When somebody with a council or housing association home rents it out without permission or obtains a home through providing false information, they are guilty of Housing fraud. They are using up valuable housing spaces and depriving families and vulnerable people on the Home Options register.
What is Housing Fraud?
Housing fraud may take many forms. The most common are:
- Unlawful subletting to third parties
- Key selling to third parties
- Advertising properties to let e.g. on the internet or shop windows
- Obtaining properties by deception or by providing false information e.g. names and national insurance numbers
- Unauthorised assignments of the tenancy to those not entitled or where permission has not been obtained
- Wrongly claimed succession on the death of a tenant
- Non-occupation once the tenancy has been signed up
- Multiple occupation i.e. were tenants falsely occupy two properties
- Over occupation (non-disclosed) were a tenant states only he/she lives there but where others move in sometimes also paying rent to the tenant.
We need your help!
There are occasions when the only way we become aware that a fraud is being committed is because a member of the public tells us about it. If you suspect that someone is committing tenancy fraud, please report it to us.
All the information that is given to us is treated in the strictest of confidence and you do not have to give your name or reveal any details about yourself if you do not wish to. All complaints of housing fraud will be investigated and if found to be taking place, action will be taken to tackle it. You do not need to be a Bury Housing Services Tenant to do this.
Supporting victims of unlawful subletting
If you are renting a property from a tenant of Bury Housing Services, you may be a victim of fraud. Once an unauthorised subletting has been identified, you could face a real risk of being illegally evicted by the tenant (the person you thought was your landlord). Bury Housing Services can provide advice and direct you to where you can receive support if you are vulnerable.