Social Landlords acting on Housing Fraud
Wealden Council’s Investigations Team uncover social housing frauds last year in the sum of £233,260 (includeing Right to Buy discounts saved) https://t.co/ClZw6YEwIq #uckfield
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) August 15, 2019
Social housing fraud is not victimless…well done to the Kent Tenancy Fraud Forum and its members #housingfraud #amnesty https://t.co/PPqMbNqyPZ
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) August 9, 2019
Wealden’s counter fraud team saves council more than £400,000 https://t.co/8JyPkX6Pcc
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) August 3, 2019
More great work in tackling social housing fraud – in Ipswich, 14 Right to Buy applications were halted, 8 properties recovered and 9 housing applications stopped. In East Suffolk, 20 RTB applications were stopped & £465,000 in tenancy fraud identified https://t.co/GU3enARPyn
— Andrew Lane (@AndrewLane1962) August 1, 2019
Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s corporate fraud team dealt with 141 cases in 2018/19, including 27 which ended in tenancy terminations due to housing tenancy fraudhttps://t.co/eIQKzZwNgv pic.twitter.com/elVkJc7tfm
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) July 26, 2019
40 council houses valued at more than £3 million recovered
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) July 24, 2019
54 applications to buy cancelled
Counter Fraud Team investigate 218 RTB cases
Annual report to Sandwell Council’s audit and risk assurance committee meetinghttps://t.co/DUb3XnE6d9
Plymouth City Council are saved more than £1 million by fraud investigators in the last financial year
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) July 24, 2019
“The small team dealt with 262 allegations, resulting in 15 prosecutions and 44 sanctions including formal cautions.”https://t.co/145L2lS5SM
A report was published last week by @LGAcomms presenting the impressive outcomes from the Counter-Fraud Fund established by @mhclg#fraud #localauthorities #detection
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) July 17, 2019
https://t.co/rnG5X6QQiJ
Our Kent Housing Group campaign is proving a success raising awareness of tenancy fraud across the county, with time still to run until the end of our June key amnesty.
— Genette Pinwill (@genett_westkent) June 24, 2019
Check out our featured article in Kent Online today:
https://t.co/2hKuTUwiH8
Tenants who are breaking the rules and cheating others out of a home are being given a chance to change their ways, hand their keys back to West Kent and avoid being punished. #dotherightthing #handinyourkeys pic.twitter.com/VRtP1qTD0o
— West Kent (@West_Kent) June 11, 2019
A reminder that our month-long key amnesty for people committing tenancy fraud is now in operation. If you are wondering how to straighten out your life, now's your chance. Give your key back in June and we won’t ask questions. #dotherightthing #handinyourkeys
— Kent Housing Group (@KentHsgGroup) June 11, 2019
Key Amnesty month has begun! Throughout June, Residents that are subletting/committing tenancy fraud can hand their keys back and be safe in the knowledge that no legal action will be taken. Watch the video in our next tweet for more information on the impact of tenancy fraud!
— Gravesend Churches Housing Association (GCHA) (@GravesendCHA) June 3, 2019
Housing is in really short supply and we want to make sure the people who need it, get it. So when we find out someone is pretending to live in one of our homes and rents it to make a profit, we action. We offer a £250 reward to anyone who can help. Please call us on 01733 385000 pic.twitter.com/FKNHLXZ94d
— Cross Keys Homes (@CrossKeysHomes) May 27, 2019
Social Housing Fraud Prosecutions
Man sentenced to 2 years (suspended) imprisonment, 150 hours of unpaid work, a 4 month curfew and ordered to pay LB Tower Hamlets costs of £6000 after “succeeding” to deceased tenant’s tenancy by deception https://t.co/tGaTsbfeAI
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) August 14, 2019
Housing applicant fined following fraud conviction for lying on council housing application…great work from Bexley Council#allocation #housingfraud #convictionhttps://t.co/0iFHbb0T27
— Andrew Lane (@AndrewLane1962) August 14, 2019
Reading landlord Gavin Lescott given suspended sentence & ordered to pay £48k & costs having fraudulently rented council property for 10 years https://t.co/oMn1lLbqTn
— (((Janette Canlin))) (@JCanlin) August 11, 2019
Former local authority tenant, who accepted housing when he had bought an investment property, is ordered to pay £48,408 by October 25 or face 18 months in prison for non-payment. He is also ordered to pay costs of £6,816 at a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing https://t.co/PANrD2x2i4
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) August 1, 2019
The Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) dismissed an appeal in February against an unlawful sub-letting conviction, but reduced costs liability https://t.co/95YGNgQsCghttps://t.co/fXDgUyEsDi
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) July 10, 2019
Appeals against conviction of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation dismissed by the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division): Chauhan & Anor, R. v [2019] EWCA Crim 1111 https://t.co/ntaPF9sjwy)
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) July 8, 2019
Superb result in court by the team today with a challenging sub let investigation resulting in a guilty plea & subsequent fine issued in sentencing. Most importantly, a clear message that such criminality will not be tolerated in Dudley #tenancyfraud #tacklingfraud @Harvi_Mat
— Tom Mountford (@MountfordTom) June 20, 2019
Former tenant, who submitted a right to buy application, convicted of unlawfully sub-letting his former council home. Judge says:
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) June 5, 2019
“The message needs to get out that it is a criminal offence to behave in the dishonest way which you did.”#housingfraud
https://t.co/xdVNggO3Gx
Civil actions
Another outright possession order won last Friday of sublet property with huge arrears. Another property to be given to someone in genuine need #tacklingfraud
— Avril Drummond (@AvrilDrummond3) August 12, 2019
First visit to #Basingstoke county court. Property number 24 recovered since October ‘18 that has been used in a fraudulent manner #tenancyfraud pic.twitter.com/4ZzdCjNQOf
— Sean Richards (@ASBOfficer18) August 12, 2019
Outright possession order at initial hearing today for property which has been sublet in Hounslow for several years. Happy with result #tacklingfraud
— Avril Drummond (@AvrilDrummond3) August 2, 2019
London authority successfully obtains possession of one of its properties where the tenant had been using it for Airbnb lettings, and also get an unlawful profit order of £100,974.94#UPO #Possession #Airbnb
— Cornerstone on Social Housing Fraud (@CSHousingFraud) July 28, 2019
https://t.co/fauTmvCxRv
Another outright possession order made today in a ground 17 (false statement) case…great work by local authority fraud investigators, the housing association officer and @BatchelorsSHG #housingfraud #falsestatement #possessionorder https://t.co/1D9qFeHKRG
— Andrew Lane (@AndrewLane1962) June 6, 2019
Another possession obtained forthwith for a social housing property being abused #tenancyfraud pic.twitter.com/1s3nNttNaH
— Sean Richards (@ASBOfficer18) May 29, 2019