Ground 7A and Ground 14: antisocial and criminal behaviour

There are two separate grounds covering antisocial or criminal conduct, and the difference between them is largely about severity and how it's been established.

Ground 7A — severe antisocial or criminal behaviour

Mandatory · No minimum notice period, though the court can't order possession until 14 days after notice

This is the more serious of the two, and it's mandatory — meaning the court must grant possession once the ground is proven. It applies where the tenant, or someone living with or visiting them, has:

• A relevant criminal conviction
• Breached an order intended to prevent antisocial behaviour
• Been subject to a closure order that's prevented access to the property for more than 48 hours

Because this ground relies on an existing conviction or order, it generally requires that formal step to have already happened — it's not simply "the tenant is behaving badly," but "the tenant's bad behaviour has already resulted in a formal legal consequence."

Ground 14 — general antisocial behaviour

Discretionary · No minimum notice period, though the court can't order possession until 14 days after notice

This is the broader, discretionary version. It applies where the tenant, or someone living with or visiting them, is causing nuisance or annoyance to people in the area — and notably, the behaviour doesn't have to have happened inside the property itself, incidents nearby can count too. Because it's discretionary, the court weighs the full picture rather than granting possession automatically once the behaviour is shown.

Which one applies to your situation

If there's already been a conviction, a breached order, or a closure order, Ground 7A is the stronger, mandatory option. If the behaviour is ongoing and disruptive but hasn't yet resulted in any of those formal outcomes, Ground 14 is generally the relevant one — and it's common to rely on it while a Ground 7A situation is still developing through the criminal or civil process.