Reporting noise, nuisance and anti-social behaviour
If your complaint relates to a tenant of a housing association property, you should contact the housing association (the landlord) in the first instance. This applies whether you are a neighbouring resident affected by the issue or a tenant of the housing association experiencing problems from another tenant.
Housing associations are responsible for managing their tenancies and investigating reports of noise nuisance, anti-social behaviour, and breaches of tenancy conditions. They are often best placed to resolve issues quickly through tenancy management interventions before involvement from other agencies is required. Issues that should normally be reported to the Housing Association first include:
- Persistent or excessive anti-social behaviour causing a detrimental impact, e.g. excessive loud music, parties, gaming noise and barking dogs.
- Untidy or overgrown properties or gardens, including accumulations of waste, rubbish or other materials that may attract pests.
Why do I need to contact the housing association?
As the landlord, the housing association is responsible for:
- Investigating complaints relating to its tenants.
- Determining whether tenancy conditions have been breached.
- Gathering evidence and making enquiries.
- Taking proportionate tenancy management or enforcement action where appropriate.
- Working with tenants and affected residents to resolve issues at an early stage.
The Housing Ombudsman advises that concerns relating to tenant behaviour and housing management should normally be raised with the landlord first, as these are matters that fall within the landlord's responsibilities.
For this reason, Herefordshire Council will generally expect the housing association to investigate the matter and consider appropriate action before our involvement is sought.
When should I contact Herefordshire Council?
You may contact Herefordshire Council if:
- The housing association has investigated the complaint but has been unable to resolve it.
In these circumstances, we may be able to consider whether any further action is available under criminal environmental protection or anti-social behaviour legislation. When contacting us, please provide:
- Details of the problem.
- The address concerned.
- The date you reported the issue to the housing association.
- Any complaint reference numbers provided.
- Any evidence you have collected.
- Details of the response received from the housing association.
Important Information
Where a complaint relates primarily to the conduct of a housing association tenant, complainants will usually be directed to the housing association so that it can investigate and take any appropriate action under its tenancy management procedures.
Similarly, where a housing association seeks our involvement, we would generally expect the landlord to have undertaken reasonable investigations and attempted to resolve the matter through its own tenancy management processes before requesting assistance.
Working Together
We work closely with Housing Associations to help address nuisance, environmental problems and anti-social behaviour. By reporting concerns to the housing association first, residents can help ensure complaints are dealt with by the organisation best placed to investigate and resolve the issue at the earliest opportunity.
Need to make a complaint?
Please identify the housing association responsible for the property and contact them directly in the first instance.
If the issue remains unresolved following the housing association's investigation, you may then contact us for further advice and guidance.