If you’re suffering badly from the curse of the neighbours from hell, you may be able to breathe a sigh of relief very soon, due to the prospect of new legislation that will enable beleaguered residents to get their stress-inducing neighbours evicted speedily for causing a real nuisance.
If you're currently dealing with anti-social neighbours and need guidance on the steps to take, you can get help from our free Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan.
The process of getting a problem neighbour evicted has been painfully slow in the past, even when neighbours have been involved in really antisocial behaviour, and under new rules, certain ‘offences’ will automatically give the authorities greater powers to evict troublemakers, especially if the problem neighbours are indulging in illegal activities.
It’s been estimated that around 3000 tenants a year are subject to eviction proceedings because of their antisocial behaviour, but the process of actually evicting them is lengthy and can take up to seven months. This means that the behaviour carries on, making the lives of the other residents a misery and giving the troublemakers even more opportunity to wreak havoc.
Evicting problem tenants is also extremely expensive – in some complex cases ousting a 'neighbour from hell' can cost in excess of £20,000.
Examples of Antisocial Behaviour
As recently as July 2011, it was reported that an Oxford family had finally been evicted following two whole years of complaints from their neighbours about their swearing, loud music, fighting and even allegations about prostitution. In Peterborough an elderly woman claimed that she had become a prisoner in her own home for ten months after a new neighbour moved in and began a hate campaign against her.
What Are the Plans?
Housing minister Grant Shapps announced at the beginning of August 2011 that he planned to dramatically speed up court processes – some of which have been known to take over a year. To counteract this, he plans to introduce new mandatory possession powers which will allow any past convictions that a problem tenant has for serious anti-social behaviour to trigger off eviction proceedings. This should mean that the process of evicting antisocial neighbours will be sped up and give the rest of the neighbourhood a break from their antics.
Some of the offences which are likely to trigger eviction proceedings are:
- Any breach of a previous anti-social behaviour injunction, if it was taken out by a social landlord (the rules won’t apply to private tenants or home-owners)
- Any conviction for a serious housing-related offence – these would include criminal damage, violent behaviour against neighbours or drug dealing.
- Closure under a closure order - for example in cases where a tenant has been using a property for dealing drugs.
These specific types of anti-social behaviour order will also be recognised in both criminal and civil courts, which will cut out the need for two sets of legal proceedings against troublesome tenants who have been indulging in criminal behaviour.
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Try our Neighbour Rights Checker free, here on this site →Why are The Government Taking Action Now?
The government have realised the misery that can be caused to law-abiding and considerate tenants just through the actions of an antisocial few, and have decided to level up the playing field and stop taking the rights of the people causing the problems more seriously than those who blatantly abuse their neighbours.
It’s been decided that in extreme cases, faster action is needed to avoid situations where an entire neighbourhood becomes a no-go area, and the area goes downhill, just because of the actions of one family or even one tenant.
Ministers are also keen to introduce probationary tenancies that will last for up to a year, enabling local authorities and housing associations to throw out problem tenants easily if they don’t behave properly and respect their neighbours.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Neighbours From Hell in Britain
The moves have been welcomed by pressure group Neighbours From Hell in Britain, who champion the rights of residents blighted with problem neighbours. The group said that its members had been overwhelmingly supportive of any changes in the law which gave the police, councils and courts the powers to act swiftly.
A spokesperson for the group said that individuals who were, or had been, living with problem neighbours agreed that the current legal process in place to deal with a neighbour from hell takes far too long. He added that the process didn’t support the 'victim' of the behaviour. A survey of 1000 victims revealed that half didn’t actually believe that antisocial behaviour orders made a difference, and said that noisy neighbours were the biggest problem.
Consultation
A government consultation, ‘A new mandatory power of possession for anti-social behaviour’ is available online on the Communities and local Government website. The deadline for responses to the consultation is 5pm on Thursday 27 October 2011.
