidence to get the result we want.
My neighbour’s dog is constantly barking or is aggressive. What should I do?
One-off incidents, occasional barking or barking in the morning or evenings when the dog is taken out are not antisocial behaviour. If a dog is constantly barking and may have been left alone for long periods of time, you can report it to the RSPCA who can give further advice. If the dog has bitten someone, contact the police. We will investigate and act under the tenancy agreement if there is a proven nuisance. If the dog is purposely used to intimidate people then this should be reported to the police and Opendoor Homes.
Youths gather in the stairwells and they are not doing anything. What can be done?
If the youths are not doing any harm, we cannot take any action. You can call the local Safer Neighbourhood Police Team and they agree to patrol the area to deter the youths from gathering. If, however, the youths are disturbing you or your neighbours by causing a lot of noise and behaving in an abusive manner, we will need evidence from you and your neighbours. We can only take action if you can identify the alleged wrongdoers, so you will need to give us names and a description.
I think that there is drug dealing at a neighbouring property. What can be done?
Contact the police first as this is a criminal matter.
There is a lot of dog fouling on the estate. What can be done?
If you know whose dog is causing a problem, please contact your Neighbourhood Officer who can send out a general letter to the residents. The officer can investigate the matter and contact the dog owner if you give us information about the problem