Measures To Tackle Anti-social Tenants

19th August 2012

Scottish Government plans to give landlords more power to crack down on anti-social behaviour in social housing has won overwhelming backing, responses to a consultation have confirmed.

More than 90 per cent of tenants groups and landlords support landlords being able to take into account previous anti-social behaviour when allocating social housing.

86 per cent of tenants groups and 93 per cent of landlords also felt that eviction from social housing should be simpler for serious cases of anti-social behaviour.

Statistics from the independent Scottish Housing Regulator indicate housing associations recorded around 24,000 complaints about anti-social behaviour in 2009-10.



The proposed changes will affect the way 600,000 houses in the social rented sector are allocated and managed.

An expert group made up of tenants representatives, landlords and others has been established to help take forward all of the proposals in the consultation, which will inform final decisions about what will feature in the forthcoming Housing Bill.

Housing Minister Keith Brown said:"Antisocial behaviour can have a corrosive impact on individuals and communities.

"The Scottish Government has worked hard with landlords and tenants to develop the proposed measures for changing the way affordable rented housing is allocated and managed.

"Clearly, from these responses, good tenants who currently feel powerless to deal with bad neighbours want to draw a line in the sand by backing a new law that will help root out those that heap misery on communities across Scotland."