I am disabled and suffer from depression, anxiety and P.t.s.d. Due to being in a controlled abuse relationship. I live alone, and I am completely isolated. And at 04:22 on the September the 2nd. I cannot take anymore. I just want peace. The neighbour has made me so ill. I can’t carry on anymore.
Will post about this Cukoo feed me feed me has got this small village estate in ruins. 20 years of part peaceful tenancy, ruined by a Greedy 30 year old, lying thieving mother of 2 children who r trained up to do same, ""Extra Cash "" is her Cry ! , spying listning recording me Audio 24/7, looking in windows, to see where i put things , u can hear a pill drop with the basic cheap Android / tablets amazon, cheap listining devices.
Gotta be stopped. I am a physical wreck after years of operations, to come home to all my essentials stolen & her brother in laws picture on my cctv web cam. She had him installed in here, and out as soon as she got tipped off, on my return from hospital.The council have been informed.
I was trying everything, Council, police do nothing and they laugh in my face that police and council will do nothing
So I'm looking for new house. I have a baby 15 months, she need me happy not stressed
I was a witness and made a statement
He was arrested and charged when released from the police station on bail
He came looking for me tried to asssult myself and my friend
Then he went back to his house taped 2 twelve inch knives to his hands and tried to smash the windows of my car to stab me
This was all on CCTV
He was arrested charged spent 3 months on remand
Convicted at crown court
Banned from returning to the street for 2 years so couldn’t enter his council house
Myself and my friend both have lifetime with no end date no contact restraining orders against
He also got 18 months suspended for two years and agreed to move
Well that was in April 2020
Almost two years on he still has the tenancy and he has not set foot in the house since
April 27 - 2020
Council are aware but are not evicting him yet they are “ facilitating “ a move
It’s the f…. Longest move in history
My MP & Counciller have been great
Bristol City council I don’t have words fit them
It’s like they want him to come back and stab me and then they might move him
I live in a council property that is practically a house converted into 2 flats, poorly insulated and not sound proofed. I moved into to the property when an old lady lived above me through a mutual exchange from a friend as the previous property I lived was a council estate in a tower block and I moved into this lovely quiet property.
No noise upstairs, no noise from other neighbors on my street, it was quiet heaven. Then the lady upstairs passed away in Hospital. The council then had to look for a new tenant.
Few months later later, they moved in an odd looking person who was quiet at first late 40s-early 50s, then the trouble started. Loud music, loud walking about. He became aggressive when I or my next door neighbor complained about the loud music.
It got even worst when he played his music from 3am to 7am on sunday, This was final straw, I complained and he got so angry towards me and aggressive like he was on something, he assaulted me, I got the police involved. They arrived about 15 minutes later. He got aggravated towards the police who arrested him especially after he head-butted the police officer who was handcuffing him and threaten to do a dirty protest.
They believed he was under the influence of something, we got peace and quiet for 48 hours as we believe he did his dirty protest, if not he would of been released early. when I reported this to the housing officer including the diary report, he arrived said he has mental problem but he has told me that he's given him a verbal caution. I wasn't happy with this at all.
About a month later, he was upto his old trick again, playing loud music, it didn't go on until 7am though. Mostly ended around 11pm-1am. still antisocial, most cases you phone the noise nuisance team, they say they can't get out at the moment, when they did he stopped before they arrived.
Somewhere in mid 2019, I started to get suspicious when he was leaving in the early hours of the morning, 2am, 3am, 4am, repeatedly in and out. He was also having undesirable people coming to the property at unsociable hours. I came out one day to find a drug package with white residue often carried by cocaine users, I was starting to believe in the back of the mind he was dealing.
In end of year 2019 my suspicions were correct when I heard commotion in corridor from his apartment, it was his drug supplier kicking the crap out of him about using the product instead of selling it.
Early 2020 around 5am I heard banging outside, thought it was him. I heard another bang as I took my headset off as I was up
am putting up with it no longer
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