Birmingham City Council says it has saved almost £5 million over the past year after stepping up efforts to tackle tenancy fraud and recover social housing for people in genuine need.
The council’s tenancy fraud team investigated a range of offences, including illegal subletting, fraudulent Right to Buy applications, false housing applications, unlawful succession claims and cases where tenants were no longer living in their council properties.
As a result of the investigations, 36 council homes were recovered and returned to the city’s housing stock, allowing them to be re-let to families on Birmingham’s growing waiting list.
The council also cancelled 210 housing applications and stopped 12 Right to Buy applications after investigations found evidence of fraud or applicants were unable to complete the purchase because of funding issues.
Officials said the work had generated savings of nearly £5 million for the public purse by preventing the misuse of council housing and protecting public assets.
The council says its success has been driven by stronger fraud detection rather than a rise in dishonest behaviour. It credits increased officer presence on housing estates, higher-quality intelligence from residents, and closer working between council departments for improving the number of cases identified.
Right to Buy fraud prevention has seen one of the biggest improvements. The council said it cancelled almost four times as many fraudulent or ineligible Right to Buy applications compared with the previous year, reflecting enhanced investigation techniques and better information sharing.
Tenancy fraud can take many forms, including tenants illegally renting out their council home while living elsewhere, providing false information on housing applications, making fraudulent Right to Buy claims or continuing to occupy a council property without permission after the original tenant has died.
Birmingham City Council says tackling these offences is becoming increasingly important as demand for affordable housing continues to grow.
More than 35,000 people are currently on the city’s housing register waiting for a council home, placing significant pressure on the available housing stock.
Councillor Baber Baz, the council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: ‘Tenancy fraud deprives people of a much-needed home – we will not tolerate it and will use the full extent of the law to root out people abusing the system.
‘Demand for housing in Birmingham is at an all time high, with more than 35,000 people on the housing register in Birmingham waiting for a good and safe home.
‘It is therefore extremely welcome that we are taking action to ensure each council home goes to someone who needs it, while saving a significant amount of taxpayer’s money.
‘I also want to thank the honest tenants and residents throughout the city; their tip-offs and reports are invaluable to help us combat tenancy fraud.’
Photo: Allan Francis
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