Report Tenancy Fraud

How to report housing fraud

We need your help to report housing fraud because you see what's going on in your neighbourhood such as:

• you might know that somebody has another home we don't know about or has given false information in their housing or homeless application.
• you might be suspicious because the tenants of a property keep changing or you have seen someone collecting rent.
• you might suspect that the property is not being occupied.

Use our online form to report tenancy fraud 

Any information received will be kept in the strictest confidence and you do not have to supply your name and address.  

• Please use the form on the following website: https://www.gov.uk/report-benefit-fraud

What is Housing Fraud?

Housing Fraud includes a number of different fraudulent activities including: 

• Giving false information on your housing application to be wrongly given priority or a higher banding.
• Sub-letting your social house to people who aren't allowed to live in the property under the terms of your tenancy.
• Failing to occupy the property yourself, allowing relatives or other people to take on the property.
• Failing to use the property as your main home or selling the key to a third party.
• Lying about living in a property for the qualifying period in order to gain the tenancy of a tenant who has died.

Read DDC's Tenancy Fraud Policy

How are DDC doing in investigating and prosecuting Tenancy Fraud cases?

DDC take reports of Tenancy Fraud very seriously and have a contract with Ashford Borough Council who have Specialist Fraud investigators who undertake the detailed investigations into cases we refer to them. Find out more about our Tenancy Fraud performance.

What's so bad about housing fraud?

Most people applying for housing wait their turn to be allocated a home. Allocation is based on need. Housing cheats don’t wait and aren't in the greatest need, they jump the queue. It’s not fair.

There isn't an abundance of social housing in this country so it is important that fraudsters do not use up valuable housing spaces which deprive those in greater need.

National Blow the Whistle Tenancy Fraud campaign

We have worked with our residents to roll out the national Tenancy Fraud 'Blow the Whistle campaign which has been advertised on social media and posters have been placed on noticeboards.

Find out more about our privacy policy here and how we use your data here.