If you have a complaint about your neighbour’s behaviour and are:
- a council tenant, or you need to complain about a council tenant, contact your Housing Management Officer (HMO)
- a leaseholder or you need to complain about a leaseholder, contact our Housing Asset Team
- a housing association tenant, or you need to complain about a housing association tenant, contact the relevant housing association
- not a council or housing association tenant, see information about anti-social noise nuisance for how to report a range of noise-related complaints
- reporting a crime, contact the police on 101 if a non-emergency
You can report a problem with your neighbour by phone, by letter, by the Open Housing Portal if you are a council tenant, or you can contact the relevant Housing Management Officer.
What happens next
The relevant Housing Management Officer (HMO) for your area will contact you.
Some complaints can be worked out by neighbours speaking to one another.
Some tips on approaching a neighbour:
- choose a time that's convenient for everyone
- plan what you are going to say
- be polite and explain the problem and how it’s affecting you
- listen to what they have to say
- be understanding of different ways of life
- be open to suggestions
- come to an agreement that suits everyone
You should not:
- approach the neighbour if you don't feel safe
- go around when you are angry or very upset
- be argumentative or use threatening behaviour
If you feel you cannot approach your neighbour yourself, consider whether you have a friend or relative who could act on your behalf.
If this does not work or is not appropriate, the HMO will carry out an investigation to establish the full facts and details of the problem.
The HMO can visit and write, can issue informal warnings to tenants, and will always consider a referral to mediation.
Where these are not working and there is still a problem, the HMO will consider the impact the problem is having on the person making the complaint (the complainant), the frequency of incidents, and whether the tenancy agreement has been broken.
If there is no evidence, they will investigate and see if we can collect any evidence.
We'll develop an action plan with you so you know what to expect and we will discuss what information we may need from you to progress the case, such as keeping and returning diary sheets.
Actions we can take
We will always work with other agencies such as the police, social services, support agencies and neighbourhood enforcement officers to try and resolve matters. The action we can take will depend on the sort of complaint and the level of seriousness. We will keep you fully informed of the action we take and our progress in a way that suits your needs.
If the situation does not improve and there is evidence to support it, we will we refer the case to the Anti-Social Behaviour Team. Who are a small team of Anti‐Social Behaviour Officers within the Community Safety Hub who deal with anti‐social behaviour. They work alongside North Yorkshire Police and the Neighbourhood Enforcement Officers.
Community Safety Hub
Once we receive a referral we meet with the person making the complaint (the complainant), preferably in person at a mutually convenient location.
We always write to the person who is the subject of a complaint, and where possible meet with them too.
We discuss cases with our legal services team where there is sufficient evidence, we can take legal action against anti‐social residents. This could be:
- possession proceedings
- an injunction against the individual
- close down premises for a period of time
The Anti‐Social Behaviour Officer will support the complainants throughout the court proceedings. If you wish to speak to an Anti‐Social Behaviour Officer, call us on telephone: 01904 551555.
Safer York Partnership
We're part of the Safer York Partnership, dedicated to making communities safer across York.
It includes representatives from:
- North Yorkshire Police
- North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
- the Probation Service
- Public Health
- York Council for Voluntary Service (York CVS)
Every tenant has the right to enjoy living in their home in peace and comfort. This means that all tenants, must show consideration, think of others and be a ‘good neighbour’. This is one of the conditions of the Tenancy Agreement.
Anti social Behaviour Case Review
The Anti social Behaviour Case Review was introduced in 2014 to enable you to request a review if you feel that agencies have not responded satisfactorily.
You must have made 3 complaints in the past 6 months about an issue to either the police or the council and feel that no action has been taken.
To discuss the Anti social Behaviour Case Review further, contact the Neighbourhood Safety Manager, Paul Morrison, on email: paul.morrison@york.gov.uk.
Also see
Neighbourhood Enforcement Team
Community Safety Hub