Antisocial tenants need help from social services, says landlord

A study carried out by Medina Housing Association has found that of 53 legal actions it has launched against antisocial tenants since 2000, a large number involved families with deep-seated problems.

Children the Isle of Wight-based association believed to be at significant risk but who were not known to social services at all were thought to be involved in 19% of cases.

Angus Macdonald, head of housing at Medina, said: “We are rightly encouraged to work in partnership with organisations to prevent legal action and support people to change behaviour.

“But we are still finding ourselves starting actions against families and individuals who would have benefited from statutory intervention from other agencies.

“People with mental health problems are not being helped and the wider public suffer the consequences.”

Macdonald, who is due to leave Medina to become an antisocial behaviour consultant next month, called on social service agencies to become better “motivated and resourced to deal with this problem”. He added: “Only then will partnerships be effective.”

Of Medina’s 53 actions, 21 resulted in court hearings and 13 households were evicted. The association has been granted nine injunctions and five antisocial behaviour orders.

Five defendants have been arrested for breaching either an injunction or an ASBO, with two being sentenced to six months’ imprisonment as a result.

About 75% of Medina’s cases have involved drug and alcohol abuse and/or youth nuisance.

The RSL has spent about £200,000 tackling problem behaviour in the past four years.

The government has appointed nine so-called antisocial behaviour ambassadors. They will lend their experience to police and councils with the aim of encouraging them to take action against antisocial residents.

Bill Pitt, head of the neighbourhood nuisance team at Manchester council, is one of the nine. The council has racked up more than 400 ASBOs under his charge – the highest of any UK authority.