Birmingham City Council's tenancy fraud team has saved almost £5m for the public purse over the last year through investigations into fraudulent tenancies and Right to Buy claims.
Investigators tackled illegal subletting, false social housing applications, fraudulent Right to Buy claims, tenants not residing at registered addresses, and unlawful succession claims.
As a result, 36 council homes were recovered and re-let to families in need, 210 fraudulent housing applications were cancelled, and 12 Right to Buy applications were stopped.
Right to Buy fraud prevention has led to almost four times as many applications cancelled compared to the previous year. The council says the rise reflects improved intelligence rather than a surge in fraud, driven by stronger officer presence on estates, better-quality referrals, and closer collaboration between council teams.
Common forms of tenancy fraud include subletting council homes, fraudulent Right to Buy claims, lying on housing applications, and unlawfully occupying a property after a tenant's death.
In their words
Cllr Baber Baz, Cabinet Member for Housing, commented: ‘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.’
He added that with more than 35,000 people on Birmingham's housing register, ensuring homes go to those who genuinely need them ‘while saving a significant amount of taxpayer's money’ remains a priority, and thanked residents whose tip-offs help combat fraud.
