Ten council flats have been made available to families who need housing after being taken off fraudulent tenants.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: “Ten council homes are being used to house families in housing need following action against tenancy fraud.
“Over the past year (2024-25), six one-bedroom flats and four two-bedroom flats were taken back by the council so that we can allocate them to those who are most in need and entitled to make these properties their homes.
“With huge demand for housing in the city, we want to ensure council homes go to people who need them.
“Some of the flats taken back were being sublet. Others were abandoned and left unoccupied by tenants who moved out without telling the council they no longer needed the property.
“The homes have been allocated to people on the city’s housing register, with new tenants settling in or moving in shortly.
“The Cabinet Office estimates that tenancy fraud costs the public purse £78,300 a year for each property.
“This takes into account the cost of accommodating genuine applicants in temporary housing and other costs.”
The council said that tenancy fraud included
• subletting or giving up a council property to someone else without permission
• leaving a council property and not telling the council
• passing the keys for a property to someone else for money
• giving false information when applying for a property, for example, claiming to be homeless while owning or living in another property
• wrongly claiming succession rights by trying to take over a property tenancy without the right to do so
• falsely trying to purchase a council property under the “right to buy” scheme
Labour councillor Gill Williams, the council’s cabinet member for housing and new homes, said: “Tenancy fraud is a criminal offence – and it is not a victimless crime.
“Fraudulent use of properties keeps homes away from people on the housing waiting list who need them more.
“There’s also a significant cost to the council and we will continue to take action against anyone found committing tenancy fraud.”
The council added: “These are some examples where fraud investigations were carried out by council staff in response to information from the public and tenants voluntarily gave up their tenancies as a result.
“A tenant was living with their partner in another town while their council flat was empty. The tenant also made a ‘right to buy’ application to purchase the property which they were not entitled to do as they were not living in the property.
“A tenant was subletting their council home and renting a private flat near by.
“A tenant abandoned their council flat to live near by in a house owned by their family.
“If anyone suspects someone isn’t living in their council house or is subletting it, they can report it in confidence.
“Please email anti-fraud@brighton-hove.gov.uk, visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/tenancy-fraud and fill in the online form or call 01273 291700.”
Shouldn’t this be a regular thing rather than once in a blue moon? One of the untold tragedies of Grenfell is that no one will ever know exactly who and how many died in it as almost none of them were the residents who were supposed to be officially living there! Almost all Grenfell flats had been unlawfully sub-let. And if original tenants were living elsewhere, they probably weren’t going to be admitting that!
It IS a regular thing the housing department does.
I recall similar reports from previous years.
I have a two bed flat opposite me that hasn’t been lived in for 5 years since the lady was allocated it…it’s been reported numerous times by numerous people and still she hasn’t moved in and clearly still lives ves with her parents in their big house and uses the flat for storage. Brighton and Hove city council for ya!!
Who did they report it to?
E-mail Bella Sankey, the Cabinet menber for Housing and your ward councillors – emails are on the council website
Un democratically elected mayors and councilors who believe they always know better . I got more logic and wisdom than the entire council I also never went to school I’m proud to say because I see what a over educated lot of idiots you are 50 million given a way is a criminal offence people go to prison for not paying £100 fine you are responsible your houses should be on the line and your carers when you make huge bad judgements the problems lye with you personal . Net zero then have diesel running ice cream vans parked up selling polluting the place cafeteria have been alloted over and above to much space and tables the bigger sea front building could should be divided so many can make a business not one person perched up high for a lift time and there family on sea front property should be for a max of 8 years no one gets theses things for life it’s wrong unethical the pavillion cafe my great grandmother took me there and to think the family’s have passed that down to other members I believe in fair trade giving others a lottery chance not secretly handed the keys to people you choose behind local people’s back that’s criminal to conspire is the 3/4 after murder and treason blackmail is another . You are shoddy incompetent liars
If they were elected then it was democratic; even if we don’t like the outcome.