What Is the Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003?

Originally written by Abigail Taylor, updated by the editorial team on 19th May 2026

What the Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003 covers

The Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003 was introduced to tackle persistent nuisance and disruptive behaviour in England and Wales. It gave local authorities, police and social landlords stronger powers to deal with problem behaviour affecting communities.

Most of this legislation has now been replaced by the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which took over as the main framework for dealing with antisocial behaviour. However, understanding the 2003 Act helps explain how the current system developed. You may still see references to it in older tenancy agreements, local authority documents, or cases that began before the 2014 Act came into force.

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Key powers under the Act

The 2003 Act introduced measures targeting specific problems that had proven difficult to address under existing laws. These included drug-related nuisance from residential properties, youth antisocial behaviour, and groups causing persistent trouble in public spaces.

Closure orders for problem premises: Police gained the power to apply to a Magistrates Court to close residential properties linked to serious problems. This covered two main situations:

Properties connected with the use, production or supply of Class A drugs, where there had been serious nuisance or disorder affecting the public in the previous three months
Properties associated with significant and persistent disorder, or persistent serious nuisance to members of the public in the previous three months

Once a closure order was in place, entering the premises became a criminal offence. Those who breached a closure order could face up to six months in prison or a fine. These orders provided quick relief for neighbours living near properties causing ongoing disruption. The 2014 Act has since replaced these closure powers with updated provisions under Part 4 of that legislation.

Extended powers for social landlords: While registered social landlords such as housing associations already had some ability to seek injunctions under earlier legislation, the 2003 Act expanded these powers. It made it easier for them to take direct action against individuals causing antisocial behaviour without relying solely on the police or local council to intervene first.

Parenting contracts and orders: The Act introduced measures to address antisocial behaviour by young people through their parents. This included formal written agreements between parents and local authorities, and where these proved insufficient, court-ordered parenting programmes designed to improve supervision and control of children involved in problem behaviour.

Community safety orders: The 2003 Act also brought in provisions allowing courts to impose requirements on individuals whose behaviour was causing harassment, alarm or distress. These orders could restrict where someone could go or who they could associate with.

Dispersal powers: Police were given authority to disperse groups in designated areas where antisocial behaviour had been a persistent problem. Officers could move people on and return under-16s to their homes. These powers have since been replaced by the broader dispersal powers in Part 3 of the 2014 Act.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

How the 2014 Act changed things

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 replaced and simplified the various tools that had built up over the years, including most provisions from the 2003 Act. The aim was to create a more straightforward system that was easier for authorities to use and for the public to understand.

The 2014 Act introduced:

Civil injunctions to replace ASBOs and other court orders
Community Protection Notices for ongoing problems affecting a local area
Public Spaces Protection Orders to restrict activities in specific locations
Updated closure powers that built on and refined the 2003 provisions

If you are dealing with antisocial behaviour now, the 2014 Act will be the relevant legislation in most cases. However, if your situation involves older documents or historical context, understanding what the 2003 Act covered can help you make sense of references you encounter.

What this means if you have a problem neighbour

If you are experiencing antisocial behaviour from a neighbour, the specific legislation matters less than knowing who can help and what practical steps to take. Your first point of contact will usually be:

Your local council, which has a duty to investigate antisocial behaviour complaints
Your landlord, if you rent from a housing association or council
The police, if the behaviour involves criminal activity or you feel unsafe

Keep a written record of incidents, including dates, times and what happened. This evidence will support any formal complaint you make.

Be aware that councils and housing associations have limited resources and may not be able to resolve every situation. For persistent problems where formal action has not worked, consider community mediation services or seeking legal advice about your options.

Many councils have dedicated antisocial behaviour teams, and housing associations have their own complaints procedures. Contact details are usually available on your local council website or your landlord's website.

For guidance on current antisocial behaviour powers, GOV.UK provides information on the 2014 Act. Citizens Advice can help you understand your rights and options.

If you need a structured approach to tackling your situation, our free Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan can help you work through your options step by step.

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ProblemNeighbours Editor 18/05/2026 at 9:17 am

@Dee Your neighbour is wrong. Parking on a footway (pavement) that obstructs pedestrians is an offence, and police can issue fines or have vehicles removed regardless of whether they're taxed and registered. Report it to your local council's parking enforcement and to the police on 101, and log every incident of the gestures and abuse as antisocial behaviour. Keep a diary with dates and times, as you'll need that evidence if you want the council or police to take formal action.

Dee 16/05/2025 at 12:13 am

Our neighbour owns 5 vehicles and two trailers. At any given time there are at least two vehicles and a trailer parked on the footpath, obstructing pedestrian traffic. The other trailer and cars are parked on the road outside his residence. He claims that as the vehicles are registered, he has permission to park them on the footpath. Could you please advise if this is correct. He is a very aggressive and abusive person and not approachable. He constantly makes extremely rude gestures and mouths foul language at us constantly.
What can we do
Thank you
Dawn Franklin

arrow 12/07/2022 at 3:22 pm

My friend has neighbours who have been waking them up in the early hours of the morning for years (about 8 or 9 years). They suddenly scream abuse at each other and shout things like 'ow ow ow' and you've wet the bed! so loud that it wakes them up. They have loud distressing arguments at least three times a week that they can clearly hear.

They were so worried about them that a few years ago they knocked on their door and asked if they were ok. They both said they were. The police have been called numerous times (by themselves!)and we think they are drinking a lot as often the police appear but they don't answer the door. There have been ambulances called out in the night, then they don't answer the door, and since they had their child, social services have been called more than once. The issue is that nothing seems to be done and they can still hear the verbal abuse happening, now involving the daughter who is about 6. The mum tells her that daddy is useless, needs to get a job, to get out of the way amongst other things. We believe the mum is the aggressor. My friend's own daughters have grown up hearing this through the walls and it's very distressing indeed. They've told the neighbours they can hear it many times, banged on their door, shouted through the wall etc. But it just carries on. They are very worried about the little girl's well-being but don't believe she is being physically abused, just verbally.

The mum has had a couple of injuries that we know about including a broken pelvis currently, though we don't believe it's her husband. We think she is drunk and hurts herself. The daughter has been heard begging them to stop. This week my friend told the dad it's so distressing, they've had enough and need it to stop but he just shrugs and says it's just drama, that it's not physical. The worst thing is constantly waiting to hear the next argument as it's very distressing for them to live next door to. Is there anything else they can do to get help and make it stop? My friend is at the end of her tether and the police and social services don't seem to be worried enough about them to do anything other than occasionally visit.

Dan 21/07/2021 at 9:30 pm

My neighbours filmed and posted my kids and put on you tube. Broke our door and more

Clmmunity stalking 29/03/2021 at 3:36 am

Where can a man and his wife have learned to influence people. If not in prison or a mental health institutition.

The government may be planning a lock down but here adult men (and their offspring and their wives and parents) have voluntarily not left their yard, front porch. Have not gone further than a few yards /a few steps from their front door, voluntarily because of me.

They watch me and make noise around the clock. Deny their offspring from using parks, fields, forests, just hang around next to my home. Hang around outside.

Usually no-one here anuwhere else uses their gardens. They are empty everywhere else because they are small and people can be seen and people just usually leave their home to do sport or to have some other hobby. In towns. Well even in tve country side i have never seenadult men just hang around. Usually gardens are for the women to use. I have sometimes sen women but never men hanging around at hlne anywhere else.

Here dozens of men hang around not go anywhere like ride a bike to a field take their own famiky, kids to hobbies. They are addicted to me, a strange woman. Dont take their own offspring to hobbies even, they ask other peoole to do that.

They know you can here every move someone makes out because just me walnkng in my garden makes them open blinds and come stare in the window so they choose to yell even teens adult men offspring just hang around here. 3 men stop 3 men start it.

Yes believe me. I am not megalomaniac. These adult men hang around like tgey are prisonersbecause of me, a married woman.

Here adult men hang around on my sake. Dont see anything wierd in that. Hate campaign, noise canpaign. They feel menly like they are defending their rights to use their yards, feel community spirit, hate towards me and watch me, always eyes on my windows, hang around, voluntarily for a decade and longer been just hanging around, not leaving the vicinity of their front porch, all the time outside using appliences and making noise.

Icebaby 28/01/2021 at 9:28 pm

I live on a housing estate , my family keep themselves to themselves and we all mind our own business, and only speak to our neighbours, my son has just started his own business and has a van , it has been egged and so has the side of my house , where do I stand , I have reported it to the police.

Mirandah 12/01/2021 at 3:03 am

Is it just here that families are different or have families changed in a few decades. Like in 1970's all parents were considerate of others.
maybe they had low self-esteem but they didn't let their kid bother anybody but were always like very court snd ordered their children, about, very considerate of neighbors and anxious to see that they or their kids didnt make noiae. They ordered them to be quiet dont go there hanging about... they just had this look ar their kid and it was enough at a birthdsy party so he would behave and not have any more cake . Or wouldn't be a nuisance to anybody. No parent i knew back then thought that their kid was a gift from god and other people would enjoy his being noisy. Or around even. I liked these considerate parents who didnt think they can do anything just because they have reproduced. I liked them being realistic and low self esteem realizing their kid isnt allowed to make anybodys life miserable. That was out of the question. They , kids knew their place and that was not to bully anyone with noise

Now parents themselves yell, let their kids gather anywhere not just parks and have no limit to what they allow themselves their visitors their families that visit or their kids can make any amount of noise but othwr people dont matter. It is called self esteem? Or selfish?

Not right 18/09/2020 at 4:23 am

Can bullying be when one neighbor spread bad rumours to other neighbors about you and try to get other neighbour to side with them and they will call officer on you, even when you didn't do anything that will cause disturbance. we are only asian race different from the rest of the neighbors who are all middle eastern on the street. I notice they only to seem like they pick on us mostly cause we will not do anything and will keep to ourselves. I did talk to the neighbour one time but that neighbour just yell at me and he will cut me off so none of my words matters. Even, i talk to their guests, it was the same way too but it feel like threatening us. So, i just left as that and didn't do anything. When we first moved in, the neighbor complain to us, telling us not to park in front of our home cause he can't reverse out of his driveway so we were being considerate and we didn't park there but then he is having their guests park there which I thought we had arrangements about the situation. For 6 years, this neighbour will have their guests park in front of home when there are plenty of space near them. I know it is not my property but should be considerate. During the pandemic, i notice the neighbor was having a lot of guests more than 10 people visiting their home and will stay for long period of time. They think they own the whole parking spaces on the street. I didn't want to report it and don't want to be bad neighbour. This middle eastern family with guests are purposely provoking us when we wasn't even going to talk to say or do anything

Anna Lea 16/06/2020 at 8:59 pm

Since April 4th 20 we have put up with a humming noise from upstairs flat it’s leasehold may agent said it’s me Plummer ni got said unit air conditioning Or transmitter low frequency upstairs trying to get rid of us they have been trouble since 2014 harrassment His wife upstairs saying bugger off nobody wants you here the gardener they told him to bugger off and denied it. I asked after breast cancer treatment fr them to make less noise wife said what’s that got to do with it Landlords fr hesr ar useless and insulting. It’s a mess the garden we pay fr that doesn’t get done I’m a landlord since 1970 I understand most there has even been a wasps nest in attic they do nothing

