Working hard to uncover tenancy fraud

Uncovering tenancy fraud and prosecuting those responsible is vital to ensuring Anglesey Council continues to meet local housing needs.

Tenancy cheats face losing their homes, going to county court, and could even lose the right to social housing in the future.

With a reduction in affordable private lets and increased demand on Anglesey’s homelessness services, providing access to a healthy flow of homes for our residents has never been as important.

Common types of tenancy fraud include subletting a property; abandoning a property; false succession or assignment claim; unauthorised property exchanges; claiming housing costs or using the property to run a business. Local people are being urged to report any concerns in the strictest of confidence.

Anglesey’s Head of Housing, Ned Michael, explained, “Tenancy fraud is a criminal offence which we take very seriously.”

“We are working hard to track down housing cheats. We have internal checks in place to uncover tenancy fraud and ensure that homes are given to those who are next in line.”

He added, “This will ensure that those who are in genuine need are re-housed as quickly as possible and reduce the need for putting our homeless population into temporary accommodation.”

A recent the audit concluded that Anglesey’s Housing Service responds well to possible tenancy fraud but needs to do more to raise its profile amongst tenants and local communities.

Deputy Council Leader and Housing portfolio holder, Councillor Gary Pritchard added, “Tenancy fraud costs taxpayers’ money and reduces residents’ chances of finding a suitable home in their local community.”

“We all have a part to play in reporting tenancy fraud. Over the coming months, our Housing staff will be working hard to raise greater awareness of this important matter.”