Tenancy fraud
Tenancy fraud refers to when someone lives in, applies for, or uses a social housing home in a way they’re not legally entitled to. Tenancy fraud doesn’t just create financial pressure on social landlords — it also harms communities.
When homes are wrongly occupied, people who genuinely need a stable place to live are left waiting, which can negatively affect children’s education, people’s health, employment opportunities, and the overall safety and wellbeing of neighbourhoods.
There are different types of tenancy fraud such as:
- Unlawful subletting - This happens when a social housing customer rents out all or part of their home without permission. It is a criminal offence under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013 and the Fraud Act 2006, and can lead to fines or imprisonment. Subletting now often includes short‑term letting through platforms like Airbnb. Social landlords can also take legal action to recover any unlawful profit made, with courts frequently ordering customers to repay substantial sums. More information can be found here
- Misrepresentation – this occurs when someone lies or withholds important information to obtain a social housing property or to move to a larger one. It is a criminal offence that can lead to fines or imprisonment. The offence also applies if another person provides false information on the customer’s behalf, even without the customer asking
- Joint tenancy fraud – This happens when a customer (tenant) asks to add their partner to the tenancy and, once the joint tenancy is created, the original tenant moves out. This leaves the property occupied by someone who often wouldn’t qualify for social housing, allowing them to stay in the home without a genuine housing need. Robust checks are in place to prevent this
- Abandonment - Abandonment occurs when a customer moves out of their social housing property and leaves it empty without informing the landlord. Failing to report this change in circumstances is tenancy fraud. Even after moving out, the customer continues to benefit from the tenancy, which can amount to a criminal offence under the Fraud Act 2006. Additionally, in some cases this may also constitute benefit fraud if the person continues to claim housing‑related benefits for a home they are not occupying
- Wrongly claimed succession – this occurs when a customer dies and someone falsely claims the right to succeed to the tenancy
- False Right to Buy/Right to Acquire - This type of fraud causes significant financial loss to landlords and harms the wider community. It commonly involves claiming the right to buy when the customer no longer lives in the property, providing false financial information, or completing purchase documents in the name of an elderly customer who may not have the capacity to understand or consent to the process
- Key selling – Occurs if a social customer (tenant) is granted a tenancy but never moves in and instead sells the keys to a third party - this constitutes a criminal offence and is tenancy fraud
Tenancy fraud is not a victimless crime. Up to 148,000 social homes in England are estimated to be fraudulently occupied.
If you’re worried that someone may be committing tenancy fraud, or something doesn’t feel quite right, you can contact us in confidence. You don’t need proof — just share your concerns, and we’ll listen. Please get in touch so we can look into it.
We understand that raising a concern can feel difficult, especially if you’re worried about your safety or your relationship with neighbours. That’s why we will never go straight to the person you’re reporting. Our first step is always to speak with you so we can understand what you’ve noticed and how best to proceed.
We handle all reports with care, discretion and sensitivity, and we take every precaution to ensure that you are not placed at risk or identified as the source of the concern.
Your information helps keep homes available for people who genuinely need them — and we’ll support you throughout the process.
Tackling tenancy fraud is important as:
- Social housing is in extremely high demand, with thousands of families living in temporary accommodation
- Fraud reduces the number of homes available for people in need
- It places huge financial pressure on local authorities and housing providers
We take tenancy fraud extremely seriously because every home lost to fraud is a home that can’t be offered to someone waiting.
You may notice things that don’t seem quite right. Examples include:
- A sudden or unexplained change in who is living at the property
- Frequent short‑stay visitors or signs the home is being used for holiday lets (e.g. Airbnb‑style turnover)
- Someone being vague about who lives there or their relationship to them
- Increased anti‑social behaviour or noise
- The property appearing abandoned
- The customer talking about their “landlord” as a private individual rather than VIVID
- The property being advertised online for rent
- Refusal to allow access for essential safety inspections
If something doesn’t feel right, please tell us — you might help return a home to someone waiting urgently.
Tenancy fraud is a serious matter, and consequences can include:
- Losing the tenancy and being required to leave the property
- Repaying money earned illegally through unlawful subletting, including Unlawful Profit Orders
- Criminal prosecution- under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013, offences can lead to fines or imprisonment of up to two years
- Being restricted from future social housing applications
A new offence called Failure to Prevent Fraud” applies to organisations (including some housing providers). This means we must have strong fraud‑prevention systems, training and monitoring in place.
You may notice more identity checks or verification steps as part of this.
Some customers can have a lodger, but this:
- Must not be a sublet arrangement
- Must not involve giving up possession of the whole home
- Usually requires our permission
If you’re unsure, please contact us first so we can advise you.
You can find out more about tenancy fraud by checking out:
