Tenancy Fraud

Reporting tenancy fraud is important step to make homes available for those in need.

What is Tenancy Fraud?

Tenancy fraud is someone living in a property they are not entitled to, not living in the property or giving false information to get a tenancy with us. This type of fraud stops those in genuine need from accessing social housing.

If found guilty of tenancy fraud you could:

  • Lose your tenancy
  • Lose rights to social housing
  • Could be fined or imprisoned or both
  • Giving false information to get a home
  • Subletting – where a tenant rents out all or part of their home to someone else without permission or knowledge of Ongo
  • Not living at the property
  • Wrongly taking over a tenancy – if someone moves into a home or passes away and a person not is not entitled to the property. Also misrepresenting the time they have live with the tenant.
  • Unauthorised transfer
  • Abandoning the property
  • Using false information to try and buy a property under Right to Buy
  • Checking identification documents and right to rent ahead of giving someone a tenancy. This includes mutual exchanges and transfers.
  • Collecting photo id of tenants
  • Carrying out tenancy audits as part of our Tenancy Management Policy.
  • Involving customers – reporting online/in person
  • Promoting messages about tenancy fraud
  • Training colleagues on what to look out for, how to progress fraud cases – collect and record evidence.

How to report?

Reporting tenancy fraud is important step to make homes available for those in need. If you suspect there is tenancy fraud in an Ongo property, you can provide details by contacting us.

Please provide as much information as possible to assist us with our investigations. We will keep the report confidential.

If you are reporting benefit fraud then this should be done via the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) website found here.