Number of Closure Orders Rising: Is Thirteen Losing Control of Its Housing Stock?
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From Tenancy to Trouble: Are Housing Checks Failing Teesside Communities?
22nd March 2026
A property in Hartlepool has been forcibly shut down for three months following serious concerns over anti-social behaviour — but for many residents, its no longer an isolated incident. Instead, it's the latest incident in a growing pattern linked to homes owned or managed by regional housing giant Thirteen Housing Group.
The closure order on 6 Exmoor Grove, granted at Teesside Magistrates’ Court under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 now prohibits anyone other than the council, emergency services, or representatives of Thirteen from entering the property until mid-June.
But beyond the legal action itself, the case is reigniting serious concerns about how tenants are being placed into properties — and whether robust tenancy checks are being carried out at all.
A Pattern, Not a One-Off
Residents across Teesside have increasingly voiced frustration that problem tenancies appear to be cropping up time and again in properties linked to Thirteen & seem to be a consequense of Hartlepool Borough Councils now failed & widely discredited Hartlepool Homesearch Scheme, with Closure orders — once relatively rare — now becoming a familiar response to escalating anti-social behaviour around the town, with each case said to be raising the same uncomfortable question:Just how are these tenants being approved for homes in the first place?
Housing providers have a responsibility not just to house individuals, but to protect the wider community. When properties repeatedly become hotspots for crime, nuisance, or disorder, it suggests a failure somewhere in the system — whether that be in referencing, risk assessment, or ongoing tenancy management, with that failure being pointed firmly at Hartlepool Borough Councils Hartlepool Homesearch Scheme.
At the heart of the issue is tenant vetting — a process meant to assess whether an applicant is suitable for a tenancy and unlikely to cause harm or disruption with many arguing that tenant background checks are not be thorough enough & that pressure to allocate housing quickly to avoid long relet times is overriding due diligence.
With housing demand now said to be at record levels, providers like Thirteen are under immense pressure to house people — but residents argue this cannot come at the cost of community safety.
Closure orders are not handed out lightly. They cost thousands of pounds to apply for & are typically a last resort after sustained complaints, police involvement, and significant disruption. By the time local councils step in, communities often feel they've been left to deal with the consequences alone.
The closure of the property in Exmoor Grove also comes amid a wider crackdown by Cleveland Police, including activity under the highly controversial 'Operation Artemis' scheme targeting serious and organised crime which seems to be flourishing in Teessides social housing stock.
