'Living next door to anti-social behaviour has been hell'
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James Daniel told the BBC he had been living next to anti social behaviour for the past seven years For seven years James Daniel has been living next to successive "nightmare neighbours".
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Despite numerous complaints to various agencies, including his housing association, he said his situation had not improved. It comes as new data from the Housing Ombudsman showed a rise over five years in the number of complaints upheld about social landlords' handling of anti-social behaviour.
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While Devon and Cornwall Police has increased the number of closure orders placed on residential properties, housing associations report that dealing with anti-social behaviour can be a complex issue and requires working closely with other agencies.
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Daniel said he had spent years reporting the alleged anti-social behaviour and collecting evidence, including security camera and mobile phone footage, which he passed on to the police, North Devon Homes and now the BBC.
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The videos he shared with the BBC showed knives being thrown from a window, an altercation outside his house and a neighbour appearing to make gun gestures at his security camera.
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Other footage showed a previous tenant shouting at Daniel and other residents, as well as throwing bags of rubbish and a dust pan brush.
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"Living next door to anti-social behaviour has been hell to be honest, absolute hell, said Daniel.
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Daniel said anti-social behaviour had made his life "hell" and he is calling for more support While Daniel said he had previously been offered a different property, he was reluctant to move.
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"I don't feel it's something that anybody should have to do, is move from their home because of somebody else," he said.
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The current neighbour is the second neighbour he has alleged has subjected him and his partner to significant anti-social behaviour.
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North Devon Homes said all reports of anti-social behaviour were taken seriously and that it recognised the "significant impact" it could have on those affected.
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It said it was working closely with customers and partner agencies to "investigate concerns, provide support and take appropriate action" where necessary.
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New data showed the Housing Ombudsman upheld almost four times as many complaints relating to social landlords' handling of anti-social behaviour reports than five years ago.
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In the 2021-2022 financial year, the ombudsman found failings in 159 incidents compared with 609 in 2025–26.
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Ric Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman at the time, said there were a number of "consistent reasons" why the maladministration rate - or uphold rate - had increased.
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"It's poor communication, it's poor record keeping, it's not using the tools that landlords should use - such as doing a risk assessment or producing an action plan - and that is a consistent reason that we would uphold a case," he explained.
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"Where we don't uphold it though, I think you see the kind of opposite of that."
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Easier access to the ombudsman service and greater awareness of housing rights were among the drivers Blakeway believed had led to a rise in casework.
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Blakeway said his teams had seen cases where residents had been making themselves "in effect homeless" by sleeping in cars to escape the anti-social behaviour.
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Properties that are the subject of a closure order cannot be accessed by anyone, including landlords, during the length of the closure Where the ombudsman finds failure, it can force housing associations or councils to take action, write apologies or pay compensation to the tenant.
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Daniel has taken his case to the ombudsman and is awaiting a determination.
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A spokesperson for North Devon Homes said it had fully cooperated with the investigation and looked forward to the Ombudsman's findings.
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One tactic being increasingly used by Devon and Cornwall Police to tackle anti-social behaviour is closure orders.
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This is where the force can apply to a court for the power to remove a resident from the address for at least three months in what it calls a "full closure".
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In most cases, the force says the owner of the property then has the chance to regain control of the property, or the tenant can move back in.
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A "partial closure" means the resident can stay at the address but no visitors are allowed in.
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In one incident, a number of kitchen knives were thrown from a window Machaela O'Brien, legal advisor for Devon and Cornwall Police, said closure orders could provide an "immediate remedy" but were a "draconian measure".
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"What we find is that closure orders are a really good temporary solution to address any problem premises," O'Brien explained.
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She added support was provided to people removed from a property and they were "signposted to relevant agencies", including the council and social services.
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The government is consulting on extending the time frame available for closure orders, external to 12 months.
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Evicting a tenant through the court system can be a time consuming and costly process for landlords.
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The High Court Enforcement Officers Association said its own research showed a national average wait of six months in the county court bailiff system, external for an eviction to take place after a judge had granted a possession order.
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Legal advisor for Devon and Cornwall Police Machaela O'Brien said closure orders were a "last resort" in dealing with anti-social behaviour In West Cornwall, neighbours said closure orders on two properties in the same street had been effective.
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Melanie, whose surname we are not using, said residents had been "living in fear" before one neighbour, who was accused of waving a sword, was removed.
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"You shouldn't have to live like that these days," she said.
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At another property, PC James Tompson said officers spent weeks gathering evidence of drug use, fighting and anti-social behaviour linked to the address.
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In April, Daniel's neighbour was convicted of assaulting another resident and a month later was charged with allegedly harassing him.
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Daniel said victims of anti-social behaviour, particularly in social housing, needed support from agencies in a "more joined up approach".
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"For me, it's about highlighting the system is broken," he said.
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"All the agencies are involved but actually it seems nobody's talking to each other, and nobody knows what's going on."
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He said he no longer felt safe at home and that it was becoming "impossible to get any support" for those affected by anti-social behaviour.
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"It's got to the point where actually the house that I love, I don't love anymore," he added.
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On one street in Cornwall police have secured closure orders on two separate addresses The National Housing Federation said anti-social behaviour cases could be "serious and complex" and housing associations took them very seriously.
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Blakeway said it was "really, really important that we see an improvement to the way in which different bodies are working together to try and resolve cases".
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North Devon Homes, Daniel's housing provider, said: "Cases involving individuals with severe and complex vulnerabilities can be particularly challenging, requiring organisations to work within legal frameworks and statutory processes while balancing the needs and safety of all those involved."
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Additional reporting by Ema Sabljak, BBC England Data Unit.
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Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk, external. 'Eyesore' seaside hotel closed for three months 'Every night there is banging on our walls' Couple's plea over decade of anti-social behaviour Devon and Cornwall Police anti-social behaviour
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