We recently successfully removed an illegal occupant from a property in Southwark.

The illegal occupant had been a tenant of Wandle’s but was also a perpetrator of domestic abuse, and we had previously moved the survivor and her children to a new and safer home.

The perpetrator was known to Wandle and the local community as an antisocial nuisance, for playing loud music at all hours, illegal drug taking, and even living in the communal areas. In addition, not only was he abusive to his family but to Wandle staff and contractors.

Despite efforts to assist him and give him housing advice and work with partner agencies including Southwark Council Housing Team, he was still refusing to leave, even though he had no succession or legal rights to the tenancy.

The Police removed him from the property several times, but he repeatedly broke into the property, and was storing his belongings in the communal areas.

Our community safety team worked closely with our partners and the local Police team to ensure a positive outcome for residents. Last week, the team successfully secured an injunction order which restricts the perpetrator’s access to the block and safeguards our other tenants and our property.

Maria Ramos, head of customer service delivery, said: “The safer neighbourhood team have worked tirelessly on this case, and our other residents can now live in safety and peace. Behaving in an anti-social way is unacceptable, and we will always work with those suffering.” We take domestic abuse seriously and will always be available to support residents experiencing abuse. We recently achieved DAHA (Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance) accreditation, which is the national benchmark for how housing providers should respond to domestic abuse and recognises that housing providers are in a unique position to identify abuse, prevent it and provide support to survivors.