Council house tenants "could face jail" for unlawful subletting: Shapps

Council house tenants who sublet their homes unlawfully could face jail under proposed new laws, the Housing Minister has told The Daily Telegraph.

The newspaper claimed that some 50,000 people rent out their council houses while living elsewhere and suggested that a crackdown could save taxpayers up to £5bn.

The Telegraph suggested that those caught abusing the system would have their homes taken off them and face imprisonment.

Housing Minister Grant Shapps told the newspaper: “Social housing is really precious and it’s not right that tenancy fraud and abuse locks out some of the most vulnerable families from getting a roof over their heads.”

The Telegraph said: “It is the latest draconian move by the Coalition to tackle the abuse of council homes that will also see those earning more than £100,000 being stripped of their subsidised homes, along with the end of the automatic ‘council house for life’ for new tenants.”

The newspaper suggested that there was currently no criminal sanction against those subletting their council homes. It also claimed that ‘tenancy cheats’ could earn up to £20,000 a year by renting out their council homes.