Social Housing Fraud or more commonly known as 'Tenancy Fraud' is an offence that relates to people misusing the provision of social housing.
Willow Tree Housing Partnership takes tenancy fraud extremely seriously as it prevents social housing being used by those with a genuine need.
Here are some of the most common types of tenancy fraud:-
Application Fraud - making a false declaration or submitting fraudulent documents to obtain a property, for example, giving false information.
Unlawful Subletting - tenants who sublet the whole or part of their home, for example, moving in with your partner and renting out your social housing property just in case your relationship doesn’t work out.
Succession Fraud - unlawful tenancy succession - wrongful succession to a person who does not qualify and submitted false information, for example, saying you’ve lived with a social housing resident to succeed their property, when you know this is not true.
Right To Buy Fraud - where a false application has been submitted, for example, not living in your social housing property but then looking to buy it through the Right to Buy Scheme/Right to Acquire Scheme.
Key selling - where a resident is paid to pass on their keys in return for a one-off payment.
Unlawful assignment - where a resident stops using their tenancy as their main or principal home, allowing another person to live there without permission from WTHP.
Why it's important to tackle tenancy fraud
We want to ensure that we make the best use of the homes we own and ensure that the people living there are legally entitled to be there. People who are already in need of social housing and on the waiting list will have to wait even longer if homes continue to be occupied by people who have no right to live there.
What we do to tackle tenancy fraud
We will take action to regain possession of properties and recover any unlawful profits made by residents wherever we find evidence of tenancy fraud.
What you can do to help
If you know someone in one of our homes who is renting it out without permission, obtained their property by giving false information, or is living somewhere else and their property has been left empty for a considerable time, then they could potentially be committing tenancy fraud. They could be using up valuable housing accommodation and depriving families and vulnerable people who are on the waiting list.
If you have any suspicions that someone is or has been committing tenancy fraud, then please contact us by:
- Completing our Report Tenancy Fraud online form, or
- Calling your Housing Officer on 01934 750780, or
- Emailing customerservices@willowtreehousing.org.uk
Any information you give us will be treated in the strictest of confidence and your identity will be protected. You may report this anonymously, but please give us as much information as possible to help our investigations.
If you are happy to disclose your contact details then this may help if we need to contact you for more information or to clarify something that you have told us.
