Your frequently asked questions...
How long will it take to sort my problem out?
It varies depending on the type of problem and how often it occurs. We often need to build up a “picture” of the problem to know how best to deal with it. To give you an idea of how quickly we will start investigating our targets are:-
For High Priority Cases, such as hate crimes or violent attacks – one working day
For Medium Priority Cases, such as damage to property – two working days
For Standard Priority Cases, such as dogs barking – five working days
Why can’t you just evict them?
Evicting someone is not always the solution to the problem. We always look at other methods of resolving the problem before we evict. Sometimes the threat of losing their home is enough to stop the anti social behaviour. We look at supporting the family to try and stop the behaviour which is affecting others.
Will you tell them who has complained?
In the first instance, no. We will always try to protect your identity and will not reveal who has made the complaint.
The only time we would reveal your identity is if it was essential to the legal process and we would tell you before we did this. At that point you would have the option to withdraw as a witness.
What is hearsay evidence?
Hearsay evidence is where someone gives evidence on your behalf. For example, you saw someone smash a window and you told us who did it, we would say in court “Resident A saw Bill Smith smash the window”. It means you wouldn’t have to attend court and your identity is not revealed. We can use hearsay evidence in most cases.
What if the person causing the problem is not an FCHO tenant?
If the person is visiting one of our properties we could take action against the tenant of that property as all tenants are responsible for visitors to their home. We also work closely with other Landlords and can share information with them so that if one of their tenants is causing problems they can take action just like FCHO would. In addition to this we would also work with the Community Safety Unit, as there are many different powers they could take to stop the problem.
What if I don’t know their names?
Just give as much information as you have. You might overhear a nickname and we may know who that is. They might be wearing distinctive clothing or branded sportswear and we could identify them that way too.