Personal Safety and Community Concerns

In all cases before you report antisocial behaviour, domestic abuse or a hate crime, first consider the safety of you and other victims. If either of you are in immediate danger, call the police immediately on 999. These can be situations where:

• A crime is in progress
• Someone is suspected of a crime nearby
• There is danger to life
• Violence is being used or threatened

You may be experiencing noise disturbance from your neighbour. However, not all noise is considered a nuisance and the team will be able to advise on this. To be a nuisance, the noise must be more than annoying or simply audible. It must significantly interfere with your enjoyment of your home and appear unreasonable to the average person.

It is important to understand that noise nuisance investigations are about how you are affected. We will be unable to help without your co- operation and evidence. Some types of noise are more likely to be a nuisance, such as loud music and DIY noise.

It is however very unlikely that we would be able to take action for normal domestic noise (for example people moving about in their own home, children playing, use of appliances etc…) or where there is poor sound insulation between dwellings. This is because we need to show the noise is being caused unreasonably.

At Affinity Housing this can be dealt with in a number of different ways. If your ASB is between to Affinity Properties your Housing officer will deal with the investigation, if it is between an Affinity property and a Reading Borough council property we will work with Reading Borough Councils ASB team or if a private owner/occupier then we will work with the Environmental Protection Team.

You can report noise nuisance to Reading Borough Council either direct to the Anti-Social Behaviour Team at:

• calling: 0800 028 6942
• emailing: customerservices@affinityhousing.co.uk

The team will ask you to make recordings if you can using a Noise app or by completing diary sheets.
For more information you can go to: Noise nuisance – Reading Borough Council

As a council tenant it is important that you can live in your home safely and with enjoyment, free from nuisance, harassment or crime. Unfortunately, there are occasions when it may become necessary to report your concerns about a neighbour or to seek assistance when you feel unsafe in your neighbourhood. There is a range of support available to our tenants, in addition to occasions when you may need to call the Police, about antisocial behaviour, to report to us a hate crime, noise nuisance or domestic abuse.

You may feel worried about what’s going on in your local area or feel intimidated by a neighbour’s behaviour. Antisocial behaviour (ASB) affects many people and can have an impact on you, your home, and your community.

If you’re experiencing antisocial behaviour you don’t have to cope on your own. We can help you deal with it.

Not all antisocial behaviour can be dealt with by Affinity on behalf of Reading Borough Council. This might be because the issue you are reporting is a Police matter, or the person responsible for antisocial behaviour is the tenant of a different landlord who is responsible for investigating. A member of the team can help you understand what to do.

How to report antisocial behaviour

It is important that you try to discuss your concerns with your housing officer first. On most occasions a problem can be resolved simply by talking to your neighbour or asking your housing officer to do so. Alternatively you can ask us to look into the matter for you by completing our calling us:
Phone: 0800 028 6942
E-mail: customerservices@affinityhousing.co.uk

The team will arrange to make contact with you and will ask you for your consent before proceeding to investigate your case. Without this it is unlikely the team can investigate your case. The team will also ask that you provide evidence of your experience and will only progress a case if within the first four weeks of your report further evidence is provided, either by you or another neighbour. You should expect to be asked to provide statements and for those statements to be used in court if a case is so serious that enforcement action needs to be taken.

Reporting a hate crime

You may be experiencing discrimination in your home or the neighbourhood where you live. A Hate Crime can involve a verbal assault, including online, a physical assault or be an incitement to hatred.

A hate crime is defined as “Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.”

A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender.

Evidence of the hate element is not a requirement. You do not need to personally perceive the incident to be hate related. It would be enough if another person, a witness or even a police officer thought that the incident was hate related.

It is preferable that you report any concerns you have to Thames Valley Police who can investigate, however if the matter involves a neighbour you may also want to raise it with us by calling us on 0800 028 6942 or customerservices@affinityhousing.co.uk.

