Year in review: tenancy enforcement
Later this year we will be publishing our annual report for 2011/12. This is the sixth in a series of articles about the year just finished. We would like your feedback to help shape our annual report.
Our Tenancy Enforcement Teams based in Manchester and Chorley had a busy year dealing with tenancy fraud. A total of 148 reports of tenancy fraud were investigated, ranging from illegal subletting to ‘giro drops’. When our teams recover a properties it means that someone in genuine housing need will get the opportunity to become a tenant. This is why we take all reports seriously and investigate them thoroughly.Â
Last year Chorley Council asked us to lead on a tenancy fraud initiative in Chorley, since there had been a very small number of reports of tenancy fraud across the borough. We set up a project team involving seven of the major providers of social housing in Chorley and as the project gathered momentum, we organised a series of events, to publicise the project on the radio and in the local press. In addition, a range of events during a ‘Catch a Cheat Week’ brought the project to a close with a 300% increase in reports of potential tenancy fraud in the area.Â
In 2012/13 our priority will be to build on the experience we have gained over the last year and continue to publicise the work we do encouraging even more residents to report suspected fraudsters. What would you think our Tenancy Enforcement Teams should be focusing on and prioritising for improvement in the year ahead?
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