When somebody with a council or housing association home rents it out without permission or obtains a home through providing false information, they are guilty of housing fraud. They are using up valuable housing spaces and depriving families and vulnerable people on the Homechoice register.  

Housing Fraud can be any of the following:  

• Unlawful subletting - This is where the person who the flat is rented to moves out and charges a higher rent so that they make a profit.
• Not their principal home - This is where someone has a council or housing association property, they do not live in all the time. They may stay with their partner.
• Fraudulent applications - Sometimes people manage to get a council or housing association property by giving false information when making their application. Mutual exchanges and assignments must be approved by the landlord if the tenants have not requested their landlord's permission it may be because they do not wish them to know about their circumstances.
• Ineligible succession - This is where someone tries to succeed a tenancy after the tenant's death when they are not eligible. This usually involves claiming to have lived with the deceased tenant before their death, when they in fact lived elsewhere. 

If you are renting a property from a tenant of a social landlord, you may be a victim of fraud. Once an unauthorised subletting has been identified, the sub-tenant faces a risk of being illegally evicted by the tenant (the person you thought was your landlord).  

If this happens to you, please see the homeless advice pages or you may wish to contact Victim Support for advice and support.