\n Birmingham City Council’s tenancy fraud team has saved almost \u00a35m for the public purse over the last year through investigations into fraudulent tenancies and Right to Buy claims.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Andrii Yalanskyi \/ Shutterstock.com.
\n Birmingham City Council’s tenancy fraud team has saved almost \u00a35m for the public purse over the last year through investigations into fraudulent tenancies and Right to Buy claims.<\/p>\n
Investigators tackled illegal subletting, false social housing applications, fraudulent Right to Buy claims, tenants not residing at registered addresses, and unlawful succession claims.<\/p>\n
As a result, 36 council homes were recovered and re-let to families in need, 210 fraudulent housing applications were cancelled, and 12 Right to Buy applications were stopped.<\/p>\n
Right to Buy fraud prevention has led to almost four times as many applications cancelled compared to the previous year. The council says the rise reflects improved intelligence rather than a surge in fraud, driven by stronger officer presence on estates, better-quality referrals, and closer collaboration between council teams.<\/p>\n
Common forms of tenancy fraud include subletting council homes, fraudulent Right to Buy claims, lying on housing applications, and unlawfully occupying a property after a tenant’s death.<\/p>\n
In their words<\/p>\n
Cllr Baber Baz, Cabinet Member for Housing, commented: \u2018Tenancy fraud deprives people of a much-needed home \u2013 we will not tolerate it and will use the full extent of the law to root out people abusing the system.\u2019<\/p>\n
He added that with more than 35,000 people on Birmingham’s housing register, ensuring homes go to those who genuinely need them \u2018while saving a significant amount of taxpayer’s money\u2019 remains a priority, and thanked residents whose tip-offs help combat fraud.<\/p>\n
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