Anti- Social Behaviour is considered to be present when a person’s or a family’s behaviour adversely affects the quality of life of the overall neighbourhood.

 

Activities, which are deemed to constitute anti-social behaviour:

• Extreme Behaviour - drug dealing, unprovoked assault, violence, serious harassment, racial harassment.
• Threatening or abusive behaviour, frequent serious disturbances, vandalism, damage to property.
• Other nuisance problems may include family disputes affecting neighbours, dog/pet control and behaviour of children, garden upkeep and verbal harassment
• Drinking- alcohol misuse, party’s and loud music
  

The Waterford Angle – Working towards ZERO tolerance on Anti-Social Behaviour

The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997 includes a number of provisions relating to anti-social behaviour in council rented dwellings and estates.

This legislation allows us to refuse or postpone a letting of a house, or to refuse an application from a you as a tenant to purchase a house, where you as the applicant is or has been involved in anti-social behaviour or where the letting or sale would not be in the interest of good estate management. The power to refuse lettings also extends to applicants who fail to provide necessary information to us as your Council. We may also refuse consent to the resale of a tenant purchase dwelling to a person involved in anti-social behaviour on the grounds of good estate management where the consent of the Council to the resale is required.

We will always apply Section 3 of the 1997 Act (Excluding Order) if practicable, when dealing with persons engaged in anti-social behaviour and in order to avoid if possible the eviction of an entire household.

Recording the complaint

We have a complaints procedure in place to deal with incidences of Anti-Social behaviour as defined by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1997. Complaints are accepted in writing on our official form which is available from the housing section. Complaints that do not fall within the definition of the 1997 Act are usually breaches of your tenancy agreement and they are also investigated.
Anonymous complaints are not accepted or investigated by Waterford County Council.
The complaints system is a confidential service and every effort is made to protect the identity of the complainants.
Complaints against owners of private property or tenant purchasers will not be investigated as this is beyond the remit of the 1966 and 1997 Acts.
Having regard to the level of resources available, complaints against unidentified persons will not be investigated.
Waterford County Council will adopt a very strict policy in relation to tenants involved in drug dealing from our Council houses and will consider making an application for an Excluding Order or service of Notice to Quit. Warning letters will not be sent to tenants involved in or convicted of drug dealing from Council dwellings.

Keeping Animals under control2

Can I keep pets in my home?        
You may keep domestic pets such as cats or dogs as long as they don’t become a nuisance to your neighbours. You are only allowed one dog and one cat per household. 

• Under the Control of Dogs Act 1986, every dog must have a licence.  A licence may be purchased at any Post Office.
• Failure to have a dog licence or to keep a dog under control may result in an on the spot fine.
• Particular care should be taken to keep your dog under control on bin day.

The Control of Dogs (restriction of certain Dogs) Regulations, 1991
You as a tenant must keep the following dogs on a lead and must be muzzled in a public place:

• American Pit Bull Terrier
• Bulldog
• Bull Mastiff
• Doberman Pinscher
• English Bull Terrier
• German Shepherd (Alsatian)
• Japanese Akita
• Japanese Tosa
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Rottweiler
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Please contact our Dog Warden on 058 20894 for further information. 
Waterford County Council recommends that you as our tenant should only keep a dog that is suitable to the size of your garden.

Horses, pigs and poultry are not domestic pets
If you keep any of these it is a serious breach of your tenancy agreement.

Control of Horses
The Local Gardai work very closely with the Council in the control of horses, and any horse found on an Estate or in a public place will be impounded.