Agents demand government clarity to combat Anti-Social Behaviour

Propertymark is supporting a new Anti Social Behaviour Awareness campaign, calling for greater clarity from government on how agents and landlords can tackle the problem.

In particular the agents’ trade body wants to know how the new measures to combat anti-social behaviour, contained in the controversial Renters Reform Bill, will be introduced and how they will work in practice. 

“Until then landlords will continue to struggle to evict nuisance tenants, and ASB will also go under the radar because people affected by it may not have confidence in the system to help them” says Timothy Douglas, Propertymark’s policy and campaigns chief.

He says: “Propertymark continues to lobby the UK government to ensure that before the proposed removal of Section 21 and reform of Section 8 grounds, the court system is adequately prepared to deal with cases swiftly and effectively. We have unwaveringly campaigned for striking the right balance between protecting tenants from unfair evictions whilst making sure landlords can take possession of their property in reasonable circumstances.”

The body is backing the current Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, now coming to a close this weekend.

The organisation behind the week - Resolve - says private tenants who experience ASB should initially report incidents to the anti-social behaviour team at the local council, or to the Police if they feel that they are at immediate risk or in danger.

Victims of persistent ASB who have reported it at least three times have the right to activate an ASB case review. This demands that the Police, local authority and any other relevant agencies come together to try to find a solution.

Resolve chief executive Rebecca Bryant says: “ASB is not low-level. It can have a devastating and long-lasting impact on the lives of victims and communities and can be a precursor to more serious crime. It is important that the challenge of ASB continues to be given the priority it needs so that people everywhere feel safe in their homes and communities.  

“We are delighted that Propertymark is supporting this hugely important campaign. It is vital to develop partnership approaches across communities to deal with the growing challenges around ASB.”