Anti-social behaviour

The legal definition of ASB is "Acting in a manner that has caused or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household as themselves".

Examples of ASB include:

• persistent noise nuisance: e.g., loud music, persistent shouting, excessive volumes from a TV or radio.
• intimidation and harassment (Harassment is violence which may be verbal or physical, bullying, or cyber bullying and which includes attacks on property as well as on the person). Any of form of harassment should be reported to Surrey Police.
• hate crime or behaviour that targets members of identified groups because of their perceived differences: e.g., Race, religion or belief, disability, transgender identity or sexual orientation. Hate crime should be reported to Surrey Police.
• aggressive and threatening language or behaviour.
• actual violence against people and wilful damage to property.
• local environmental quality issues (e.g. litter, dog fouling, graffiti and fly tipping).

This list is not exhaustive. Any type of behaviour that causes harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance can be assessed and potentially considered as anti-social. Every case will be judged on its own merits, and if the behaviour amounts to ASB, we will investigate it or signpost to other agencies such as the police.

What is not considered to be ASB?

Examples of behaviour that are not ASB :

• reports relating to ball games.
• disputes over boundary issues or other household disagreements.
• actions which amount to people being unpleasant (e.g. staring at or ignoring people).
• parking disputes.
• other neighbourhood issues that are not generally considered to be ASB such as children playing or people hanging around in groups.
• reports due to different lifestyles or everyday living situations which are not intended to cause nuisance or annoyance are not generally considered as ASB: e.g. children playing, babies crying, cooking smells, pet noise, household noise due to everyday living - TV, music, radio, noise from electrical items such as washing machines or vacuum cleaners and DIY (during reasonable hours as defined by local authorities), and one-off parties, BBQs, and celebrations.
• noise created by transference due to poor sound insulation.
• social media posts or text messages.

Persistent or harmful behaviour

We understand that some behaviours, even if they don't appear serious on their own, can become distressing if they happen repeatedly over time. If behaviour is persistent, deliberate, and is causing serious harm or distress, we will consider it in line with our ASB policy and take appropriate action.

If you feel that you're the victim of anti-social behaviour, you should consider the following steps.

Consider the situation

Ask yourself the following questions to help assess the situation:

• is the behaviour persistent and ongoing?
• are others in the neighbourhood also affected?
• is it truly anti-social, or is it reasonable day-to-day living noise (e.g. a baby crying, children playing, or a one-off celebration)?
• am I being fair and realistic? Remember that people of different ages, cultures, and lifestyles may naturally create different levels of noise or activity..

Take reasonable steps

• often, issues can be resolved by having a calm, polite conversation. If you feel comfortable, try speaking to your neighbour directly. A helpful guide on how to do this can be found on Healthy Surrey.
• get involved in your local community. Initiatives like neighbourhood watch really make a difference to how safe a community feels.
• join your local residents' association. These groups can offer support, help share concerns, and work together to address local issues.

Gather evidence

If the problem continues and you decide to make a formal complaint, it's important to have clear evidence:

• keep a log or diary of incidents, noting dates, times, and details.
• save any written threats or communications related to the behaviour.

Accept noise monitoring equipment from our Regulatory Services if offered and appropriate to your case.

Contact support services 

• Healthy Surrey 
• ASB Help  
• Mediation Surrey community mediation service
• Mediation Surrey emotional support coaching service

Anti-social behaviour is dealt with by a number of different organisations.  

The police deal with:

• anti-social use of vehicles
• rowdy and nuisance behaviour
• street drinking and anti-social drinking
• begging
• criminal damage/vandalism
• drug dealing
• misuse of airguns and inappropriate use of fireworks
• harassment
• Hate crime

You can report the above anti-social behaviour to police online, via social media or by calling 101 (999 in an emergency)

Guildford Borough Council Housing Tenants:

If you are a Guildford Borough Council tenant, please see our Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) for tenants page for guidance and how to report concerns directly to your Housing Officer.

Housing Associations:

If you are a tenant of a Housing Association, or if the anti-social behaviour involves someone who is, please visit your Housing Association's website for advice on how to report the issue.

Housing Associations are responsible for managing their tenants' behaviour in line with their tenancy agreements.

Guildford Borough Council deal with: 

• abandoned vehicles
• anti-social behaviour involving dogs
• graffiti
• litter
• fly-tipping and fly-posting (unless you are witnessing fly-tipping, in which case dial 999)
• noise nuisance
• smoke from a bonfire

You can report the above anti-social behaviour by clicking the links. 

We can help by:

• confidential investigation and risk assessments
• joint working with Police, Environmental Health and other agencies
• action plans and informal resolutions (e.g., mediation, warnings)
• focus on victim wellbeing and safeguarding

Support for victims

If you're affected by ASB or hate crime, we will:

• take your concerns seriously
• assess the impact and offer tailored support
• keep your details confidential
• support you to report incidents or report anonymously via Crimestoppers

Working in partnership

We work with:

• Surrey Police
• community safety and safeguarding teams
• mental health and advocacy services
• multi-agency panels such as CHaRMM, JAG and the Safer Guildford Partnership

Together, we ensure a coordinated response that prioritises victim safety and holds perpetrators accountable.

Case closure and feedback

We close cases when:

• the behaviour stops
• there's no further evidence
• you request closure
• another agency leads the response

We'll explain the closure decision and monitor the situation for a short period if appropriate.

Request an anti social behaviour case review

You can apply for an anti-social behaviour case review if you have reported three or more incidents of anti-social behaviour to us, the police or Surrey County Council and you do not feel the problem has been dealt with.