Havering Council has successfully identified and prevented multiple cases of housing fraud during the financial year 2024 to 2025.
In one case, an individual applied to buy a Havering Council property that they had been renting out, while failing to declare that they already owned another property in the UK that they planned to sell.
Further investigations of their financial records revealed large transactions, including private school fees and property purchases in the USA.
The investigation resulted in the judge granting £14,000 compensation to the Council and the possession of the property back to the Council.
In another case by the Tenancy Audit team, who make regular unannounced visits to all council properties, discovered a tenant had a mortgage for a property in another authority.
Investigations by the Counter Fraud Team confirmed the tenant was linked to the mortgage address and they were ordered to hand the Havering property back to the Council.
The Tenancy Fraud London 2025 report, in which all 33 London Boroughs have contributed, states there are over 800,000 social homes in London; 54 percent provided by housing associations and 46 percent by London boroughs.
There are approximately 70,000 homeless families in temporary accommodation in London, over 300,000 families on the London housing waiting list and nearly 50,000 social homes in London subject to some form of tenancy fraud, which is the second largest cause of local government fraud losses.
Out of 333 Right to Buy (RTB) applications reviewed in Havering, 50 cases were stopped at the initial review stage by the Counter Fraud team.
Councillor Ray Morgon, Leader of Havering Council, said:
“We remain committed to maintaining an honest and fair housing programme and ensuring that all tenants have a legitimate and lawful right to social housing.
“This includes thoroughly reviewing Right to Buy applications and conducting unannounced audits to prevent fraud.
“These cases highlights the Council’s dedication to protecting public resources and providing social housing opportunities for eligible Havering residents.”
If you suspect tenancy fraud, please call our hotline on 01708 432405 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday), email fraud@havering.gov.uk or visit the Tenancy Fraud webpage