Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a challenge for housing associations across the UK. Defined broadly, ASB includes a range of activities such as vandalism, excessive noise disturbance, harassment, drug use, and more.

These behaviours don’t just create an unpleasant atmosphere, they can seriously impact the quality of life for residents, leaving communities feeling unsafe and divided.

Over time, ASB can break down any sense of community, leading to residents feeling anxious, afraid, and isolated. For families, ASB causes children to grow up in an environment where they don’t feel secure. For elderly residents, it can lead to fear and increased isolation. This consequently drives down property values, making it harder to keep tenants and attract new ones.

The outcome of ASB is not only a disrupted community, but also increased maintenance expenses and reduced living standards for occupants.

For housing associations, dealing with ASB is a crucial part of providing safe and secure homes. When unchecked, ASB can lead to unhappy residents, increased complaints, and a higher turnover.

As well as community wellbeing, ASB also puts a significant financial strain on housing associations. The cost of repairing vandalism, addressing noise complaints, and managing drug-related issues can quickly drain resources that could be better spent elsewhere. This not only reduces budgets for other essential services, but also impacts the long-term sustainability of housing projects.

Given these challenges, housing associations are constantly searching for effective ways to combat ASB and maintain the safety and wellbeing of residents. While traditional methods like mediation and legal action are important, they often don’t go far enough in preventing future incidents.

By incorporating reliable community management security into housing developments, associations will deter anti-social behaviour, protect residents, and help build a sense of community.

Physical security refers to the systems and measures put in place to protect buildings, people, and assets from harm, harassment, or theft. For housing associations, these solutions typically include:

Physical security solutions are essential for housing associations. Not only do they deter potential offenders and prevent instances of ASB before they escalate, but they also provide peace of mind to residents, making them feel safer in their homes and public spaces. These systems also allow housing associations to monitor activity in real-time, gather evidence when necessary, and respond quickly to incidents.

By investing in physical security, housing associations can be more proactive against ASB, creating a strong, thriving sense of community and environments where residents feel protected and connected.

Verkada offer a wide range of physical security solutions and benefits that prove to make a real difference in tackling ASB across housing communities. Using advanced, hybrid technology, Verkada systems provide housing associations with reliable and easy-to-manage security options that go beyond traditional methods.

With the hybrid-cloud physical security framework, housing associations can monitor multiple sites from a single dashboard, making it easier to keep an eye on things in real-time, respond quickly to issues, and even share access with law enforcement where necessary.

To tackle ASB directly and proactively, Verkada’s smart cameras and sensors are designed to be both discreet and powerful, capturing clear footage day and night. This not only helps deter potential offenders and public disturbance, but also provides crucial evidence if incidents do occur. Features and benefits also include:

More and more housing associations are beginning to utilise physical security solutions to stop and prevent anti-social behaviour.

Verkada is always evolving, developing new tools to help the housing sector keep up with changing environments. With future updates underway, their solutions are set to become even more powerful, giving housing associations stronger anti-social behaviour prevention and protect their communities.