Types of tenancy fraud
There are several types of tenancy fraud and below are some of the most common ones:
- obtaining housing by deception – where a person gets a home by giving false information on their housing application
- 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 when they are not entitled to
- key selling - where a resident is paid to pass on their keys in return for a one-off payment
- unlawful assignment – where a tenant stops using their tenancy as their main or principal home, allowing family members to remain at the property without the permission of the council
- fraudulent mutual exchange – giving false information to get a property
- false Right to Buy – where a tenant resident makes a Right to Buy application and gives false information
Why it is important to tackle tenancy fraud
Council housing is a valuable asset and often a lifeline to the people it's meant for, given the desperate shortage of affordable homes.
We have to make sure that the best use of our homes is made and ensure that the people living in them are legally entitled to be there.
Tenancy fraud can:
- make people wait even longer on the housing list
- extend the time that families have to live in temporary or overcrowded accommodation
- let people profit from subletting a home that could have been for you and your family