Camden Council dubbed ‘anti-social landlord’ by national housing campaign

Camden Council has been labelled an “anti-social” landlord by campaigners investigating the conduct of housing providers across the country.

Last week, the Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) identified several social landlords it deemed as having failed to address anti-social behavior (ASB) in housing communities.

Explaining the term “anti-social social landlord”, the group stated: “When landlords fail to comply with their ASB policy and/or relevant legislation, this is a failure to fulfil their duty as a social landlord.

“This neglectful approach can take many forms, from the landlord failing to acknowledge the victim’s initial or ongoing complaints, to failing to assess and respond to risk, and refusing to use the informal/formal tools available to them in accordance with statutory guidance.

“At times, landlord approaches can be more sinister. They may make false allegations that the victims are the cause or have contributed to ASB. Other times, they may downplay or deny the ASB, trivialising or dismissing the impact on victims’ lives.

“Landlords — whether by omission or commission — are causing harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance and annoyance to tenants/residents.”

SHAC added that although the data “clearly indicates” these social landlords are persistently failing in their duties to tenants and residents in response to ASB, “it appears the government has no appetite to address this behaviour”.

In the group’s survey of 137 people, Camden was named as one of 45 landlords considered to have made ASB worse for tenants and residents.

The 56-page report contained no other mention of the council.

Three more local authorities in the capital were listed: Hounslow, Lewisham, and Westminster City.

More than half (56 per cent) of respondents said their landlord had failed to take any action against perpetrators of ASB.

SHAC said it made “no apology” for the strength of wording used in its report.

“The issue of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in social housing is an extremely serious one which can be, and often is, a life-or-death matter.

“The impact on victims’ lives is multifaceted and devastating, deeply affecting their mental and physical health, relationships, and ability to enjoy their homes and communities for the long term.

“Yet, ASB often elicits trite commentary and useless platitudes from those best placed to address it meaningfully.”

Under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003,  social landlords are legally obliged to take reports of ASB seriously and investigate them promptly, among other duties.

Camden Council’s record on ASB has been under the microscope for some time.

Last week, the social housing Ombudsman published his report on the Town Hall’s complaint-handling process, condemning its “defensive” culture.

The watchdog identified eight cases of maladministration around ASB, one of which was “severe”.

This means the landlord failed to do something, did something it should not have, or in the Ombudsman’s view, “delayed unreasonably”.

In one case, despite being aware of a resident’s mental health conditions and a diagnosis of PTSD, the council failed to adopt a “robust, victim-centred approach” to reports of ASB.

Records show that the behaviour and noise nuisance the man experienced from his neighbours had made him feel suicidal, but Camden’s housing services had neglected to recognise this for “several years”.

The Ombudsman did acknowledge positive steps had been taken by the council to turn things around, and welcomed its collaborative attitude during the investigation.

Responding to the watchdog’s inquiry, the council said: “Our tenants and leaseholders deserve high-quality, responsive and empathetic services, and we have been investing and working hard to improve the services they receive.

“As a council we have experienced many years of under-investment from government and there is a critical shortage of affordable housing.

“We are pleased that report acknowledges our commitment to the long-term improvement of housing and repairs services through our established transformation programme.”

The Town Hall added that the cases covered in the report were generally from 2022 or earlier.

“Since then we have changed and improved many aspects of our services. We have more work to do, and we have comprehensive plans in place that will deliver further improvements.”

Yesterday the Town Hall said it was “assessing all impacts” of new powers the government has granted local authorities for handling instances of ASB.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced last month that councils will soon be able to apply for “respect orders” which could see some offenders banned from town centres and prohibited from drinking in high streets and other public areas.

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “Residents deserve to feel safe in their homes – which is why we’re working hard to address anti-social behaviour on our estates and across the borough.

“We take reports of anti-social behaviour very seriously. We work in partnership with the police to tackle this behaviour and our teams of Community Safety Officers conduct regular patrols to provide reassurance to residents.”

Update: this article was amended at 6.20pm on 5 December to add a statement from a Camden Council spokesperson.