Antisocial behaviour powers

The Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 came into force in October 2014. Some of the main changes that affect us and other social landlords include the following:

We have a new power to apply for injunctions against under-18s in the most serious cases of antisocial behaviour.

The discretionary grounds for possession in antisocial behaviour proceedings have been extended. They now enable us to apply for possession if nuisance or annoyance is directed towards our staff or if a tenant or an adult family member is convicted of an offence for rioting in the UK.

The introduction of a new compulsory antisocial behaviour (ASB) ground for possession. The trigger for this is if any of the following conditions are met:

1. The tenant (or any person residing at or visiting the property) has been convicted of a serious criminal offence
2. The tenant (or any person residing at or visiting the property) has been convicted of breaching provisions of an injunction
3. The tenant (or person visiting or residing at the tenant’s property) has been convicted of breaching a criminal behaviour order obtained by the police
4. The premises have been closed by the police or local council under a closure order
5. The tenant (or person residing at or visiting the property) has been convicted of breaching a statutory noise abatement notice.

We’ll consider using this power if someone is causing a problem to their neighbours or in the local community.