---

How is anti-social behaviour addressed in England and Wales?

Anti-social behaviour – behaviour that causes nuisance or harm to others – can be dealt with by a range of powers that are available to local authorities, the police and landlords.

What is anti-social behaviour?

Anti-social behaviour encompasses criminal and non-criminal behaviour that causes nuisance or harm to others. This can include noisy neighbours, vandalism, graffiti, fly-tipping, or people riding electric bikes dangerously.

Legal definitions are drawn broadly to capture a wide range of behaviours, with a focus on the impact of the behaviour (rather than defining specific acts). The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 defines anti-social behaviour in England and Wales as:

• behaviour that is causing (or is likely to cause) “harassment, alarm or distress” to someone else in a public place, or
• behaviour that is “capable of causing nuisance or annoyance” to someone else in their own home.

These definitions set the legal threshold for when certain powers can be used against perpetrators.

Who is responsible for responding to anti-social behaviour?

In England and Wales, local authorities, the police and social landlords share responsibility for tackling anti-social behaviour locally. People should be able to report incidents of anti-social behaviour online on the relevant agencies’ websites. They can also call 101 (the non-emergency police number) to report incidents.

How is anti-social behaviour addressed?

Because anti-social behaviour covers such a wide range of behaviours, there are various powers that could be used by different agencies (outlined below).

The government issues statutory guidance to help local agencies understand their powers. The Library briefing Responding to anti-social behaviour in England and Wales provides for more information on all these powers.

Community remedies

Local agencies such as the local authority or a social landlord might first seek informal resolutions to reported anti-social behaviour, such as facilitating mediation between neighbours or referring people to support services.

The police can also use alternatives to formal powers or criminal prosecution where appropriate and proportionate to the behaviour. Police forces use two types of disposals (PDF):

• Community resolution: An informal resolution, where no further action is taken. As part of a community resolution, the perpetrator might agree to apologise to the victim or to take steps to improve their behaviour.
• Conditional caution: A formal resolution which allows the police to suspend a prosecution if they think a better outcome could be achieved by agreeing conditions designed to address the perpetrator’s behaviour in the community. If they fail to adhere any conditions they could be fined or prosecuted for the original offence.

Civil orders

For more serious and persistent anti-social behaviour, local agencies can apply to the courts for civil orders that can prohibit someone from doing certain things or going to certain places, or require them to do something to address their behaviour (for example, attend drug or alcohol services).

There are three main civil orders available:

• respect orders (for adults engaged in anti-social behaviour)
• housing injunctions (for adults engaged in housing-related anti-social behaviour)
• youth injunctions (for children aged 10 to 17 engaged in anti-social behaviour)

These have replaced anti-social behaviour civil injunctions.

Community protection notices

Community protection notices can require people to fix problems they have caused locally, such as forcing them to clean graffiti, clear litter or stop making excessive noise. A notice can be issued by the police and local authorities. It is a criminal offence to breach a notice, punishable by a fixed penalty notice of up to £500 (or a larger fine at court).

Public spaces protection orders, dispersal orders and closure powers

There are several powers that can be used to address anti-social behaviour happening in a particular place or area (rather than simply that perpetrated by a specific person). In short:

• Public spaces protection orders can be issued by local authorities to prohibit specified activities associated with anti-social behaviour within a designated area. It is a criminal offence to breach an order, punishable by a fixed penalty notice of up to £500 (or a larger fine at court).
• Dispersal orders can be issued by the police to force people participating in anti-social behaviour to leave a designated area for up to 72 hours. It is a criminal offence to breach an order, punishable by up to three months’ imprisonment.
• Closure powers can prevent access to a premises associated with anti-social behaviour. The police and local authority can issue a closure notice for up to 72 hours; a court can grant a closure order for up to six months. It is a criminal offence to disregard a closure power, punishable by up to six months’ imprisonment.

Nuisance

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, a local authority must investigate reports of behaviour amounting to a statutory nuisance.

If the local authority thinks someone is causing a statutory nuisance, they must serve an abatement notice which would require the individual or business responsible to take specific measures to limit the nuisance. Failing to comply with an abatement notice is a criminal offence, punishable by a fine.

