Several council houses have been taken from fraudulent tenants who were revealed to own multiple properties.

Seven of the homes were confiscated by Hackney Council, following the discovery that the owners had existing properties in their possession.

Some of the tenants were found to be profiting financially from the scheme by subletting the council houses, while failing to declare their ownership of additional homes.

The illegal activity was unveiled by the Cabinet Office's Public Sector Fraud Authority and Hackney Council’s partnership scheme, through which 28 instances of possible fraud relating to social housing in the area were flagged.

In a social media statement posted yesterday to X, the council confirmed that it is ‘cracking down on tenancy fraud in Hackney, and taking back vital Council homes for local families who need them most’.

Alongside the seven seized properties, an additional seven are in the course of being recovered, with investigations ongoing for 13 other cases.

Mayor of Hackney, Caroline Woodley said: ‘Hackney is facing a critical housing shortage, and it’s crucial that Council homes are made available for allocation to those who need it most. The Council, working with the National Fraud Initiative, is demonstrating how the intelligent use of data and expertise across agencies can tackle the fraudulent use of social housing head on.

‘Our combined efforts to tackle tenancy fraud are already recovering illegally sublet homes so they can be allocated to some of the thousands of households waiting for a good and affordable home to live in – getting them out of hostels and unsuitable temporary accommodation, and stopping criminals from profiting from Council-owned social housing.’