Havering Council uncovered several cases of housing fraud in the 2024/2025 financial year, focusing on unlawful occupations and attempts to purchase council homes. One case involved a tenant attempting to buy a rented property while owning another home. The council received a £14,000 compensation from the court. The counter-fraud efforts included audits and reviews, revealing connections to mortgages and fraudulent applications. Nearly 50,000 social homes in London face tenancy fraud challenges, marking this issue as a major concern for local government finances.
Havering Council has uncovered and prevented multiple cases of housing fraud during the 2024/2025 financial year involving individuals unlawfully occupying council-owned homes, including one case where a tenant attempted to buy a property they were renting out while owning another home in the UK.
A judge awarded £14,000 in compensation to Havering Council and ordered the return of the property in one case of confirmed fraud, illustrating the council's commitment to maintaining an honest housing program.
Cllr Ray Morgon stated, "We remain committed to maintaining an honest and fair housing programme and ensuring that all tenants have a legitimate and lawful right to social housing," emphasizing thorough reviews of Right to Buy applications.
The Tenancy Fraud London 2025 report shows London has over 800,000 social homes, with estimates suggesting nearly 50,000 are affected by tenancy fraud, making it a significant source of local government fraud losses.
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