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Audit Commission > National Fraud Initiative > Private sector > Services > Housing tenant screening

Housing tenant screening

Feedback from the National Housing Federation suggests that that the number of unlawfully sublet social homes could range from 1 in 100 to as high as 1 in 20 in some inner city hotspots.

The NFI identifies tenancy fraud at housing associations and/or other social housing providers as well as housing benefit fraud. In previous exercises, this has led to tenancies being terminated and properties re-allocated to genuine applicants on the housing waiting list who may otherwise have remained in expensive temporary accommodation.

In 2010/11 the initiative identified both fraudulent right to buy (acquire) cases, with action being taken to recover the discounts falsely awarded, and tenancy fraud being committed by persons who had obtained a tenancy without declaring that they already owned a property. 235 houses were recovered by social landlords from those who were not entitled to them.

What can housing tenant screening identify for your organisation?

  • Data is matched to other tenancy data to identify individuals that potentially have more than one property in their name.
  • Data is matched to immigration and UK visa data to highlight individuals with no right to reside in the UK.
  • Data is matched to housing benefit data to ensure that tenants are only resident at one address, and are not claiming housing benefit for a different property.
  • Right-to-buy claimants will also be matched to housing benefit to ensure that they are not claiming right to buy when they do not qualify.

Fees 

Housing association participants NFI fee 2012/13
Housing, payroll and creditor screening (dependent upon number of properties) £1250 (up to 2,499 properties)
£1850 (2,500 to 9,999 properties)
£2650 (10,000 or more properties)
Additional modules (existing) £2100 per module
All additional non-standard data screening Price on request

Please note that the NFI is no longer deemed a vatable charge by HMRC (from July 2011) so VAT will not be levied.

Further information