It’s inevitable that housing associations, councils and landlords will at some stage encounter complaints from residents reporting anti-social behaviour. When there is enough evidence of anti-social behaviour, a court order can be issued to evict the tenant, regardless if the person responsible was themselves or a regular visitor of the tenant’s. However, a complaint alone will in most cases not warrant enough evidence to allow action to be taken.
What is anti-social behaviour?
Anti-social behaviour is any type of persistent behaviour that upsets a community. A one-off dispute between neighbours does not necessarily class as anti-social behaviour. There are certain behaviours that are included under the anti-social behaviour laws:
intimidation of neighbours and others through threats or actual violence
harassment, including racial or homophobic behaviour
verbal abuse
systematic bullying of children in public recreation grounds, on the way to school or even on school grounds
abusive behaviour aimed at causing distress or fear to certain people, for example, elderly or disabled people
noise
dumping rubbish
animal nuisance
vandalism, property damage and graffiti.
Illegal use of or distribution of Drugs
If a serious and valid complaint has been raised that concerns anti-social behaviour, further investigation may be required to gather evidence. If the person responsible for the anti-social behaviour is a tenant or a regular visitor to a tenant’s home, the landlord, council or housing executive has a right to evict the tenant with enough evidence.
The landlord may at first take matters into their own hands and interview the person who has made the complaint, as well as the tenant or guest responsible for the behaviour, and try to convince them to change their behaviour. But if the anti-social behaviour persists, the landlord can use mediation services to acquire further evidence in order to build their case. The police, council and social services may also become involved depending on the nature of the anti-social behaviour and a private investigator may be appointed to build further evidence.
Hiring a private investigator
A private investigator can be hired to support a housing association, council or landlord with anti-social behaviour cases through discreet surveillance and evidence gathering. When enough evidence has been captured, they can apply for an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO), which is a court order that prevents someone from carrying out a certain behaviour and lasts for a minimum of 2 years. A court will only grant an ASBO if they are satisfied that there is enough evidence against the person who has committed the behaviour.
Bascombe International helps housing associations, local councils and landlords with a variety of residential-related investigations through our surveillance and evidence gathering expertise. In addition to anti-social behaviour, our network of investigators can help with tenancy fraud, overcrowding, illegal subletting and more.
If you require evidence to build a case against a tenant, speak to a member of our private detective team on 01489 588 885 to discuss how we can help.