Landlords too lazy on crime, says TPAS

Some tenants interviewed said that antisocial behaviour “became a low priority” and staff were inadequately trained to deal with the problem.

The report was launched on the Links estate in Finsbury Park, north London, the scene of a recent murder. It included feedback from Poplar Harca, Dart Homes, Harding Housing Association and Lewisham council.

It called for dedicated teams to tackle antisocial behaviour, or specific training for front line staff.

Other recommendations included local compact agreements between social landlords, residents and local police, non-harassment clauses in tenancy agreements and widening crime and disorder partnerships to include tenants and residents.

TPAS executive committee member and former housing officer Richard Hewgill said: “I agree with zero tolerance. Too often I’ve been part of a profession that puts up with things – people will put up with things when they walk past an estate that they wouldn’t accept on their own patch.”

A number of tenants interviewed felt that an increased use of the legal system within tenancy clauses and the more timely use of the courts would deal with the problem.

But tenants from Poplar Harca said they felt the law was not on their side when cases eventually came to court. They told TPAS the system protected those who caused the problems and viewed offenders as the victims.

TPAS found that tenants believed nuisance neighbours would “get away with it”. There was a culture of not informing on antisocial residents due to witnesses being scared of reprisals.

The report proposed a joint partnership approach to high-risk eviction cases, and the use of the compact model to involve tenants and residents in strategies to prevent antisocial behaviour.