Are your tenants at risk of cuckooing?

By Catia Rodrigues, Legal Assistant at Woodstock Legal Services

The female cuckoo often lays its eggs in other birds’ nests and once hatched, the cuckoo fledgling pushes the other birds’ fledglings out of the nest. This has inspired a relatively modern term “cuckooing” which unfortunately is becoming more common in landlord and tenant law.

What is “cuckooing”?

Cuckooing is a term used in the property industry to describe the exploitation of a vulnerable individual, usually by an organised criminal group, by way of a home takeover.   These groups will target people who are lonely or isolated, have addiction issues, have mental health issues or have learning difficulties.

These criminal gangs will single out the vulnerable individual and befriend them, with the purpose of moving into the individuals house to conduct illegal activity from the premises. This can vary from drug use to human trafficking.

This can be a real issue where the vulnerable individual is a tenant, as their landlord has an obligation to ensure that, firstly, no illegal activity is carried out inside the property and secondly, they are aware of exactly who is residing in their property.

A recent case of cuckooing

There was a recent incident of cuckooing local to Woodstock’s Poole office. A county lines drug gang singled out a vulnerable female living alone and began using her rented property as a base for drug deals. Due to the tenant’s vulnerable state, the landlords only became aware of this issue when they visited the property to do some routine maintenance. During this visit the landlord noticed that there were multiple people in the property appearing to be under the influence which seemed to unnerve the tenant. 

In the following days the landlords received a call from the police to say the tenant had been the victim of cuckooing and therefore had been rehomed out of the area to ensure they were not targeted again.

However, the issues did not stop there for these landlords as when the gang became aware that the property was empty, they then broke in repeatedly to continue using it as their base for conducting drug crimes. 

In this situation the police were made aware, and the locks were changed. There are now different tenants at the address and so the criminal gangs are no longer breaking in.

Useful tips: –

1. Know your tenant – Is your tenant living alone? Are they receiving housing benefits? Being aware of these facts means you are more likely to be alert to the signs of cuckooing. Victims of cuckooing are often drug users, but can include older people, those suffering from mental or physical health problems, female sex workers, single mums and those living in poverty. Victims may also suffer from other forms of addiction, such as alcoholism.

2. Be aware of the position of your property – Is your property in a particularly rundown area that could be targeted by criminal gangs? It’s common for gangs to have access to several addresses to help them evade detection. They may also use accommodation in rural areas, including serviced apartments, holiday lets, budget hotels and caravan parks.

3. Physical signs to look out for – Is there any unusual smells coming from the Property? Are there frequent visitors to the property? Is there always different, or multiple cars parked outside the property? Has there been an increase in anti-social behaviour or litter outside the property?

If you suspect your tenant has been the victim of cuckooing, it is important to report your suspicions to your local authority at the earliest opportunity.  Your local authority will then work with the relevant services in your area to ensure that your tenant is safeguarded.