Communities are facing misery as new data shows that the police and local authorities are failing to take effective action to tackle anti-social behaviour. 

Research by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) reveals that of those private landlords who have served a repossession notice at some point, half have done so because of a tenant’s anti-social or criminal behaviour. 

The data shows that of this group, 84% have not received any assistance in tackling such behaviour from their local authority, 75% did not have any help from the police, and 67% had faced problems gathering evidence or support from neighbours or fellow tenants to address the behaviour of anti-social tenants. 

Outlining the typical problems they face, one landlord told the NRLA: “Sometimes (especially in a house of multiple occupancy) tenants fear to speak up about other tenants acting aggressively or drinking or on drugs, for fear of safety. My tenants have been assaulted by my other tenants and we can’t ask them to leave without evidence. Evidence takes time and, in our experience, all the other tenants moved out and we lost money waiting for the bad one to leave”.