Council homes are taken off tenants
More than 200 council homes in the West Midlands have been taken off their tenants after investigators found they were either not living there or illegally sub-letting them.
Almost 100 in Wolverhampton have been re-allocated over the past two years says a report today. The city accounts for almost a third of the region's council housing.
Wolverhampton Homes was praised in the Audit Commission's Protecting the Public Purse Report, which shows a dramatic rise in detection of social housing fraud.
In the West Midlands 211 council homes were seized and re-allocated to new tenants last year compared with 101 the year before.
Wolverhampton Homes alone re-allocated 98 over the past two years. Bosses say that, with a waiting list of 12,213 wanting a council home, they would not let people get away with not living in properties they rented.
In Dudley 43 homes were re-allocated.
Some homes were being illegally sub-let, others were obtained fraudulently and some left empty as tenants lived elsewhere.
More than three times as much money is lost through tenancy fraud as housing benefit fraud.
Mark Henderson, director of housing at Wolverhampton Homes, said: "With more than 12,000 people on the housing register in Wolverhampton, it is important that housing is allocated to the people who genuinely need it.
"People who commit this type of fraud are stealing from all of us.
"I'm pleased to say that we are leading the way nationally in tackling this problem but we won't rest on our laurels.
"I want to send a clear message to fraudsters that we are on to them and I would also like to thank everyone who has tipped us off to potential housing fraud over the past two years." The Audit Commission report said Wolverhampton Homes used specialist fraud investigators and encouraged staff and the public to report cases.
Cannock Chase Council, which also has council housing, confirmed it had not had to seize properties due to tenancy fraud.
Councillor Simon Hackett, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for housing, said: "We have just launched a six-month pilot to develop the way we tackle tenancy fraud.
"Our pilot involves counter fraud, benefit investigation and housing officers working closely together to identify those people who are holding tenancies under false pretences – and take action against them."
