Social Rented Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made on plans to bring forward legislative proposals affecting social housing tenants who sub-let a room.

Mr Prisk (edited reply): The Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act received Royal Assent on 31 January. The Act creates new criminal offences of unlawful sub-letting by secure and assured tenants of social housing in England and Wales and provides for the courts to make orders for the recovery from defendants of profits made from unlawful sub-letting.  The Act does not cover, nor is there any intention to legislate for, the quite different situation where social tenants continue living in their property but rent out a spare room to a lodger. All secure tenants have a statutory right to take in a lodger and assured tenants are able to take in a lodger subject to any restrictions in their tenancy agreement.