News / Anti-social behaviour
Nuisance neighbours laws to come into force
New laws are set to come into force on Monday that aim to make it easier for so-called ‘nuisance neighbours’ to be evicted.
More than a quarter of UK adults have had a problem with a nuisance neighbour in the past year, according to a recent survey by Which?
The survey showed young people tended to put up with a problem rather than take action, and Which? produced a four-stage strategy for dealing with the problem:
is needed now More than ever
- Speak to your neighbour to see if they will stop the annoyance;
- Contact your landlord or freeholder who may be able to take action;
- Contact your local authority who may investigate and prosecute;
- Go to the ombudsman if you’ve exhausted your council’s complaints process
From their introduction in 1999 to December 2013, about 600 anti-social behaviour orders were issued by courts in Avon and Somerset. But critics said the bureaucracy of the legal process meant it could take months for nuisance neighbours to be moved on.
The new provisions of the Anti Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 will provide greater powers to allow social housing associations and landlords to re-possess homes provided one of the following conditions were met:
- The tenant has been convicted for a serious offence;
- The tenant, or a family member, has been found by a court to have breached an injunction to prevent nuisance and annoyance;
- The tenant has been convicted for breaching a criminal behaviour order;
- The tenant has been convicted for breaching an environmental notice or order; or
- The tenant’s property has been closed for more than 48 hours under a closure order for anti-social behaviour.
John Cox from Bristol law firm Clarke Willmott LLP said today: “Anti social behaviour can have a huge impact on the quality of life of individuals and the wider community.
“It is hoped this new legislation will make it faster and simpler to evict those making lives a nightmare for the local community, and will be welcomed by both communities and social housing landlords who have suffered for too long with problem tenants.”
Picture: Shutterstock
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