Arun District Council to monitor council-home fraud

Arun District Council is to monitor council-housing fraud

Arun District Council is to start monitoring cases of council-home fraud as a performance indicator for its housing service.

The council’s policy and finance committee has approved two new key performance indicators (KPIs) to be monitored: council housing subletting tenancy fraud and non-payment of service charges for communal areas by right-to-buy flat owners.

Subletting tenancy fraud is when a tenant moves out of council housing and illegally lets the property to someone else, including tenants who move out and leave it to a family member.

A communal area in a block of flats is anywhere outside the confines of a tenant’s apartment, with service charges potentially including maintenance fees, or electricity and water charges.

This followed a recommendation from the housing and wellbeing committee over concerns the council was losing money and council properties were not being used as they should.

The new KPIs will be reported to the housing and wellbeing committee, with the first data to be seen in approximately six months.