Anti Social Behaviour
If a tenant of Tamworth Borough Council is experiencing anti social behaviour what support can the housing service provide?

The Estate Management will investigate every reasonable complaint to establish the full facts surrounding the case and will take the appropriate action to ensure an early resolution to the problem.

If the case is serious or it has not been resolved by the initial action, we will work with key partner agencies such as Tamworth Mediation Services, Bromford Support, Social Services, Police, Street Wardens to consider further action.

Each complaint of anti social behaviour will be allocated to a local Housing Officer and will be looked at individually.  The tenant reporting the incident will then be interviewed by their Local Housing Officer and advised of what action we can taken to investigate the complaint and measures available to remedy the situation.

What types of anti-social behaviour can the housing service help tenants to deal with? 

We will deal with anti-social behaviour where a Council tenant is involved, either suffering or causing the anti-social behaviour. 

Anti Social Behaviour covers a wide range of neighbourhood issues.  Issues may arrange from playing loud music to loudly and dogs barking to more serious incidents such as harassment and threats of violence.

How we deal with the anti social behaviour will depend not only on what type of behaviour it is also the frequency and severity of the behaviour.

What advice would you give to tenants if they are experiencing anti social behaviour?

Sometimes people may be genuinely unaware that they or their visitors are causing a problem.  If you are experiencing problems in the first instance tenants should try to talk to the alleged perpetrator directly.  An informal agreement between everyone involved is always the best solutions. 

If you are unable to sort it out yourself and the anti social behaviour continues or is serious you should report the problem to the Estate Management Team at Tamworth Borough Council.

Any criminal behaviour including violence or threats of violence should be reported to the Police immediately.  In addition you should report same incidents to the Estate Management Team as we may be able to work with the Police in dealing with your problem.

What action can the landlord take against people causing anti social behaviour?

Tamworth Borough Council will take the appropriate action depending on whether there is sufficient evidence, frequency & severity of behaviour.

Here is a list of actions landlords can take:

  • Verbal/written warnings: we will warn tenants that their actions are unacceptable and warn them regarding their future behaviour.
  • Refer to Mediation:  request that tenants attend mediation so they can amicable resolve the situation.
  • Provide Support: in a lot some cases the matter can be resolved by involving the relevant support agencies who can provide tenants with the necessary support packages which can in turn resolve the anti social behaviour.
  • Acceptable Behaviour Contracts: These are usually used to stop anti social behaviour from young people aged 10-18.
  • Injunctions: These are an order from the court.  They make somebody do something or stop doing something.  We can seek an injunction to make a council tenant comply with their tenancy conditions.  They can only be used against people over 18 years of age.  Breaching an injunction could result in imprisonment.
  • Anti Social Behaviour Orders: ASBO is an order from the court.  It aims to stop certain behaviour and can be obtained against anyone aged 10 or over.  Breaching ASBO is a criminal offence, resulting in a fine, prison sentence up to 5 years or a combination of both.
  • Notice of Seeking Possession: This is a legal notice that starts possession proceedings.
  • Possession Proceedings: At a last resort we may need to ask the court to evict somebody from their home.  To do this we have to prove they have broken their tenancy conditions and this is it reasonable to evict them.
  • Demoted Tenancy:  We can ask the court to `demote` secure council tenants who have caused anti social behaviour.  This means they lost their rights as a secure tenant for a period of 12 months.  If there is any further anti social behaviour in this period, we can apply for a possession order to evict them.  If there are no further breaches of tenancy conditions, the tenancy converts back into a secure one at the end of 12 months.
  • Suspending an application to buy a council house: where someone is causing serious anti-social behaviour and applies to buy their council property we can ask the court to suspend their application for up to 12 months.
Who should tenants of Tamworth Borough Council contact to discuss anti social behaviour?

Estate Management Team

Direct Telephone Number:  01827 709491

Email: Estatemanagementteam@tamworth.gov.uk

Monday to Thursday 8.45am to 5.10pm

Friday 8.45am to 5.05pm

Home visits can be arranged should tenants want to discuss anti social behaviour in the comfort of their own home.