Councils Need More Powers to Tackle Tenancy Fraud

In May, housing tenancy fraud will become a criminal offence, carrying a two-year prison sentence and a £50,000 fine.  The most recent estimates suggest that up to 98,000 homes are being let to people who either lied about their circumstances to jump the queue or are sub-letting their council house and pocketing the profits. But how much will the new legislation actually help councils to crack down on this abhorrent behaviour?  Restricted access to data held by utility companies, building societies, lettings agents and organisations like the TV Licensing Authority makes it difficult for council fraud teams to identify fraud or prioritise cases to have the maximum impact. Without the legal tools to request information, councils must rely on tenancy inspections and tip-offs from neighbours. Unfortunately, the new legislation on housing tenancy fraud doesn't include the necessary regulations to make data sharing mandatory. Read more on the Guardian website.