Subletting or obtaining a social housing tenancy fraudulently is a criminal offence and means that those in need of social housing have to wait longer to be housed
We take illegal subletting very seriously. Every social housing home that’s illegally sublet or tenancy that’s obtained dishonestly deprives a person or family in need of an affordable home.
The most common types of fraud are where:
- A tenant is not living in their property as their only or main home.
- A tenant has rented out their property and is not living there.
- Someone tries to take over a tenancy after the tenant’s death when they are not eligible.
- A tenant knowingly providing false information or failing to disclose information when applying to buy a property under the Right Acquire or Social Homebuy scheme. This includes not living in the property as their only or main home.
- Someone has or is attempting to get a social housing tenancy based on false information they have provided.
- An assignment or mutual exchange application is made fraudulently.
Subletting a social tenancy became a criminal offence in October 2013.
The action we take will depend on the type and scale of the fraud committed. This can range from a possession order to recover the property and evict the tenant who has committed fraud or criminal prosecution usually under the Fraud Act 2006 or the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013. This can result in a prison sentence of up to two years. We can also apply to recover profits made from the fraud, and for compensation to recover money lost as a result of the tenancy fraud.
What to do if someone is committing tenancy fraud
Do you suspect that someone is committing tenancy fraud? You can contact us – anonymously if you prefer – either via our Customer Services Team on 020 8778 6699 or by email to tenancyfraud@hexagon.org.uk .
