Cuckooing: the signs housing and support staff should look for

Cuckooing is now a specific criminal offence. The warning signs housing officers, support workers and carers can spot on home visits, and how to respond safely.

Housing officers, tenancy support workers, carers and outreach staff are often the only professionals who regularly step inside a person's home. That makes you one of the best-placed people to notice when someone's home has been taken over. This guide covers what cuckooing is, the signs to look out for on a visit, and how to respond without putting yourself or the tenant at more risk.

What is cuckooing?

Cuckooing is when someone takes control of another person's home and uses it for crime, most often drug dealing, but also storing weapons, sexual exploitation or as a base for other offending. The name comes from the cuckoo, which lays its eggs in another bird's nest.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 made cuckooing a specific criminal offence. The GOV.UK factsheet says it is an offence to exercise control over another person's home without their consent, so it can be used for certain crimes, including drugs, sexual and offensive weapons offences. Consent doesn't count if the person is under 18, lacks capacity, wasn't given enough information, didn't consent freely, or has withdrawn it. Consent obtained through coercion, deception or abuse isn't free. The maximum penalty is five years in prison.

There's no central figure for how many homes are affected. But as an indication, the GOV.UK factsheet notes that police visited 584 suspected cuckooed properties during a single week of intensified action in June 2025.

Who gets targeted?

The GOV.UK factsheet says cuckooing is often the home of a vulnerable person. Homeless Link highlights people with substance or alcohol dependency, mental health needs, learning disabilities, money problems and social isolation. People who've recently moved into their own tenancy after homelessness can be especially at risk. Exploiters often start with friendship, gifts, drugs or a loan, then turn it into control.

Signs to look for on a visit

No single sign proves anything. Look for patterns, and changes from what's normal for that person.

Around the property

• A lot more people coming and going, often at all hours, and visits that are short.
• Unfamiliar cars or bikes outside, or people waiting nearby.
• Neighbour complaints about noise, visitors or anti-social behaviour.
• Damage to doors or locks, or new locks the tenant can't explain.

Inside the home

• New "friends" or "cousins" staying who the tenant can't really explain.
• Signs of drug use or dealing, such as small bags, scales, foil or lots of mobile phones.
• Rooms the tenant doesn't seem able to use, or the curtains always closed.
• The tenant's belongings missing or sold, or the home much more neglected than before.

The person

• They seem anxious, frightened or withdrawn, or cancel or avoid visits.
• Someone else always answers the door or stays in the room and speaks for them.
• They can't talk freely, keep looking at someone else before answering, or ask you to leave quickly.
• Rent arrears, unpaid bills or money problems that are new or getting worse.
• Changes in drug or alcohol use, or injuries they won't explain.

How to respond safely

• Your safety comes first. Don't challenge anyone or go looking for evidence. If you feel unsafe, leave and report it.
• Try to speak to the tenant alone, somewhere else if you can: at the office, by phone, or on a walk. Use open questions like "How are things at home?" or "Who's been staying with you?"
• Don't blame the tenant. Many feel ashamed or scared. Treat them as someone at risk, not as a suspect.
• Write down what you saw and heard: dates, times, descriptions and exact words where you can. Stick to facts.
• Follow your organisation's safeguarding procedure and tell your safeguarding lead the same day.
• Report it. Call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger. Otherwise contact the police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Your organisation may also make a safeguarding referral to the council.

Building it into everyday practice

Homeless Link encourages services to name cuckooing clearly in their safeguarding policies, staff training and risk assessments. Simple steps help: add cuckooing questions to home-visit checklists, share concerns with partner agencies, and make sure new staff know the signs from day one.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Crime and Policing Act 2026 factsheet on child criminal exploitation and cuckooing
• Homeless Link: cuckooing now a criminal offence

This article is practical guidance, not legal advice. Check the latest official guidance for your situation. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.