Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and community. If you report anti-social behaviour or hate crime to us, we’ll work with you to agree the right actions to tackle the problem.
Our approach to anti-social behaviour
Find out how we approach ASB including our responsibilities and what we need from you.
What we want to achieve
- Help you feel safe in your home and neighbourhood.
- Encourage reporting so we can act quickly.
- Support victims and witnesses with clear advice and regular updates.
- Offer guidance to people responsible for ASB to change their behaviour.
- Take a zero‑tolerance approach to abuse or ASB towards our colleagues.
How we tackle ASB
We take ASB seriously whether it’s caused by customers, affects customers, or involves others in your area. We will:
- Respond quickly and decisively.
- Get involved early to investigate and stop issues getting worse.
- Tailor our approach to your needs.
- Support you to gather evidence (to support or disprove a report).
- Set clear expectations about what we can and can’t do, and how long it may take.
- Offer mediation where it can help.
- Work with partners such as the police and local councils.
- Help you feel safe at home and in your neighbourhood.
How we take action
Every case is different, so we tailor our approach to what’s happened. We will work with you to agree the best next steps. This could include:
- Verbal or written warnings to the person or people involved
- Acceptable behaviour agreements or contracts
- Referrals to specialist support or safeguarding organisations
- Court orders or injunctions to prevent further problems
- Possession proceedings, including mandatory possession
- Eviction, as ordered by the court
We’ll keep you informed at every stage and explain what each option means for you.
What we can help with
We can act on reports such as:
- Hate crime or hate incidents
- Criminal activity (for example, drug dealing)
- Physical assaults and threats of violence
- Damage to Thirteen property
- Violence or abuse towards Thirteen colleagues
- Domestic abuse
- Grooming and gang-related nuisance
- Illegal money lending
- Noise nuisance and persistent loud music
- Youth nuisance and missile throwing (stones/snowballs)
- Quad and motorbike nuisance
- Nuisance in communal areas
- Cannabis use where it causes ASB
- Animal‑related nuisance
For crimes in progress or emergencies, call 999. For non‑emergencies, call 101.
What we may not be able to help with
Some everyday noises and one‑off events are a normal part of community life. We may not be able to act on:
- Household noise at reasonable times (vacuuming, DIY in daytime)
- Day‑to‑day living noise (children playing, footsteps, conversations)
- One‑off parties
- Short, isolated animal noise
- Car‑parking disputes
If you’re unsure, tell us about a problem and we’ll advise on the best next step.
What you can expect from us
When you report ASB:
- We acknowledge your report within one working day.
- For high‑risk cases, we respond within one working day.
- For all other cases, we respond within three working days to agree an action plan.
- We update you at least every ten working days.
Depending on your case, we may use:
- Prevention work and safety planning
- Evidence gathering (including incident logs and recordings)
- Mediation
- Acceptable behaviour agreements
- Joint work with other agencies (for example, the police)
- Legal action as a last resort
Whether or not the person responsible lives in a Thirteen home, we’ll act to protect our customers and your community.
Working with us to collect evidence
Good evidence helps us act quickly and fairly. We will work with you to collect evidence by:
Providing regular updates
We’ll contact you at least every 14 days to review your case. Please note dates, times, locations, who was involved, and any witnesses.
Using the Noise App
For noise issues, we may ask you to use the Noise App to record incidents. It captures the time, date and location and lets you add notes.
Learn how to use the Noise App
Using CCTV and video doorbells
If you have relevant footage, we may ask you to download and share it. We’ll request permission to share with partners (for example, the police) if it supports an investigation.
Reporting drug dealing
Report suspected drug dealing directly to the police via:
Crimestoppers (anonymous)
Coppa app (Cleveland area)
What we need from you
- Report ASB early – the sooner we know, the sooner we can help.
- Understand we may need to work with partner agencies, which can take time.
- For criminal behaviour, contact the police on 101 (non‑emergency) or 999 in an emergency. Then let us know so we can coordinate support.
- Be a good neighbour and
- Keep noise down, especially late at night and early morning.
- If you have a pet, keep them under control and clean up after them.
- If it feels safe, try a friendly conversation first about everyday issues.
- If you’re worried about approaching someone, or the problem continues, report it to us.
What happens when you report ASB to us
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and community. If you report anti-social behaviour to us, we’ll work with you to agree the right actions to tackle the problem.
Step: 1
We acknowledge your report
We’ll acknowledge and assess all new reports within one working day. A new report means it’s not linked to an open case.
Step: 2
We assess the risk
Your report will fall into one of two categories. Serious cases involves domestic abuse, hate crime or serious safety concerns, we’ll respond within one working day. For all other cases we'll respond within three working days.
Step: 3
We agree an action plan
Once we’ve assessed your report, we’ll open a case, work with you to agree an action plan, timescales and how we’ll respond to any further reports until the case is closed.
Step: 4
We keep in touch
While your case is open we’ll contact you at least every 10 working days (unless you agree otherwise). Updates may include automated messages or calls.
Any new incidents linked to your case will be handled in line with the agreed action plan. If things get worse or become serious, we’ll act quickly to update the plan.
Support for victims and witnesses
We understand it can be difficult to speak up. We offer support to victims and witnesses, and can refer you to specialist organisations if needed.
Case reviews
If you’ve reported the same anti-social behaviour issue three or more times in six months and it’s still happening, you can request a case review.
This brings together all the agencies involved to look at what else can be done. Please note – this is not a complaints process.
To request a review, follow the process published by your local council.
Hate crime
We won’t tolerate behaviour that makes our customers feel unsafe in their home or neighbourhood.
What is hate crime?
Hate crime is any behaviour motivated by hostility, prejudice or hatred based on disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity.
It can include verbal abuse, threats, harassment, assault, bullying, damage to property or exploitation by someone known to the victim.
- We will acknowledge all hate crime reports within 1 working day
- Respond to serious safety concerns within 1 working day
- Take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of abuse
- Support victims and perpetrators with a whole-family approach where appropriate
- Take quick, appropriate action – including legal action if needed
- Work with partner organisations to keep our neighbourhoods safe
Report anti-social behaviour
If you're experiencing anti-social behaviour we want to hear from you.