What is Housing fraud and the types
As a public sector landlord with limited properties and resources, we have a responsibility to ensure that our properties are accessed fairly, by those that have the right to live in them.
We will always investigate Housing fraud, and reporting suspected fraud when you encounter it will support us in doing this.
Types of housing fraud
Some of the types of housing fraud that we, as a council, will investigate are:
- Application
- Knowingly providing incorrect information, or failing to disclose information, in your application for a council property to obtain a tenancy.
- Applying for numerous council properties through multiple social landlords
- Subletting
- Renting out part, or all, of your home to someone else, without the permission of the landlord
- Misrepresentation in the Right to Buy
- Some tenants are entitled to purchase their council home under the Right to Buy scheme. Knowingly providing incorrect information, or failing to disclose information, during this process constitutes as fraud.
- Purchasing a property under the Right to Buy scheme, in exchange for a cash incentive, is also a form of fraud.
- Succession
- When a person moves into a council home without the right to do so. An example of succession fraud is moving into a home after a legal customer has died, or moved away, without the right to do so, or without informing the council.
- Misrepresenting the amount of time, you have lived in a property also constitutes as fraud.
- Mutual Exchange
- Exchanging or assigning a property without informing the council, or without gaining prior consent.
- Transfer
- Knowingly providing false, or misleading, information in order to obtain a tenancy transfer.
- Not Using As a Main or Principal Home (NUMPH)
- Living in another property more than your council property.
- Otherwise not using your council house as your main address