Tenancy Fraud, Unlawful Subletting & Squatting

What is Tenancy Fraud?

Tenancy fraud is when someone lives in a home they shouldn't be in.

Tenancy fraud is illegal, and people can go to prison or receive a fine.

It is a big issue – around 1 in 100 social homes are being lived in illegally. It denies homes to families who need them.

Types of Tenancy Fraud

There are different types of Tenancy Fraud. The most common ones include:

Unlawful subletting – where a tenant lets out their council or housing association home without the knowledge or permission of their landlord.

Obtaining a home by deception – where a person gets a council or housing association home by giving false information in their application.

Key selling – where a tenant is paid to pass on their keys in return for a one-off payment.

Wrongly claimed succession – when a tenant dies and someone who is not entitled tries to take over or succeed in the tenancy.

How to spot Tenancy Fraud

Tenancy Fraud is not easy to spot; however, here are a few things to look out for:

• A sudden change in who's living in the home
• Someone is vague about who lives on the property or their relationship with them
• Increased anti-social behaviour at the property
• If your neighbour has passed away and a friend or family member is now living in the home
• The home seems to be abandoned
• Your neighbour's talking about their landlord as a person, rather than a housing association or council, but you know their home isn't privately owned