Report a problem where you live

We want your home and community to be a nice place to live. If you’re worried about something, please tell us about it. There are some things we can help with, and some things that Barnsley Council are responsible for.

Abandoned property

A property becomes abandoned when a tenant moves out of their home permanently or for a long period and they haven’t informed us. They may leave the property unsecured making it an easy target for vandalism or squatters. This could affect the visual appearance of your street.

If you think one of your neighbours has abandoned their home, you can tell us by:

If you see an abandoned property outside our normal office hours, you can report it on 01226 787878 so that the property can be secured.

Remember to tell us your name, address, and phone number as we may need to ring you back.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB)

Please read our anti-social behaviour information first, and if you can’t talk to your neighbour about the problem or it’s a sensitive problem then you can report ASB by:

  • Phoning the police on 101 (or 999 in an emergency)  
  • Anonymously to CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111
  • Completing our online form
  • Phoning us on 01226 787878
  • Respect Line - available out of hours from 5pm to 9am Monday-Friday, weekends, and Bank Holidays 0800 075 6699

If you're reporting something to us, please remember to tell us your name, address, and phone number as we may need to ring you back.

Environmental issues

Please read our environment information first. You can report environmental issues by:

Please contact Barnsley Council to report:

Visit Barnsley Council’s website for more information

Hate and harassment

If you experience or witness hate crime you can report it to us, South Yorkshire Police, or Barnsley Council by:

Neighbourhoods, streets, and highways

Please contact Barnsley Council to report:

Squatters and unauthorised occupants

If you see an empty council property, it’s likely to be having repairs done before we offer it to another tenant.

We do take action to make sure that any empty property is secure and that illegal occupiers (squatters) cannot move into the property. But sometimes squatters do move into our empty homes.

We need your help to keep a watch on empty properties and tell us if there is any sign of squatters. You can help us by:

  • taking a note of the address you think has squatters
  • giving us a description of the squatters
  • making a note of how long they have been there

If you see anyone suspicious or who you believe is squatting in one of our properties, please let us know by:

Remember to tell us your name, address, and phone number as we may need to ring you back.

If you see someone breaking in or causing any damage, please contact South Yorkshire Police on 101.

We have to follow a legal process to evict unauthorised occupants. Once you’ve made contact with us, we’ll visit the property within 24 hours and if there are squatters we’ll start the legal process straight away.