Understanding the new injunction framework
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 has restructured the injunction framework previously found under Part 1 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Prior to the 2026 reforms, the Civil Injunction (sometimes referred to as the Anti-Social Behaviour Injunction or ASBI) could be used against anyone aged 10 or over who had engaged in, or threatened to engage in, anti-social behaviour. The injunction could impose prohibitions and positive requirements, but breach was treated as contempt of court rather than a criminal offence.
The 2026 reforms have now separated this power into three distinct orders:
- Respect Orders for adults aged 18 and over engaging in conduct causing harassment, alarm or distress.
- Youth Injunctions for young people aged 10-17.
- Housing Injunctions for adults aged 18 and over engaging in housing-related anti-social behaviour that meets the lower threshold of nuisance or annoyance
This page focuses on Housing Injunctions.
Putting victims first
When deciding whether an injunction is appropriate, agencies should seek to understand the impact the behaviour has had on victims, witnesses and the wider community.
Victim and witness accounts can play an important role in demonstrating the seriousness of the behaviour and supporting an application to the court. A victim-centred approach helps ensure that the harm caused by anti-social behaviour is properly understood and addressed.
What is a Housing Injunction?
The Housing Injunction is a civil court order designed to address housing-related anti-social behaviour committed by adults.
The key distinction from the Respect Order is the threshold of behaviour it addresses. While the Respect Order requires conduct causing harassment, alarm or distress (a higher bar) the Housing Injunction covers a lower threshold of nuisance or annoyance specifically linked to housing. This makes it a more accessible and proportionate tool for housing-related ASB that may not be serious enough to meet the Respect Order threshold.
Who can a Housing Injunction be used against?
The Housing Injunction applies to adults – persons aged 18 or over.
They can be used against:
- Social housing tenants
- Private tenants
- Owner occupiers
- Visitors
- Other individuals connected to the anti-social behaviour.
What is the legal test?
As with the original civil injunction, the court must be satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that:
- The respondent has engaged in, or threatens to engage in, conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance; and
- It is just and convenient to grant the injunction to prevent further anti-social behaviour.
This threshold is lower than the Respect Order threshold of harassment, alarm or distress.
Who can apply for a Housing Injunction?
Local authorities
Housing providers
Police forces
Transport for London
British Transport Police
Environment Agency
NHS Counter Fraud Authority
Natural Resources Wales
West Midlands Combined Authority
Transport for Greater Manchester
Other specified government bodies exercising security management functions
What is housing-related anti-social behaviour?
Housing-related anti-social behaviour includes conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance in connection with someone’s occupation of residential premises or behaviour linked to housing management functions.
Examples might include:
- Persistent noise nuisance
- Neighbour disputes
- Verbal abuse
- Vandalism
- Damage to communal areas
- Harassment affecting neighbouring residents
Do I need to carry out a risk assessment?
Yes. Before applying for a Youth Injunction, applicants must complete a risk assessment. This is a statutory requirement.
The assessment should consider:
- The risk posed to victims and communities
- Any vulnerabilities of the respondent
- Alternative methods of preventing the behaviour
- Equality and safeguarding considerations
- Any other relevant factors
Risk assessments help ensure that legal intervention is necessary, proportionate and evidence-based.
You can download the example risk assessment for Housing/Youth Injunctions as seen in the Statutory Guidance Appendix below.
Which court hears the Housing Injunction application?
An application for an injunction must be made to the County or High Court. Usually, the application will be made to the County Court unless there is a compelling reason why it should be made to the High Court.
How long does a Housing Injunction last?
Housing Injunctions may:
- Last for a fixed period; or
- Continue indefinitely
There is no statutory minimum duration.
What can a Housing Injunction do?
A Housing Injunction can do two things:
Prohibit behaviour
For example, it can prohibit from:
- Playing loud music
- Entering certain communal areas
- Contacting victims
- Engaging in threatening behaviour
Require positive action (positive requirements)
For example:
- Engaging with support services
- Attending drug awareness programmes
- Allowing landlord access for inspections
- Receiving mental health support
What happens if a Housing Injunction is breached?
Breach of a Housing Injunction is not a criminal offence.
However, breach proceedings are dealt with as contempt of court and the breach must be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Where breach is proven, the court may impose:
- An unlimited fine
- Up to two years’ imprisonment
- Both an unlimited fine and imprisonment
FAQs
Yes. Like the Respect Order, it can be reviewed, varied, or discharged by the court, and interim orders can be made in urgent cases.
Yes.
The court may exclude a respondent from their home where the anti-social behaviour includes:
- Violence
- Threatened violence
- A significant risk of harm to others
The guidance makes clear that exclusion should generally be reserved for the most serious cases and that courts will pay close attention to proportionality.
The main difference is the legal threshold.
A Respect Order requires behaviour causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, whereas a Housing Injunction applies to housing-related conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance. The Housing Injunction threshold is therefore lower.
Yes. In some cases, behaviour may initially justify a Housing Injunction but later escalate to the point where a Respect Order becomes more appropriate. The court may also determine that the alternative order is better suited to the evidence before it.
Evidence may include:
- Victim statements
- Witness statements
- Incident diaries
- CCTV footage
- Body-worn video
- Professional witness evidence
- Police records
- Information from partner agencies
The evidence should demonstrate both the behaviour and its impact.
Yes. Hearsay evidence is admissible in civil proceedings and may be appropriate where victims or witnesses are reluctant to give evidence due to fear or intimidation. The court will determine the weight to be given to the evidence (first-hand evidence usually carries greater weight).
Once the injunction expires, the restrictions and requirements will no longer apply. If anti-social behaviour continues, agencies should consider whether further intervention or a new application is necessary.
Need training?
We offer expert-led training on Housing Injunctions and wider ASB powers to help practitioners build confidence and achieve better outcomes for victims.
Read more about our training offers here: