Posted 08.04.14
Housing Minister Kris Hopkins has warned tenancy fraudsters that the net is closing in on those who con taxpayers out of money and deny hard-working families the opportunity to live in a council home.
Mr Hopkins said that life was about to get much tougher for those who illegally sublet or make false applications for social homes or for the Right to Buy, giving councils more powers at their disposal to identify and root out tenancy fraudsters.
The new measures will enable councils to access information about people suspected of tenancy fraud from banks, building societies, utility and telecommunication companies, which could be essential in identifying and prosecuting cheats and freeing up homes for the families that deserve them.
Across England it is estimated that 98,000 social homes are being unlawfully occupied, with those tenancy cheats sub-letting living off the profits elsewhere. In some inner London boroughs, cases of social housing fraud are as high as 1 in 20 properties. This could be costing taxpayers as much as £1.8 billion a year.
The new powers are part of the wider government push to tackle fraud across local government, with over £35 million being invested to improve councils' ability to identify and tackle the problem.
