Social housing subletters ‘should face fraud charges’

9 Mar 10
Social housing tenants who sublet their properties should be prosecuted for fraud, a think-tank recommends today
By Vivienne Russell

9 March 2010

Social housing tenants who sublet their properties should be prosecuted for fraud, a think-tank recommends today.

The New Local Government Network is calling for the unlawful subletting of council houses and flats to be treated in the same way as benefit fraud and upgraded from a civil to a criminal offence.

Such a move has the backing of the majority of housing professionals. An NLGN survey found that 92% of housing officers agreed that making the offence illegal would help tackle the problem of unlawful subletting.

The think-tank claims that at least 50,000 people are fraudulently living in the social rented sector and depriving those in real need of housing. Its report – Don’t let on – estimates that at least 80% of people fraudulently living in social housing properties would not themselves qualify for help with council housing.

Recovering all unlawfully sublet properties could save £750m, the NLGN says.

Tom Symons, author of the report, said: ‘The costs of unlawful subletting demand action that goes beyond a quick one-off crackdown and instead seeks to effect legal change as well as a major shift in societal attitudes towards tenancy fraud.

‘It is imperative that central government now makes the changes that will enable local authorities to galvanise their anti-tenancy fraud efforts and minimise the high social and financial costs of unlawful subletting.’

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