Section. Living in your home and neighbourhood issues

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Winfred Maxwell
7 years ago
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1 Section 5 Living in your home and neighbourhood issues 5

2 Living in your home and neighbourhood issues We know that most tenants are thoughtful neighbours and do not want to cause a nuisance to those living nearby. However it is wise to know what your responsibilities are as our tenant and what help is available if you experience difficulties within your community. Remember you are responsible for the behaviour of your family, pets, friends and visitors to your home. This section explains about: what to do if you are experiencing anti-social behaviour parking on estates, and how we look after the shared areas on our estates. Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and harassment We hope that you enjoy living in your home. We aim to promote a safe and secure environment for people to live in. Sometimes, however, you may find that neighbours are causing a nuisance or that there are people in the area whose behaviour you find unreasonable. Occasionally this behaviour may be serious or even criminal. A leaflet is available that sets out Bracknell Forest Homes approach to dealing with anti-social behaviour (or ASB), please contact us for a copy or get one from our website Anti-social behaviour will commonly involve the following types of behaviour: noise loud music, shouting, animals, cars, burglar alarms, door slamming harassment, bullying or intimidation including racial, homophobic and hate crime criminal damage and criminal acts vandalism, arson, damage to property, graffiti, assault environmental animal fouling, fly tipping, abandoned vehicles, litter and dumping rubbish

3 alcohol, drugs or substance misuse and dealing animals uncontrolled dogs, unsuitable/dangerous pets sexual indecent exposure, sexual acts in public places general nuisance gangs, begging, repeated or prolonged vehicle repairs in the street. What to do if you are experiencing ASB If you are experiencing ASB, please consider the following actions: if you feel safe and comfortable doing so, talk to the person causing the problem. This often solves problems at an early stage listen to the person, they may tell you about things that cause them annoyance if the problem continues, please contact us on , by letter, by visiting our office or online. If there is immediate risk of harm or if a crime has been committed, please contact the police immediately. For some types of behaviour it might be necessary to involve the environmental health department. We can help you to make a referral or you can contact them direct. What you can expect from Bracknell Forest Homes We will: allocate a named member of staff to respond to your concerns. They will contact you within five working days in cases involving threats, actual violence or harassment, we will contact you within 24 hours give you an incident diary for you to fill in as incidents occur repair damage and remove graffiti offer support, including practical help such as security measures

4 advise you of your rights and responsibilities involve you in the development of an action plan carry out regular reviews with you. At all stages, we will agree with you action to be taken and will not contact other agencies or people without your consent. Parking Please be considerate to other people when you park your car. Car parking is often restricted. On most estates parking is not allocated unless your home has its own driveway. In some areas we have to restrict the number of vehicles you and your household can park on an estate. You must not drive or park on any open spaces, grass verges, shared gardens or similar pieces of land in your area. If you park on grass and cause damage, we may charge you for the cost of repairing the damage. All vehicles parked on Bracknell Forest Homes land and driveways must be taxed and roadworthy or displaying a Statutory Off-Road Notice (SORN). We will arrange for the removal of vehicles if they appear abandoned, unroadworthy or unsafe. We have a number of garages available to rent. Please contact us for more information. If you wish to construct a hard standing for car parking, you must ask us for permission first. You may also need to get permission from the Council. Rubbish and waste disposal Please dispose of your rubbish properly. Only put bin bags or rubbish sacks in designated areas, for example bin stores. Contact Bracknell Forest Council if you need to dispose of large items such as furniture. They will collect and dispose of it for a small charge. Alternatively you can take

