Council tenant caught committing housing and council tax fraud
A council tenant who falsely claimed to be eligible for a larger home and additional financial support has been found to have deliberately misled the Council about her circumstances. As a result, the housing application has been cancelled and a financial penalty of £1,000 has been accepted by the tenant.
The tenant applied to join the Council’s Housing Register, claiming to be overcrowded in her current home. In September 2023, she successfully bid for a three-bedroom property.
However, as part of routine checks carried out by the Council’s Fraud Team it revealed she had provided false information about her household, failing to declare her husband was living with her and contributing to the household income.
The investigation also revealed she had incorrectly claimed Council Tax Reduction and a Single Person Discount, again failing to declare her husband.
The Council has cancelled her housing application and removed her from the Housing Register under section 4.2 of the Housing Allocation Scheme, which states applicants can be disqualified for unacceptable behaviour, including attempts to gain accommodation through false or misleading information.
To avoid prosecution, the tenant has agreed to pay an administrative penalty of £1,000 under the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
Councillor Jeremy Pursehouse, Chairman of the Housing Committee, said: “This is a strong example of how our fraud detection work protects public funds and ensures fairness for residents who genuinely need support.
Social housing and council tax support exist to help the most vulnerable in our district and abuse of the system will not be tolerated. The Council continues to carry out enhanced verification checks on all housing applications to prevent fraud and protect vital public services.”