ASB landlords could face ban on collecting rent

Local authorities are urging the government to give them the power to ban private landlords from collecting rent if they fail to deal with anti-social tenants.During parliamentary scrutiny of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Bill this week, Mehboob Khan, chair of the Local Government Association’s safer and stronger communities board, urged MPs to follow the Scottish Government’s lead in introducing the measure.The Anti-Social Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 gives Scottish councils the power to issue anti-social behaviour notices to private landlords that specify action they must take to deal with problem behaviour at their property. If they fail to do so, they can be banned from collecting rent.