Tenancy fraud and money laundering
We take tenancy fraud very seriously. There aren’t enough social housing homes for the people who need them. People committing tenancy fraud are breaking the law, breaching their tenancy agreement and causing even longer waits for those entitled to live in social housing.
Tenancy fraud can take many forms, but the most common forms are:
- Unlawful subletting – where the tenant doesn’t live in the property, they rent it to someone else;
- Key selling - when a tenant sells their keys to someone for a lump sum payment;
- Wrongly claimed succession – when someone who is not entitled under the rules tries to take over the tenancy when a tenant dies; and
- Using false information to gain a social housing property.
We employ a range of measures to tackle tenancy fraud, including encouraging employees and fellow residents to raise concerns when they suspect tenancy fraud may have occurred.
We are also alert to the potential for money laundering, especially in transactions relating to sale of our housing properties and stock. We undertake all reasonable steps to uncover fraud, including identity verification and proof of source of funds before sales proceed. We have robust written procedures in place, which includes an Anti-corruption Framework, and this is complemented by mandatory training for colleagues.