Commentary on Sections Part 7 - Housing: Antisocial Behaviour Notices Section 68 – Antisocial behaviour notices
184.Section 68 permits a local authority to serve an antisocial behaviour notice on the landlord of a relevant house if any person who occupies the house under a tenancy or occupancy agreement or visits the house is engaging in antisocial behaviour which causes or is likely to cause alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance at or in the locality of the house. The relevant house must be in the local authority’s area but the interpretation section (section 81) excludes houses which are owned by a local authority, a registered social landlord or Scottish Homes; which are in specified categories regulated by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001; which are used by a religious order; or which are the subject of a local authority control order in terms of section 178 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.
185.Under subsection (3) of section 68 the antisocial behaviour notice must describe the antisocial behaviour which has led to the serving of the notice and require the landlord to take specified action within a specified period. The subsection requires the notice to state the consequences of a failure to take the action, and to inform the landlord of the right to request a review.
186.Subsection (4) requires the local authority to send a copy of the notice to any known agent of the landlord. Subsection (5) provides for the local authority to publish the notice where it cannot identify the landlord. Where it can identify the landlord but does not have a current address it may serve the notice on the landlord by sending it to the landlord at the house and at the landlord’s last known address if known.
187.Subsection (6) allows the Scottish Ministers to modify Part 7 of the Act by order in such ways as they consider to be necessary or expedient in order to apply the powers to houses which are used for holiday purposes. There is the potential for antisocial behaviour in holiday accommodation but the short-term nature of the occupation may make it difficult to implement the antisocial behaviour notice procedure effectively. This subsection allows the provisions to be modified to suit the circumstances of holiday lets should this prove necessary. The order making power is subject to affirmative resolution procedure.