Shapps Warns Tenancy Cheats Ahead Of the Games

With just days to go before the start of the Olympics, Housing Minister Grant Shapps has called on social housing landlords in East London to be extra vigilant and take tough action against tenancy cheats trying to make a fast-buck out of sub-letting their homes.  His call came ahead of the Second Reading of a Government-backed Private Members Bill  aimed at tackling the multi-billion pound tenancy fraud scam. Measures include making the sub-letting of social homes a criminal offence for the first time, and forcing profits made from unlawful sub-letting to be paid back to the landlord. A summary of responses to the consultation and the proposed next steps are also being published .  In the meantime, the Minister is calling on all social housing landlords to use their existing powers to their full extent including eviction.  Read more on the CLG website.