Be aware of tenancy fraud

Tenancy fraud or misuse is not a victimless crime, it can have a negative affect either directly or indirectly on many of us. Its impact is often felt much more widely than purely financial, resulting in social and emotional loss to the most vulnerable and those genuinely in need within our society. It is essential that we are all alert to the risk of fraud and do everything we can to prevent, detect and report suspected fraud by:

Being aware of the common types of tenancy fraud;

• unlawful subletting – where a tenant rents out their home without the knowledge or permission of the landlord
• wrongly claimed succession – where the resident dies and someone tries to take over or succeed the tenancy which they are not entitled to
• false Right to Buy – where a tenant makes a Right to Buy application and gives false information in their application or if they are not resident and sub-letting.
• key selling – where a resident is paid to pass on their keys in return for a one-off payment
• obtaining housing by deception – where a person gets a home by giving false information on their housing application.

What are we doing to tackle tenancy fraud?

We carry out regular tenancy audits as part of our housing management to make sure that the right people are living in our properties. We work with other social landlords and statutory agencies including the police and local authorities to prevent and detect fraud where the law requires it or where information sharing protocols are in place.

How do I report tenancy fraud?

If you think someone in your area may be subletting their home or living elsewhere, please report this to us in confidence.

Fill in our online form.
Speak to your housing officer.
Call customer services; 0300 330 7003