Estates Management Policy

Vandalism

The Council will arrange to remove any offensive graffiti from Council property within 4 hours of it being reported. This will be organised through the Area Housing Office. A special code will be used when ordering any repair work. This will allow the Council to monitor the cost of vandalism.

Any acts of vandalism reported to the Area Housing Office will be investigated immediately. Any necessary repair work will be arranged as a matter of urgency. Photographs will be taken as a record and held in the house file. Each photograph will be signed and dated by 2 officers.

Caretakers, Housing Assistants and Housing Inspectors will actively check their patches for signs of vandalism. They will make the necessary arrangements for repair work to be carried out as a matter of urgency. Where appropriate, they will liaise with the local police and members of the community with a view to identifying the perpetrator(s). All information will be passed to the local police office.

If an individual is charged with an act of vandalism affecting a local authority property, the Area Housing Manager will arrange to provide the local police with an estimate for the cost of the damage. This will be arranged immediately once the perpetrator is charged. The police will request, in court, that the perpetrator is ordered to repay the cost of the damage.

The Council will consider legal action such as interdict or Anti-social Behaviour Orders in cases where a tenant, anyone living with a tenant or anyone visiting a tenant is guilty of acts of vandalism to the property or in the locality of the property. The Area Manager will consider the evidence and discuss the situation with all agencies involved with the case. The Area Manager will then liaise with legal services before deciding on what course of action to take.

Where the interior of an empty property has been vandalised prior to the tenancy ending, the cost of the repair work will be recharged to the tenant. Photographs will be taken of the damage. The photographs will be signed and dated by 2 officers, and kept on file as a record. The charge may be waived if there is evidence to suggest that the damage was not caused by the tenant, anyone living with the tenant, or anyone visiting the tenant. Such evidence may include signs of a forced entry or break-in. The Area Housing Manager will consider the circumstances of the individual case and decide if the charge is to be waived.

Additional measures will be taken to prevent the vandalism to empty properties in areas where the risk is high. Alarms will be fitted and the property will be made to look occupied by dressing the windows with curtains.