Birmingham City Council tenancy fraud investigators have saved £5 million of public money after a major crackdown during the past year. The team pursued tenants suspected of renting fraudulently and cancelled a dozen suspicious Right to Buy applications due to fraud or lack of funding.
Fraud Detection Methods
Officers tracked down people illegally subletting council properties, false applications for social housing, tenants not residing at their registered addresses and unlawful succession claims to council tenancies. As a result, 36 council homes were recovered and re-let to families in genuine need, and 210 housing applications were rejected.
Almost four times as many Right to Buy applications were cancelled compared to the previous year. The increased fraud detection was due to improved intelligence, stronger officer presence on estates, better quality referrals and an improved working relationship between council teams.
Official Response
Cllr Baber Baz, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: "Tenancy fraud deprives people of a much-needed home - we will not tolerate it and will use the full extent of the law to root out people abusing the system."
Demand for housing in Birmingham is at an all time high, with more than 35,000 people on the housing register in Birmingham waiting for a good and safe home. Cllr Baz added: "It is therefore extremely welcome that we are taking action to ensure each council home goes to someone who needs it, while saving a significant amount of taxpayer's money. I also want to thank the honest tenants and residents throughout the city; their tip-offs and reports are invaluable to help us combat tenancy fraud."
Common Types of Tenancy Fraud
- Sub-letting council homes to others
- Cheating the system by making fraudulent Right to Buy claims
- Lying on a housing application
- Living in a property without permission after someone has died
