We should respect the right of people to live in their own homes and be tolerant of different lifestyles. There may be a need to be tolerant of certain behaviour, even if you don’t like it. Reasonable behaviour includes: 

• Usual household noise from closing doors, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and routine DIY.
• Minor personal disputes & differences.
• Small scale, occasional parties.
• Parking disputes where no restrictions are in place.
• Dogs barking at reasonable levels for short periods.
• Sounds of children playing. 

Please note complaints about dog fouling, littering, untidy gardens, poor parking and other estate management issues are not classed as anti-social behaviour. These can still be reported to us and where possible we will assist you to try to resolve the problem. 

• Take responsibility and if possible speak to the person in question. 
• Try to remain calm, do not become involved in arguments and do not retaliate. 
• You can download the noise app and record any disturbance on your smartphone or tablet. 
• Where the noise app isn’t appropriate we may ask you to complete a diary sheet. 
• Contact the Police if any noise is ongoing so they can take direct action.

• We will ask you for details of the problem, please give us as much information as possible. eg dates, times, witnesses and if the Police were called. 
• Your Neighbourhood Officer will investigate. This may include speaking with neighbours, witnesses and alleged perpetrators. 
• We will refer to any recordings you have made on the noise app. 
• We work with external partners including Police Scotland, Safer Community Team and Victim Support. 
• We will provide confidential advice and assistance. 
• We will maintain regular contact with you throughout the duration of the case. 
• If there is no evidence of anti-social behaviour we will advise you of this. Your complaint will be recorded and can be referred to if further incidents occur.

After investigating your complaint and if the complaint has been upheld, we may issue a warning to the perpetrator and remind them of the requirements of their tenancy agreement. 
• If this does not resolve the problem and we get further corroborated complaints, a voluntary agreement may be drawn up under which an individual agrees not to be involved in specified acts of antisocial behaviour. This could include restricting numbers of visitors and times a person can have visitors at a property. This is called an Acceptable Behaviour Agreement (ABA) or an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC). 
• In very serious cases if certain criteria are met, an application can be made to the courts for an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO). The ASBO bans the individual from doing certain specified things and if they breach this they can be sent to prison. 
• If serious Anti-Social Behaviour continues we can ask the courts to have the perpetrator evicted. When applying to court we are required to provide as much evidence of the anti-social behaviour as possible. This is why calling the Police, using the Noise App and keeping diary sheets is so important. The decision to grant permission to evict is made by the Courts and not Caledonia Housing Association.