A nuisance tenant who terrorised his neighbours making their lives a misery with his persistent noise and anti-social behaviour has been barred from his home by a court ruling.
Croydon magistrates granted a three-month Premises Closure Order (PCO) for Flat 5, Frederick Court, 139 Portland Road, after hearing a catalogue of complaints about the tenant. The order means no-one is allowed inside the property for the duration.
The tenant would have large numbers of visitors coming and going at all hours of the day and night, drinking alcohol and using illegal drugs, the court heard. Neighbours were subjected to the noise of them fighting, shouting and swearing.
Complaints about anti-social behaviour at the flat dated back several years, with a significant increase from summer 2017. But more recently, a serious physical assault had taken place just outside, with the victim requiring hospital admission.
At the hearing on Wednesday 14 March, residents, his landlord Croydon Churches Housing Association , the council’s anti-social behaviour officers, and Woodside local police all presented evidence in favour of the application.
Residents complained of feeling unsafe in their properties and the behaviour of the tenant and his visitors having a severe negative impact on their lives.
The court heard that the tenant had been written to on numerous occasions and was also served with a notice of seeking possession by his landlord. But none of these warnings had any effect and his behaviour remained unchanged.
The tenant did not defend the application in court.
After the PCO was granted residents of Frederick Court expressed their relief and gratitude. The landlord is now pursuing possession of the property through the county court.
Cllr Hamida Ali, Croydon’s cabinet member for communities, safety and justice, said: “Everyone has a right to feel safe and enjoy peace in their own homes. “Residents of Frederick Court were being denied this by this man’s persistently inconsiderate and anti-social behaviour and this was having a serious impact on their quality of life.
“Despite several warnings and opportunities to change his ways, he appeared unable or unwilling to alter his behaviour.
“In such instances, we will always back our residents and use our powers to prosecute tenants who act with such blatant disregard for their neighbours. “I’m pleased the court has granted our application and I hope this serves as a deterrent to others.” (Source: Croydon council press release)
NOISE NUISANCE TENANT EVICTED – 63 individual complaints in eight years
A noisy council tenant who caused misery for neighbours in his Nunhead housing block has been evicted by Southwark council in their first-ever case under new housing legislation.
The man had been a tenant in Sassoon House since February 2005 but over the last eight years the council has received 63 individual complaints about loud music, 11 of these in March and April 2016.
He had previously been found guilty of breaching several noise abatement notices from 2010 to 2016 and fined in court.
But since the introduction of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, a breach of a noise abatement notice is now grounds for a landlord to get automatic right of possession.
A council spokesperson said: “Evicting tenants is, of course, the absolute last resort for us as a council. “But we can not ignore the misbehaviour of tenants whose actions are causing misery to their neighbours.
“Southwark council will take appropriate action where tenants have repeatedly been warned about their behaviour.”
The evicted tenant is still entitled to attend the council’s housing solutions office where he can be assessed and officers will offer advice on how to secure alternative accommodation, the spokesperson added. (Source: Southwark council press release)
NEWS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE 