New closure powers and cuckooing offences: What housing providers need to know

By Rebecca Brady, partner, and Charlotte Knight, trainee legal executive, Devonshires

On 26 October 2026, a number of antisocial behaviour (ASB) reforms contained in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 will come into force across England and Wales. While much attention has focused on measures such as the introduction of Respect Orders, a key development for registered providers (RPs) is the expansion of closure powers together with the introduction of a new cuckooing offence. Although this is a criminal offence that’ll be enforced by the police and the CPS, housing providers are likely to be involved in spotting the warning signs, and working with partner agencies to protect their vulnerable residents.

Read the full article from HQM here.