Magna triumphs over anti social behaviour

8/3/2009

Residents of Watchet can relax again, after Magna was granted possession of a property which was occupied by an anti-social tenant.

Residents at Maglands Road in Watchet complained of long-running abuse from Julia Smithen and her family, which ranged from verbal taunts and threats through to loud music, swearing and fights. At its worst, it resulted in the communal room on the site being closed for several months and residents having to move out of their homes. The abuse was so bad that even Magna staff had to work in pairs.

Magna has been trying to secure possession of 33 Maglands Road for a number of years, but up till now has only been granted undertakings to the court, which were frequently broken. Magna was granted a possession order, from 12th June, which meant that Mrs Smithen had to move out of her home.

Christine Boland, tenant services manager for Magna, says,” We are so relieved that peace has been restored to this site for all our residents and others who live in Watchet. It has been a long, hard battle, but, by working together with other agencies, we have got what we wanted in the end.”

Peter Hughes, Community Safety Officer for West Somerset Council, says,”In West Somerset we have some excellent partnerships in place which contribute to the successful management of any challenging issues of anti social behaviour or criminality. This is an excellent example of how the agencies, in this case led by Magna West Somerset, have achieved an outcome which, ultimately, has brought major benefits for the majority of law abiding citizens in this location.

Christine adds,”At Magna we take anti-social behaviour very seriously. We use a range of ‘tools’ to prevent and tackle it, ranging from joint letters and visits with the police, community mediation and injunctions. In the most extreme cases, like the case in Watchet, we apply to the courts for possession of the property. To be successful in court, as we were, we rely heavily on the support and co-operation of the local community who are affected. In this case we had that support and it definitely helped us get possession of 33 Maglands Road.”

She continues, “To help prevent anti-social behaviour, Magna now puts all new tenants on a Starter Tenancy. This helps us to spot potential problems before they develop and become unmanageable. As a last resort, where there are serious breaches of tenancy, we are able to end a tenancy by giving two months’ notice. As long as notice is served correctly, a court must grant permission without considering whether it is reasonable to do so.