North Yorkshire housing providers in alliance to tackle fraud

Nine social housing providers in North Yorkshire have set up an alliance to tackle housing fraud.

The initiative is being led by Veritau, a company owned by City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council.

The members of the alliance in addition to City of York are: Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust; Richmondshire District Council; Broadacres Housing Association; Harrogate Borough Council; Yorkshire Housing; Craven District Council; York Housing Association; and Selby District Council.

City of York said: “This partnership initiative focuses on identifying and prosecuting people who lie about their circumstances in order to obtain a property; tenants who unlawfully sublet their property; tenants who stop living at their property and people who provide false information to gain a property through succession rights.”

Veritau, which investigates fraud within the public sector, claimed to have, in the last two years, “freed over 40 misused properties allowing them to be legitimately let”.

It has also provided information to City of York that has prevented 15 false applications for housing.

The alliance is to conduct a media campaign encouraging tenants and the general public to report any suspicions they may have of dishonest subletting, property desertion or false applications. These will then be investigated by either the landlords’ staff or Veritau’s investigators.

Cllr Tracey Simpson-Laing, City of York’s Cabinet Member for Health, Housing and Adult Social Care, said: “Welfare reforms and increased pressures on housing make this campaign to crack down on housing fraud even more important. Thousands of affordable homes are desperately needed in the region by people in difficult circumstances and we want all our housing stock used by eligible people, not fraudsters.”