Plans to grant landlords powers to evict tenants with just two weeks’ notice have been criticised as “callous” and “inhumane”.
The government’s proposed “antisocial behaviour action plan” would give landlords and housing associations more powers to evict "unruly tenants".
It is understood the measures would cover tenants who play loud music, use drugs or cause damage to their property.
Separate proposals being outlined in the government’s Renters Reform Bill will see those who fall more than two months behind on rent given four weeks’ notice to leave.
The plans have been criticised by the city’s two Labour MPs, who described the move as the “latest round of dog whistle policies”.
Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Brighton Kemptown, said: “There is a real stench of desperation from this government with this latest round of dog whistle policies.
“Never has a landlord come to me to ask for more powers to evict. However, I do have an inbox full of renters who are made homeless through Section 21.
“It’s callous but all too predictable.”
Peter Kyle, MP for Hove, said the move would not address the problem and said Labour had a plan to make communities safer.
He said: “The government have got this totally wrong. Solving antisocial behaviour isn’t about making people homeless, it’s about law and order.
“After 13 years of Conservative government, community sentences have plummeted by two thirds and now they have finally realised how angry local people are about the disorder around us in our communities.
“A Labour government will make Britain’s communities safe by putting 13,000 more neighbourhood police on our streets, strengthening community payback, forcing fly-tippers to join clean-up squads and sending irresponsible parents to classes to learn how to control their unruly children.”
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Community union Acorn called on the government to instead focus their attention on “unscrupulous landlords”.
A spokesman for the union said: “Victims of antisocial behaviour need a system which ensures their concerns can be dealt with quickly, but people accused must have the right to a fair hearing and there should be evidence for allegations before people are made homeless.
“In the context of the cost-of-living crisis, giving people just two weeks to leave if they are evicted for rent arrears is inhumane and will do nothing to stop the ongoing housing crisis.
“As a union operating across England and Wales, we hardly ever come across evictions driven by antisocial behaviour - most common are no-fault Section 21 evictions, often served after a tenant has complained about poor conditions or been unable to pay an extortionate rent increase.
“The most prevalent form of antisocial behaviour in the private rented sector is perpetrated by unscrupulous landlords who fail to properly upkeep homes, charge people extortionate prices to live in unsafe conditions and threaten to kick people out if they complain.”
Rishi Sunak defended the plans and said: “Antisocial behaviour undermines the basic right of people to feel safe in the place they call home.
“The public have rightly had enough - which is why I am determined to restore people’s confidence that those responsible will be quickly and visibly punished.
“This action plan maps out how we will tackle this issue with the urgency it deserved and stamp out these crimes once and for all so that wherever you live, you can feel safe in and proud of your community.”
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The government’s proposed crackdown on antisocial behaviour also includes plans to grant Sussex more funding to support a new “immediate justice” pilot scheme to deliver “swift and visible punishments”.
The county’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne welcomed the announcement and said: “I am delighted that the government have listened to the communities we represent about the need for radical action to tackle the scourge of antisocial behaviour.
“I have been listening to residents’ concerns about increasing levels of antisocial behaviour and I want them to help me design our immediate justice pilot that could see offenders repairing damage or volunteering in order to pay back communities negatively impacted by their behaviour.”
The announcement comes after Home Secretary Suella Braverman visited Brighton last month, praising the crackdown by Sussex Police on antisocial behaviour at The Level.
She said: “The British public are fed up with crime and nuisance behaviour in their neighbourhoods inflicting misery on people.
“There is no such thing as petty crime - not only does antisocial behaviour leave people feeling unsafe, it can also be a gateway into serious criminality.
“It has always been my priority to give police powers they need to deliver a common-sense approach to cutting crime, which puts the law-abiding majority first, and that’s what this action plan delivers.”
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