Private nuisance is usually caused by a person doing something on their own land which wrongfully interferes with the ordinary use and enjoyment of neighbouring land. Private nuisance is a civil matter. Anyone considering legal action about a private nuisance should seek legal advice.

How is anti-social behaviour in rented housing addressed?

The housing charity Shelter provides detailed information on options to deal with anti-social behaviour in England and Wales.

Social rented sector

Local authorities and housing associations are required to publish policies and procedures for dealing with anti-social behaviour in relation to their housing stock. If a landlord is failing to implement their policy this may form the basis of a complaint to the housing ombudsman in England and the public services ombudsman in Wales.

In England, registered providers of social housing (primarily local authorities and housing associations) are also required to meet regulatory standards which are set by the Regulator of Social Housing. The Neighbourhood and Community Standard outlines the regulator’s expectations with regards to anti-social behaviour. A referral can be made to the regulator where there is evidence a housing association is not meeting the regulatory standards. 

In Wales, registered social landlords are regulated by Welsh ministers. Landlords must comply with regulatory standards, including a standard on ‘delivering high quality services’, which refers to responding to anti-social behaviour. The Welsh Government has published guidance for social landlords to help reduce anti-social behaviour.

Social landlords have a range of tools at their disposal to tackle anti-social behaviour. These range from non-legal action, such as issuing warnings and referring to mediation and other support services, to using legal remedies, such as housing injunctions and social housing closure orders. Ultimately, landlords have the power to evict perpetrators.

The UK Government has published guidance for social housing tenants on how to get help with anti-social behaviour (2021).

Certain housing rights can be affected if action for anti-social behaviour has been taken against a social housing tenant, or a person who resides with them. For example, in England, this might affect:

• the mutual exchange of a property with another social housing tenant;
• the Right to Buy;
• qualification for an allocation of social housing; and
• rights to some forms of assistance under the homelessness legislation.

Private rented sector

Private landlords have rights to regain possession of their property where necessary. In England, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 has strengthened the grounds for eviction due to anti-social behaviour, allowing landlords to begin possession proceedings immediately for both mandatory and discretionary anti-social behaviour grounds. The act also ensures judges in possession cases have particular regard to whether tenants have engaged with efforts to resolve their behaviour and the impact on other tenants within houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). The UK Government has published guidance for private landlords in England on anti-social behaviour.

Under HMO licensing, local authorities in England and Wales can use licence conditions to require private landlords to take steps to deal with anti-social behaviour caused by their tenants. In England, local authorities can also introduce relevant licence conditions through the selective licensing of private landlords. In Wales, there is a national landlord registration and licensing scheme, which includes “an expectation to work together to tackle anti-social behaviour” as a licence condition.

Cuckooing

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 has made ‘cuckooing’ a criminal offence. This occurs when a person is exercising control over another person’s dwelling without their consent for the purpose of enabling the dwelling to be used in connection with criminal activities, including drugs and sexual offences. The offence is not yet in force.

How are victims supported?

Victims of anti-social behaviour can report incidents to the police or to the local authority. The appropriate authority to report to will depend on the nature of the incident and arrangements in their local area.

If residents are dissatisfied with how their complaints of anti-social behaviour have been dealt with, they might be able to request an anti-social behaviour case review (previously known as a community trigger). Under this scheme, local services must undertake a review of their case if the applicant can demonstrate a minimum threshold has been met (normally that someone has made three complaints within six months). Precise arrangements for the scheme are set locally.

Local policing bodies (the police and crime commissioner or mayor) will also be required to provide an avenue for applicants to request a review if they disagree with a decision that their application did not meet the threshold for carrying out an anti-social behaviour case review, or the victim is dissatisfied with the outcome of a case review. The local policing body will be responsible for carrying out these reviews. This was due to come into effect on 26 October 2026, but the government put their introduction on hold. At the time of writing, it is not clear when these will be available.

Home Office statutory guidance provides more information on anti-social behaviour case reviews and local policing body reviews.

Further information

• House of Commons Library, Responding to anti-social behaviour in England and Wales
• Home Office, Statutory guidance: Antisocial behaviour powers
• UK Government, Help with anti-social behaviour for social housing tenants
• Shelter, Nuisance and ASB