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Ahead of the Tenancy Fraud Forum Conference 2024, we have put together a basic guide on how social landlords can identify and prevent tenancy fraud.
Tenancy fraud is a pervasive issue that not only undermines the integrity of housing systems, but also deprives genuine applicants of their right to housing. The battle against tenancy fraud is constant and demands vigilance, strategy, and an understanding of the various forms it can take. This blog aims to highlight the paths through which social landlords can identify potential tenancy fraud and implement measures to prevent it.
Understanding Tenancy Fraud
Tenancy fraud can manifest in several ways, including but not limited to:
- Subletting without permission: Where a tenant rents out their social housing unit to someone else, often at a higher rate.
- Obtaining housing by deception: Where an individual provides false information on their housing application to gain a tenancy.
- Key selling: Involves a tenant moving out and selling their keys to another person, rather than legally ending the tenancy.
- Succession fraud: Occurs when someone falsely claims the right to succeed a tenancy after the original tenant dies.
- Right to Buy fraud: When a tenant applies to buy their social housing home at a discount with dishonest intentions, such as not being the primary resident.
Spotting the Signs of Tenancy Fraud
Vigilance is key in spotting potential tenancy fraud. Social landlords and their teams should be aware of the following red flags:
- Inconsistent occupancy patterns: Frequent, unexplained absences of the tenant or signs that the tenant doesn’t actually live there.
- Complaints from neighbors: Reports of different people living in the property or disturbances that don’t match the tenant’s profile.
- Suspicious documentation: Inconsistencies or alterations in identification documents, utility bills, or other official paperwork.
- Rapid changes in occupancy: Frequent changes in the individuals living in the property without corresponding changes in the tenancy agreement.
- Excessive wear and tear: Unusual levels of damage or wear in the property, suggesting heavy use or multiple occupants over a short period.
Preventative Measures
Preventing tenancy fraud begins with robust verification processes and continues through ongoing management and community engagement. Consider the following strategies:
- Thorough vetting at application stage: Implement stringent checks of identification, income, and previous tenancy records. Cross-reference applications with other public and private databases where possible.
- Regular property inspections: Conducting scheduled and random inspections can deter tenants from committing fraud and help identify signs of unauthorised occupants or subletting.
- Clear communication of rules and consequences: Ensure that all tenants are aware of their responsibilities, the rules regarding subletting, succession, and occupancy, and the legal consequences of tenancy fraud.
- Encourage community reporting: Foster a sense of community and encourage neighbors to report suspicious activities anonymously. An informed and engaged community is a powerful deterrent against fraud.
- Use technology to your advantage: Invest in software that can help track and analyse tenancy patterns, flag inconsistencies, and streamline the reporting of potential fraud.
- Training staff: Ensure that all staff, especially those in direct contact with tenants, are trained to recognise the signs of tenancy fraud and understand the proper channels for reporting and investigation.
Tenancy Fraud Forum 2024
By practitioners, for practitioners, the Tenancy Fraud Forum 2024 is the conference for anyone who works in tenancy fraud including investigators, housing officers, housing managers, lawyers, lettings officers and auditors. If you’re experienced in the field or want to get started, then this conference will give you new skills to detect and stop housing fraud.
Intelligencia Training is a lunch sponsor of this year’s conference and will also be exhibiting. Make sure to come and see us to learn about our specialist apprenticeship for fraud investigators.
To register for TFF 2024, please visit: https://www.tenancyfraudforum.org.uk/conference-2024
Information on our Level 4 Counter Fraud Investigator apprenticeship can be found here: https://www.intelligenciatraining.com/counter-fraud-investigator/
