Croydon has seized possession of 36 council-owned homes in a massive crackdown on housing fraud in the borough.
Social housing crackdown: could there be more council homes in the borough being used by those not entitled to social housing?
The council homes – desperately needed to provide housing for people on the council’s waiting list – were being occupied by people who owned houses or other properties elsewhere, or were not entitled to social housing.
The crackdown by Croydon and other London boroughs comes as the cost of fulfilling the authorities’ legal responsibilities to house the homeless is stretching their budgets beyond breaking point.
Croydon has nearly 9,000 people on its housing waiting list. The average wait for a three-bedroom, family council home in Croydon is nine years. The government estimates the value of each recovered tenancy in London at £78,300. The recovery and use of the 36 seized homes is therefore reckoned could save the council £ 2.8million per year.
The council said that one of its homes was taken back after it was discovered the tenant had bought a £650,000 property while still holding her council home for her daughter to use “occasionally”.
Others were taken back after it was found they had been passed on to children or were left empty when the listed tenants moved out.
Only around 800 social homes become available in Croydon each year, the council says. “Recovering these homes is essential.”
Tenancy fraud includes subletting, false applications, illegal succession claims and people living elsewhere while keeping a council home. The council also finds cases where tenants have stopped living in their home for long periods. “These cases are not always fraudulent, but they still lead to homes being recovered and re-let to residents who need them,” the council said.
Croydon operates a housing fraud team together with Lambeth Council.
“Resident reports are crucial,” the council said. “Six cases reported by residents are currently under investigation, and four have been completed and passed to the council’s housing and legal teams for further action.
“In some cases, the courts are now involved to return properties to the council so they can be offered to people who genuinely need them,” the council said.
“We cannot allow anyone to take advantage of the system or keep a home they are not entitled to,” Croydon’s failed Mayor, Jason Perry, told the Standard, claiming his council has a “zero-tolerance” approach to housing fraud.
The discovery of so many council homes being in the possession of people not entitled to council housing does, though, raise important questions about the standard of management and the rigour of checks being conducted by the housing department at Perry’s council.
It was reported recently that one council employee was also getting paid while working for another London borough. That council worker was employed in Croydon’s housing department…
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“Zero tolerance” says Jason £84k Perry, who has unwittingly tolerated this since being elected Mayor in May 2022, along with his Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Homes, Councillor Lynne £43k Hale.
Piss-poor likes to grab the headlines when these stories break, but he and his pointless overpaid cabinet stooges never proactively spot and deal with them. He just steals the credit
Only the tip of the iceberg. And its the same old faces. No shame.
You know that how?
What’s your evidence?
What is the average length of time that these tenancy fraud homes have been occupied fraudulently, and how does this compare with the average nine year wait on the council housing waiting list?
Send the Council a Freedom of Information request Jim. They just love answering questions like those, and always do their best to reply within the legal deadline
For as Iong as I can remember there have always been rumours of Lettings frauds in Local Authorities and especially in London ones. From the amount of action being taken it seems there has been a systemic network at work corrupting a vital public function. When the details are produced it will be interesting to see if there are any Politicians or high ranking Council Officials involved in this. I hope this investigation is done thoroughly to investigate those who are currently involved and those from the past who long thought they have got away with it.
Croydon Council says it has “zero tolerance” for housing fraud — after finally noticing dozens of council homes being used as spare rooms, family heirlooms, or backup plans.
A £650k homeowner keeping a council flat “occasionally” is peak Croydon: nine-year waiting lists, but apparently plenty of room for just-in-case properties.
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Having tried for years to get them to deal with a problem antisocial tenant I can confirm that Croydon’s housing department is as disgustingly useless as all its other departments. An absolute shower of shite.