What is considered a neighbourhood dispute?
A neighbourhood dispute is often a disagreement between two neighbours about something which becomes a source of distress and frustration. It is common for both parties to have complaints about the other. ASB experienced in/near the home environment can be particularly harmful as it can feel inescapable.
Neighbourhood disputes may arise from: Noise nuisance, Boundary disputes e.g. garden hedges, trees. Parking & Privacy invasion e.g. CCTV cameras.
It’s important to note that disagreements over civil matters such as some of those listed above do not constitute anti-social behaviour. It is often the negative, persistent behaviour perpetrated as a result of the disagreement which constitutes ASB and needs addressing.
Diary sheets
Diary sheets are a great way to record what is happening, how often and the impact this has had on yourself and your household.
Please ensure that you pass these diary sheets onto your case officer regularly so they can review the content and consider what action to take. If a case goes to court, (although this is not always necessary to stop the ASB) records of the ASB captured in good detail at the time it happened will help officers handling the case by providing credible, accurate evidence.
Most agencies will have a template ASB diary sheet that they should be able to supply you with. However, in the meantime, you can use your own diary or download the ASB Help Diary Sheet.
Firstly, you should attempt a reasonable discussion with your neighbours (written or verbally) to try and resolve the issue. Only do this is you feel it is appropriate to approach your neighbour.
If an informal discussion is unsuccessful, mediation can be a helpful tool. While it can be a recommendation from authorities after a report is made, you can also initiate this privately before contacting authorities if you wish.
Mediation allows both sides to talk and try and find a way to resolve the issues. There are different ways to facilitate this which do not always mean face-to-face. Both neighbours will need to agree to this and so it is not always possible to use this method.
What is mediation?
Mediation involves an impartial professional who helps you and your neighbour to come to an agreement on how to solve the dispute. Mediation is not about allocating blame for the situation.
Mediation is confidential and often quicker and cheaper than going through court proceedings.
In England and Wales, you can use the Civil Mediation Council website to find a mediator near you.
Where mediation is refused or unsuccessful, agencies may choose to take action against both parties to stop the problem.
How should I report a neighbourhood dispute?
Here are some steps you can follow to report the ASB if attempts to resolve the dispute are unsuccessful:
- If a discussion/mediation is unsuccessful and if your neighbour is a council tenant, housing association tenant or private tenant, we would also advise you to report the ASB to their landlords.
- If the dispute involves a statutory nuisance complaint, you can contact your local authority’s Environmental Health Team. This team is often responsible for investigating noise nuisance/statutory noise complaints.
- If your neighbour is being violent or aggressive towards you, please contact the police on 999.
We strongly recommend you DO NOT RETALIATE OR ENGAGE with any anti-social behaviour. If you get into a ‘tit-for-tat’ situation (e.g. they play loud music at 2am, so the next night you hoover at 5am, so then the next day they start banging on the walls, etc.) it can quickly escalate.
What should I do if nothing has worked?
Request an ASB Case Review
You may feel like you have exhausted all your options. You may have reported anti-social behaviour but feel no one is listening and the anti-social behaviour is continuing. The ASB Case Review has been designed for this situation.
If you (or others with your consent) have reported three incidents (or more) within a six-month period, you can activate the ASB Case Review.
This will activate a multi-agency case review designed to devise an action plan to resolve the anti-social behaviour collectively.
Read more about the ASB Case Review.