Various other - Antisocial Behaviour - Public Services Ombudsman for Wales

Introduction

Councils have a range of duties and powers when it comes to antisocial behaviour happening within the community. They must work with other organisations, such as the police, to address the problems.

As landlords, councils and housing associations have specific duties to address antisocial behaviour within the properties they manage.

We do not investigate antisocial behaviour. We can only consider a complaint about how a council or a housing association responds to reports of antisocial behaviour.

Antisocial behaviour can include:

dog fouling, uncontrolled and noisy pets;

noise nuisance at high levels and/or unreasonable hours;

drug misuse and alcohol-related nuisance;

rubbish dumping;

acts of violence;

harassment, including verbal and physical abuse and threats.

Some behaviour may constitute a crime and should be dealt with by the police.

What you can do

To report antisocial behaviour, you should contact your council or housing association for advice, and to find out what action it can take.

You can also contact the police.

If you are unhappy with how a council or housing association deals with your report of antisocial behaviour, you can make a formal complaint. You will need to explain to the council or housing association why you think its actions were not appropriate.

If you are unhappy with how the council or housing association deals with your complaint, you can complain to us. It is important that the council or housing association has had the opportunity to resolve matters before you contact us.