Community stalking, 14/05/2020 at 3:08 am

I am a victim of community harassment, community stalking, since 2007. There has not been a day without constant loud noises, mostly screaming yelling their lungs out since gathering here has been going on, families can be evil and my children are playing the price. Also constant construction and sabotage has damaged my house and the ball playing and sabotage my car. My privacy has been broken and my children are victims of evil people. Some like to raise sociopaths, they tell them to go in front of my home and start yelling

NA 09/04/2020 at 9:26 am

The house next door turn the prosperity into small individual 1 bedroom flats one of the bedroom is on my front room wall when I play my radio in the middle of the which I do occasionally she complain I can hardly hear my music in my kitchen my neighbours can not hear my music however this is only because in the rebuilding the cavity walls and was taken out
I have been racial abuse because of this

Sid 03/04/2020 at 8:10 pm

I would be grateful of any advice? My neighbour who lives above me in a block of flat make constant noise during the day and evening. I can hear them waking, running or jumping around on the floor. At times they can make the light shade swing which is amazing as we have a lump of concrete between us. I once spoke to them about another problem and the response wasn't very friendly so I'm reluctant to speak to them again. I am getting very stressed by this and it feels worse now as I have no respite due to the lockdown.

Kerry 09/01/2020 at 4:51 pm

Can anyone help. We have a neighbour on our street who has 4 cars parked and havent moved fir over 2 yrs. The street is now busy as people are moving in and have cars of there own. This makes it difficult to park in the street as these 4 cars never move but are legal. I have to park in another street which is becoming a nuisance. Does anyone no if there is anything I can do. We have spoken to him as he can put the cars at the back of his home,were he has a further 5. There is also room. He just tells us that they are legal. However is this not been an antisocial neighbour. Please any advise would be helpful. Many thanks

Doris 23/06/2019 at 2:52 pm

I have planning permission for the erection of a bungalow at the bottom of my garden. my neighbour has sent me a letter saying that my boundary has moved and hedges and bushes have been removed this is not the case I have lived in my property over 20 years I did send a letter to him to confirm what the problem was but I received no response. in addition, he has erected a 15 foot pole with a sign at the top saying do not feed the pigs showing directly into my garden I consider this harassment does anybody have any ideas?

Cindy 18/06/2019 at 10:51 pm

I live in a bungalow owned by a housing association. For 8 years. I am 75 and have 3dogs Dachshunds. I have owned dogs all my life and they are well trained. The neighbour nk Dr has made a conplaint to the Environmental health saying they bark to much, they bark in the garden when the neighbouris by my fence, not always l quickly tell them enough and they stop and are put in. They do not bark at night or early morning ever they are in bed at 9 o'clock in my room which is 2 walls away from the neighbours Living room. I do not go out without them.. They are always with me. However if the weather is hot l cannot take them in the car as l cauld not leave them when l get my shopping he said he has video evidence they bark when l am out. I have no one l can leave them with. No family they are like family. I have spoken to him. He l feel should have spoken to me before he reported me. As we were friendly. Can they take my animals away l do not let them bark they only bark when they hear people at the door. Do not know what to do

Hercules 16/04/2019 at 8:12 am

My Irish neighbours have gone on holiday the wife is off a traveller family. My home which only has a single brick party wall is really quiet. Ive been woken up regularly at 1am and 3am with banging doors which is blamed on the granddaughter whom wants to live with her mother who is mentally ill. She cant look after herself let alone the child.
These neighbours want my home so they can knock a doorway through so the child can move freely between to houses.Fair market price doesn't even come into it . The local Labour party backs these people in what they do infact those controlling the MP refuse me access where he has told me twice i need an MPs surgery meeting.They say they have spent more money on their refurbishment if they had known they would get my house they where supposed best builders in the locality over 5 years which is questionable with the corruption on the local council.
These people are also in the local freemasonry lodge with whom ive had problems for over 50 years.The female couple on the opposite side are basicaly freemason prostitutes.They did havea red light outside the house when i first came hear around 8 to 9 years ago which they have now removed.Again single brick between party walls.
Out the back i have a man who is aggressive verbally abusive and threatening again he is lodge related. He blames me for his rat problem of which his landlord will not address them since he has to spend money.He also refuses to allow me access across a specfic area which is noted in the deeds of both properties from around 1860.He is also known to be involved as all the niegbours are in the illeagal shoot to kill policy covered up by all UK Chief Constables.His claim to fame is killing a traveller in a fight by cutting a leg artery with a stanley knife. Hes been trying to goud me into a fight over the rat issues . He has also had people on my property that are unauthorized for his own ends. Warwickshire Police wont do anything including refusal to record or logg and crime or incident.Per 4022,4020 Leamington Spa police station. Infact they cant even record a correct name and address for purposes of lost property.

