When an ASB case goes to court, you never feel like you’ve ‘won’

Everything about the decision was justified. Every step was proportionate. Every avenue of support was explored multiple times over, and yet walking out of that courtroom didn’t feel like a victory – because it never does.

No one I know working in ASB celebrates obtaining a possession order. You might feel relief that neighbours finally have peace. You might feel satisfaction that a long process has reached a resolution, but you never feel like you’ve ‘won’ – because the price of success is that a person, with all their complexity, vulnerabilities, challenges and potential, now faces homelessness.

“The people we work with might be struggling with mental health difficulties, trauma, addiction, cognitive impairment, abusive relationships or total social isolation, or they might need neuro-inclusive adjustments”

That emotional contradiction is something the public rarely sees. We make difficult decisions not because we want to, but because we have to – to protect the wider community, to safeguard residents who have been suffering, to stop harm that has become intolerable. Even when it’s right, it feels heavy.

There is a misconception outside the sector that ASB cases are simple: a ‘perpetrator’ causes problems, the landlord acts and the matter is resolved. In reality, most ASB cases are far more complex.

The people we work with might be struggling with mental health difficulties, trauma, addiction, cognitive impairment, abusive relationships or total social isolation, or they might need neuro-inclusive adjustments. Often, several of these co-exist, and unpicking them requires time, persistence, patience and support from statutory services that are already under considerable strain.

Meanwhile, neighbours experiencing the behaviour are dealing with their own pressures. They may feel unsafe in their own homes. They may lose sleep, take time off work, fall ill with stress or change their routines to avoid the person causing the issues. Some people go months or years without feeling comfortable in the place they’re paying to live in peace.

I recently spent months building a relationship with someone who was causing significant harm to others. I attended appointments with them, sitting with them when they were in a good mood and listening on the days they felt defeated. I saw them at their very lowest. When you work closely with someone, you get to understand their situation in detail: not just their behaviour, but the circumstances around it.

At the same time, there were residents who were afraid to walk to their cars, who felt unsafe in their homes and whose well-being was deteriorating because of this individual’s behaviour. Their rights matter too.

“Knowing that your actions can protect one person while uprooting another weighs heavily”

Balancing both sides is the hardest part of the job. This responsibility, knowing that your actions can protect one person while uprooting another weighs heavily. It’s a pressure that those outside the profession often underestimate.

We are expected to be investigators, mediators, support workers, negotiators, legal witnesses, mental health navigators and community protectors. We are expected to make decisions that profoundly affect people’s lives, sometimes knowing that all the options left to us are difficult in different ways.

Bearing this burden isn’t easy. But there are things that help:

• Good supervision – reflective conversations, not just case updates.
• Peer support – colleagues who understand the emotional context, not just the procedural one.
• Clear evidence trails – helping reassure yourself that every step was necessary and justified.
• Shared decision-making – avoiding the feeling that one person is carrying the whole burden.
• Training and development – reminding yourself of the importance of proportionality and alternative tools.
• Recognising humanity on all sides – this keeps you grounded, even when decisions are tough.

Housing management and ASB work are jobs built on people. Yet much of the conversation is about enforcement, tools, powers and legislation. 

The human elements, the ones which stay with you after difficult visits or court outcomes, are the parts we discuss least. Acknowledging that this job affects us doesn’t make us less professional. It makes us better at what we do. It reminds us to approach every case with empathy, balance and humanity, even when the decisions we must make are hard.

Possession may sometimes be necessary. It may be justified. It may be the only remaining option to protect a community. But it will never feel like a win – and that’s why the people doing this work deserve space, support and recognition for the emotional load they carry.

Matt Williams, neighbourhood dispute officer, Wales & West Housing and associate tutor, Resolve ASB