Three cases of tenancy fraud have been brought to court this week by NPH.
Russell Morgan of The Springs, Briar Hill was found guilty of illegally subletting his local authority property to George Maddison in 2015. During the investigation, it was also established that Mr Maddison had sublet a room in the property to a third party who believed Mr Maddison owned the property. Both men were fined £4000 and ordered to pay the full costs of the investigation and prosecution, at £1692.74 each. Both were also ordered to pay a Victim Surcharge of £120. In addition, Mr Morgan was made subject of an Unlawful Profit Order of £502.83 which was deemed to be the money he made from the illegal subletting of the flat. Mr Morgan’s property has already been re-let by NPH to new tenants with a genuine housing need.
In a separate case, Charles Mead of Nether Jackson Court was found guilty of illegally sub-letting his local authority property from October 2013. Mr Mead will be sentenced for the Prevention of Housing Fraud Act offences on the 9th June 2016.
Speaking about the results, Mike Kay NPH Chief Executive said: “I am extremely pleased with the outcome of these cases. There is huge demand for social housing in Northampton and all of my team at NPH are committed to making sure that the properties we manage go to those who need them most. The majority of our tenants have been provided with somewhere to live according to their genuine housing need however we will not tolerate people who abuse the system. The outcomes in court this week are a great example of our continued partnership working with the counter fraud team.”
If you think you may know someone who has committed tenancy fraud, you can contact NPH on 0300 330 7003 or email the counter fraud team: reportfraud@northamptonshire.gov.uk in strictest confidence.