From 26 October 2026, registered social housing providers can issue closure notices themselves. Until now, only the police and local authorities could start closure action, even though landlords are often the first to hear about serious problems at a property. If your organisation hasn't planned how it will use the new power, now is the time.

What's changing

Section 5 and Schedule 2 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 amend the closure powers in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. They let registered social housing providers close premises they own or manage that are associated with nuisance or disorder.

In practice, from 26 October:

• You can issue a closure notice for a property you own or manage, without waiting for the police or council.

• The legal tests don't change. Providers must meet the same tests as other agencies under the 2014 Act, and statutory guidance applies.

• Notices last longer. A closure notice can now stay in force for up to 72 hours, rather than 48, giving more time to prepare the application to the magistrates' court for a closure order.

• Powers that sat with police and councils, such as cancelling or varying a notice, sit with providers for their own notices too.

Why it matters

Closure is one of the most serious steps in ASB work. It can shut a property quickly to protect neighbours, often in cases of drug activity, cuckooing or persistent disorder. Housing providers now have a faster route to that protection, but they also carry the responsibility for getting it right.

A closure order goes before magistrates. The court will look at whether the premises have been, or are likely to be, used for nuisance or disorder, and whether the order is necessary. If your evidence is thin, your timeline unclear or your decision-making undocumented, the application will be hard to defend.

Five things to do before 26 October

1. Update your ASB policy. Set out when you'll consider closure, who can authorise a notice and how you'll involve police and council partners.

2. Train the people who will use it. Officers need to understand the tests, the notice process and the court timetable.

3. Agree working arrangements with partners. Decide how you'll share information and avoid duplicate action with police and the local authority.

4. Check your safeguarding approach. The revised guidance puts more weight on vulnerability and exploitation, including cuckooing, where the tenant may also be a victim.

5. Review how you gather evidence. Make sure you can show what happened, when, and what you did about it, from the first report onwards.

Evidence is what makes a closure stand up

The 72-hour window is short. You won't have time to piece together a case from emails, call logs and handwritten diaries once a notice is served. The evidence needs to be organised before you act.

The Noise App helps housing teams build that record as cases develop. Residents report problems as they happen, with time-stamped audio recordings and diary entries. Officers review reports, add notes and keep the full case history in one place. When a case escalates, the evidence and the record of how you handled it are already there.

The same record supports your other new tools too, including Respect Orders, which also start on 26 October.

Next steps

• Read our guide to the Crime and Policing Act 2026.

• Join our free November webinar, where Jim Nixon and solicitor and ASB trainer Amy Sturton of the Social Housing Academy cover closure powers and Respect Orders.

• Book a demo to see how The Noise App helps housing teams gather evidence from the first report.