5 bulky items and garden refuse to the Civic Amenity site in Longshot Lane. Please tell us if someone has dumped rubbish on your estate. We will move the rubbish and charge the person responsible. Pets We expect you to look after your pets in a responsible way. They must not cause a nuisance to your neighbours. We may ask you to re-home a pet that causes a nuisance. Please get permission from us before you get a pet. Pests, vermin and infestations Infestations of pests like rats, ants, wasps, mice or even squirrels, can be a common problem. If you have a pest problem, you should contact the Council s environmental health department. They will be able to put you in touch with a pest control expert, who can properly deal with the problem. You will usually have to pay for this service. We will repair any structural damage caused by pests and vermin or do work needed to stop them getting into your home. However, we cannot start the repair work until a pest control expert has dealt with the infestation. Decorating You are responsible for keeping the inside of your home in a good state of decoration. We will give you decoration vouchers if we think that the rooms in your home need decorating when you move in. If you live in a sheltered property or you are elderly or disabled, we may be able to help with some decorating. Please contact us for further information. We maintain the paintwork on the outside of your home and have a programme to paint and maintain the outside of our properties.

6 Communal or shared areas If you share facilities outside your home with other people, such as hallways or staircase, you are responsible for keeping the area free from obstructions, including items such as bicycles and prams. Keeping communal areas and estates clean and tidy is a joint responsibility between Bracknell Forest Homes and yourself. Neighbourhood Estate Action Team (NEAT) The Neighbourhood Estate Action Team (NEAT) is a team comprising Estate Officers, Mobile Caretakers and a Handy Person. The aim of the NEAT is to keep all estates in Bracknell Forest clean, tidy and safe. The NEAT visits all estates and land owned and managed by Bracknell Forest Homes. The team identifies vandalism, graffiti and other forms of anti-social behaviour, then liaises with the police and the Council to tackle problems. The NEAT also deals with illegally dumped rubbish, abandoned trolleys and untaxed or abandoned vehicles. The Mobile Caretakers and Estate Officers carry out regular estate patrols and health and safety inspections, as well as providing caretaking services to flats and communal areas. Our Handy Person is also on hand to carry out minor repairs in communal areas and to assist vulnerable customers with minor repairs. Gardens It is your responsibility to look after your garden or balcony if you have one. You must not allow it to become overgrown with shrubs or weeds. You must not cut down or lop any tree in your garden. If you want to have work done to trees, please contact us. We will arrange for an inspection and discuss any work that is needed.

7 If you keep pets, you must clean up after them and keep the garden and any patio clean and hygienic. You must keep your pets contained within your garden with secure fencing. If you are older or disabled, we may be able to offer you assistance with cutting your grass or trimming your hedges. If you are interested in finding out more about this, please contact your Housing Officer. Cleaning All tenants are responsible for keeping the inside of their homes clean and tidy. If you are elderly and cannot manage to do as much housework as you need to, you may be eligible for assistance. You can get advice about this from the Council on If you live in a block of flats with seven or more flats in it, Bracknell Forest Homes provides a cleaning service to all the communal areas. The contractor will call once a week to sweep and wash the hall stairs and landings. They will not remove rubbish sacks from outside individual flats. All residents must help to keep the block clean and tidy and are responsible for disposing of rubbish in the correct way and not dropping litter or cigarette ends. If you spill anything in the communal areas, please clean it up immediately. If you live in a block of flats containing six or fewer properties, Bracknell Forest Homes does not provide a cleaning service. All residents are expected to help keep the block clean and undertake cleaning of the communal areas. Many residents organise their own cleaning rota to ensure that everyone in the block takes their turn. We may be able to provide a cleaning service for an additional charge. Please contact us for more information.

HOUSING SERVICES. Policy Anti Social Behaviour Policy Version 2. Issue Date Lead Officer Neil Turton Review Date

HOUSING SERVICES. Policy Anti Social Behaviour Policy Version 2. Issue Date Lead Officer Neil Turton Review Date HOUSING SERVICES Policy Anti Social Behaviour Policy Version 2 Ref ASB2 Issue Date Lead Officer Neil Turton Review Date Jan 2011 Jan 2013 Policy working group members Approved by Policy Unit Landlord Services