BEE 15/10/2018 at 5:11 pm

HELP PLEASE MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR HAS A TREE THAT IS I WOULD SAY OVER 15 FEET TALL AND BLOCKING LIGHT INTO OUR HOUSES .ALSO THE GARDEN IS OVERGROWN SHE HAS A POND THAT SHE DOES NOT LOOK AFTER SO YOU CAN INMAGINE THERE IS FROGS EVERYWHERE .SHE HAS SO MUCH RUBBISH IN HER GARDEN THERE IS NOW MICE .SHE HAS A RABBIT WHICH SHE DOES NOT BOTHER WILL ITS SUCH A SHAME .THE HOUSE IS PRIVATE OWNED AND NOT COUNCIL I HAVE SPOKEN TO HER ABOUT THIS AND IT GOES THOUGH DEAF EARS PLEASE CAN YOU HELP AS I AM AT MY WITTS END

Elizabeth 22/09/2018 at 3:21 pm

I have been harassed several time because I have an dog who has muscle atrophy due to advanced arthritis.I get most bother from my neighbour in the corner one accords from my their friends and an elderly couple across the road.I told my neighbours on the corner house when I moved in about my dogs condition.Why it limped and why it had small legs.The neighbours across the road had the same breed of dog and it does from cancer bulging it's eyes when it was 16 yrs of age.The neighbour offered one day that he would take the dog up to the vets the next time I was going after he asked me what was wrong with its back end.He shouts across at me all the time Love ,your hurting that dog love bring it over to me and let me heal it up.The guy in the corner shouts give it across the road and he,'ll teen it love.Let him have that dog and he'll walk it in it's teens. He calls outside my front door your stupid love you should feed it cat food and give it steps to climb.Give it succulents. Your not looking after it love.I give it that couple across the road and they'll know how to stretch it's legs out.Give it around there kitchen table love. They'll clip it for you and keep it all fatter around it's legs.My vet has confirmed that the muscle won't return to her hind legs as the joint is to advanced in arthritis and hip replacements aren't an option due to arthritis in her knees. I don't need this attention but the police can't do anything.The women next door calls me a jut even though she knows there doing it.She smokes in her garden with her all day visitors and I can't even sleep in my bedroom because of the smell of cigarette smoke I'm sick of it but I'm not moving.

ProblemNeighbours Editor 21/05/2018 at 11:54 am

If she feels the local council is not behaving fairly or has not dealt effectively with her complaints she could try the local goverment ombudsman?

Kitty 19/05/2018 at 9:10 am

My friend is being harassed by her two neighbors (they are related). The neighbours have bought their house the other four are council flats. They constantly phone the police about noise. She’s been told “to wear headphones” when putting music on, to “not walk about the flat with shoes on”. The police are constantly at her door. She told me she had been given an ASBO but it was just a warning from the council. The housing officers seem to be taking the neighbors side. I get the impression they are very forthright people, none of the other tenants say there is an issue. It’s affecting her mental health and she’s becoming very very anxious. What can she do, it seems like she’s being bullied by the neighbours who seem to have the ear to the council and police. It seems very unfair and I suspect that processes are not being followed appropriately

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