Engelse woning gesloten wegens overlast

In West-Yorkshire (nabij Leeds)  is voor het eerst een woning gesloten vanwege de ernstige overlast die vanuit de woning wordt veroorzaakt. De rechter legt in een dergelijk geval, op verzoek van de verhuurder, een closure order op. De overlastveroorzaker mag in dit geval eveneens niet meer in de buurt van de woning komen. Inside Housing meldt:

“An association in West Yorkshire has become one of the first housing providers to successfully apply for the closure of a property for anti-social behaviour.

The order gives 31,000-home Wakefield and District Housing three months to decide whether to evict Susan Harris or allow her back to her property.

The housing association worked closely with the police to ensure the 61-year-old was removed from the area where she consistently caused distress to her neighbours.

WDH Tenancy Support Officer PC Ozzie Malik said: ‘This closure is a great success for the local community. We have spent a lot of time building a case against the tenant after it became obvious that she was making life intolerable for her neighbours.

‘We have spent many hours getting this result – from sitting in neighbours’ homes til early in the morning recording the noise levels to taking statements and serving injunctions.’

The particular order on the property in Harris Duke of York Avenue, Portobello, banned Harris from living nearby. It also prohibited her from causing harassment, alarm and distress to any person, playing loud music from other addresses, or approaching her neighbour.

Wakefield Magistrates’ court made the order last week and allows the association to apply back to court to extend it for a further three months.

But a spokesperson for WDH said the intention was to apply to the county court for possession of the property and evict the tenant before the end of the initial three month period.

WDH service director neighbourhoods Richard Forster said: ‘We work to offer support to those who need it most and promote positive behaviour to help tenancies be successful.

‘However, we do not hesitate in taking enforcement action against those who persistently cause harm in their neighbourhood and who fail to heed our warnings and will consider all forms of legal actions that are available to us.’

The Chartered Institute of Housing said: ‘The closure orders have been available for some time but are in the early stages of actually being used – so WDH must be one of the first.’”