How do I report anti-social behaviour?

Contact the Housing Anti-Social Behaviour Enforcement Team (HASBET) direct.  Visit Contact Us to find out the different ways you can get in touch.   You can also submit an online reporting form.

Or call into a Community Housing Office or one of Newcastle City Council’s customer service centres.

Please note if your enquiry is an emergency you should contact the Police immediately.

What type of things can I report to HASBET?

Anti-social behaviour can take many different forms, ranging from threatening behaviour to neighbour complaints, from loud music to untidy gardens.  If you are concerned about anti-social behaviour, you should contact the team for advice.

How much will it cost me to get help from the HASBET team?

If you are a Council tenant in Newcastle, the HASBET service is free. It will not cost you any money at all. If you are a victim of anti social behaviour living in the private sector, but the person causing the problems is a Council tenant, then the service is still free.

Who investigates my complaint when I report anti social behaviour?

Initially, your complaint may be investigated by your local Community Housing Office.  They will then refer more serious cases of anti-social behaviour to HASBET.

If your complaint is referred to HASBET you will receive a letter confirming which housing enforcement officer is handling your case.

What support does HASBET provide for victims?

HASBET has a dedicated victim support officer to support victims of anti-social behaviour.  Staff keep in contact with victims throughout the investigation and fully support victims both during and after investigations where legal action is taken.

What do I do if my neighbour is a private resident?

You should still contact us as we may be able to help.  We are committed to delivering a consistent standard of housing management across all tenures and employ dedicated enforcement officers to tackle-anti social behaviour in the private sector.  In serious cases we can use injunctions and anti-social behaviour orders even where the perpetrator is not a council tenant.

Which partners does HASBET work with?

HASBET works with a wide range of partners including front line staff from Your Homes Newcastle, Northumbria Police, Victim Support and Newcastle City Council Public Health and Environmental Protection. 

Our other partners include the Probation Service, Social Services, the Newcastle Private Rented Project, the Youth Offending Team and local Registered Social Landlords.

This partnership is called Safe Newcastle. By working together, the partners in Safe Newcastle have a greater impact on crime, disorder, drugs, alcohol, and anti-social behaviour in the city.

It will also mean that resources are used more effectively and services are improved.

The work of Safe Newcastle is led by:

• Newcastle City Council
• Newcastle Primary Care Trust
• Northumbria Police
• Northumbria Police Authority
• Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.

Can mediation help?

People can easily become involved in arguments or disputes over all sorts of matters, and in a world where the population is increasingly diverse, neighbour complaints can escalate due to misunderstandings about different life styles.

Many neighbour disputes could be addressed early on if one party were to speak to the other and raise the issue with them. Where conflict arises from a ‘clash of lifestyles’, the other person may not even realise they are causing a nuisance.

If informal discussions between neighbours fail to resolve problems, mediation can help and can often be quicker to reach a solution than other interventions. As well as resolving disputes it can actually strengthen relationships between the parties involved.

What is mediation?

Mediation is a process in which an impartial third party - the mediator - helps people in dispute work out an agreement. The people in dispute work out the agreement, not the mediator.

Trained volunteers act as mediators in neighbour conflicts. They aim to get the people in dispute to meet face to face in a neutral setting. The mediators run the meeting and establish ground rules. They listen to what the people involved have to say but do not take sides - the aim is for the people in dispute to reach an agreement that all will accept and keep to.

When the parties find a solution they are all happy with an agreement is written up, signed by all those present. Everyone takes a copy home with them. The signed agreement is not legally binding. 

Mediation can only work if everyone wants it to, and it works best if used before the issue becomes entrenched. Contact HASBET for further details on 0191 278 8740 or call into your nearest Community Housing Office.  You can also find out more by visiting the website of our mediation provider UNITE:  www.unite-mediation.org.