Ground 14 — what conduct qualifies and who it extends to
Ground 14 HA 1988 (as amended by RRA 2025) covers two categories: nuisance or annoyance to persons in the locality; and criminal use of the property or conviction for an indictable offence in or near the premises.
- Category A — nuisance or annoyance: conduct causing or likely to cause nuisance or annoyance to any person residing, visiting, or engaged in lawful activity in the locality
- Category B — illegal purposes: conviction for using premises for immoral or illegal purposes; or an indictable offence committed in or near the dwelling
- Extended to residents and visitors: conduct by the tenant, joint tenants, partners living at the property, adult children, lodgers, or regular visitors — all engage Ground 14
- Discretionary: the court must find it reasonable to make a possession order; severity, duration, impact on neighbours, and tenant's response to warnings are all relevant
Notice requirements — 2 weeks and immediate court access from notice date
The notice period for Ground 14 is 2 weeks. Uniquely, the landlord can issue proceedings immediately from the date of service of the notice — not from the expiry of the 2-week period. This allows simultaneous service of the notice and issue of court proceedings.
- 2-week notice period: shorter than most grounds; reflects the legislature's recognition of the urgency of ASB cases
- Immediate court application: issue proceedings the day after serving the notice; case is heard after the notice period expires
- Ground 14A (domestic abuse — joint tenancy): mandatory where conditions met; one joint tenant has left due to violence by the other; 2-week notice
- Notice must include adequate particulars of the ASB relied on; a notice lacking specific details of the conduct may be challenged as defective
Building a Ground 14 case — evidence requirements
Ground 14 is discretionary and the quality of the evidence is critical. Landlords should compile evidence systematically from the first incident, before any possession proceedings are contemplated.
- Contemporaneous noise and nuisance logs: dated entries for each incident, complaint, or warning; unsigned or undated logs carry less weight
- Police reports and incident numbers: copies of call-outs, cautions, restraining orders, or criminal convictions; police involvement evidences severity
- Neighbour witness statements: signed, dated statements from affected neighbours; anonymous evidence has limitations but may be available in some cases
- Council notices: Community Protection Notices (CPNs), noise abatement notices, ASB warnings from local authority — formal public authority findings of ASB
- CCTV and photographic evidence: timestamped footage of damage, incidents, or identifiable behaviour; preserve securely and comply with data protection requirements
Alternatives and complements — ASB injunctions and Community Protection Notices
Where the landlord does not immediately seek possession, or as a complement to possession proceedings, several legal tools can address ASB and support the possession case.
- ASB injunction under ASB Crime and Policing Act 2014 s.1: local authority (or landlord as 'relevant person') applies to county court; prohibitions/requirements on the perpetrator; breach = contempt of court (up to 2 years imprisonment)
- Community Protection Notice (CPN): issued by council officer or police to a person whose conduct is detrimental to quality of life; breach = criminal offence; CPN issued to the tenant strengthens Ground 14 evidence
- Civil injunction in the landlord's own right: available where the tenant's conduct constitutes a nuisance to the landlord's other tenants; more common in blocks of flats
- Referral to housing enforcement: where unlawful subletting, overcrowding, or planning breach is involved, local authority enforcement action may assist the possession case and evidence gathering