For more information about what to do if you believe you are a victim of a hate crime you can go to:

Domestic abuse is when someone you are close to treats you in a harmful or controlling way. It can happen between partners, ex-partners, or family members, and it affects people of all ages, backgrounds, and genders.

A child who sees or hears or experiences the effects of domestic abuse and is related to the person being abused or the perpetrator, is also to be regarded as a victim of domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse is not just physical violence, it can also include:
• Emotional abuse – such as bullying, threats, or making you feel worthless
• Controlling behaviour – like telling you who you can see or what you can do
• Coercive behaviour – forcing you to do things you don’t want to do
• Economic abuse – taking your money, stopping you from working, or controlling your finances
• Sexual abuse – any unwanted sexual contact or pressure
Domestic abuse can happen in any home. It is never your fault, and help is available.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, it’s important to speak to someone you trust or contact a support service. You are not alone.

Help and support

We have a duty to ensure that as a tenant, if you are a victim of domestic abuse, you and your children (if you have any) can live safely in their home. You can talk to your Housing Officer or a professional that you are working with if you believe this is not the case. If you are at risk from a partner, either current or previous, you can obtain help from Berkshire Women’s Aid who can work with you to assess your options and advise professionals working with you on the best next steps.
For more information, visit: Berkshire Women’s Aid
If you are in immediate danger, please call the most appropriate emergency service on 999.
If you’re experiencing domestic abuse or have concern about one of our residents, please contact us below.
We treat all reports of domestic abuse seriously and in a non-judgemental way.
One of our team will attempt to contact you within one working day of your report.
We’ll provide support, even if you don’t want to involve the Police.
We’ll keep you informed and seek your consent before we take any action. The only exception is if there is risk of serious harm to the survivor or another person.

We can refer you to specialist organisations and help make your home secure so that you can stay safe.
If you’re reporting domestic abuse on behalf of someone and wish for your details to remain confidential, these would not be disclosed.

We’re here to listen and help where we can. While we’re not specialists in domestic abuse, we can connect you with organisations to give you the right advice and support for your situation.

Below, you’ll find the names and contact details of organisations that can offer expert help. You can choose to contact them directly if you feel ready.

Specialist agencies
• National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247
• You can use the Women’s Aid Domestic Abuse Directory to locate local and specialist domestic abuse support services
• Refuge Home – Refuge
• NCDV Domestic Violence & Abuse · Emergency Injunction Service (ncdv.org.uk)
• National stalking helpline National Stalking Helpline | Suzy Lamplugh Trust
• Specialist support for men Respect | Home
• Male Victims of Domestic Abuse (mankind.org.uk – Please call 01823 334244 to speak to us confidentially
• Specialist support for the LGBTQ+ community https://galop.org.uk/
• Specialist support for Black women Southall Black Sisters – Southall Black Sisters
• Support For Black Survivors Of Abuse | HERSANA. | England
• Honour Based Abuse: Karma Nirvana
• Specialist support for older people Hourglass (wearehourglass.org)
• Specialist support for deaf people Domestic Abuse Information and Service Details – SignHealth
• Digital abuse: Information and support on tech abuse | Refuge Tech Safety
• Specialist support for the perpetrators of domestic abuse: Respect | Home
• Dog fostering service for people fleeing domestic abuse: Freedom Project | Help & Support | Dogs Trust

If you feel that no one is dealing with the antisocial behaviour problems you are experiencing, you have a ‘Right to Review’ of your case. This was formerly known as the Community Trigger. Once you request the Right to Review, the relevant agencies, which may include the local authority, police, health providers and/or social housing, will work together and decide whether any further action can be taken to resolve the issue. Reading Borough Council will try to ensure we involve victims in the process as much as is possible.

The Community Right to Review is not for making a complaint or reporting new antisocial behaviour cases. If you want to make a complaint about the way in which an organisation has dealt with your case, you should enquire with them about their complaint’s procedure.

You can apply for a Community Right to Review response via:
Email: asb.team@reading.gov.uk
Telephone: 01189373783