Council tenants who sub-let their homes could be jailed under proposals being considered by the government.
Criminal sanctions at long last.
New laws would target an estimated 50,000 people who rent out their council homes while living elsewhere.
Housing Minister Grant Shapps told the Daily Telegraph those abusing the system could have their homes taken from them and face imprisonment.
There is currently no criminal sanction against council home sub-letting, which is believed to cost about £5bn a year.
Under the proposals, properties taken from the sub-letter would be freed up to be rented to those in greatest need on the housing waiting list.
An estimated 1.8 million families are waiting for a council house.
Mr Shapps told the Daily Telegraph: "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."
Some people who sub-let are thought to earn as much as £20,000 a year from the arrangement.
For previous posts on why this is important, click the social housing fraud label below this post.
1 comments:
Woah there - "sub-letting *costs* 5bn GBP a year." ?! That does not compute. Eg several hundred local councils have sold their housing stocks to private limited companies: these are often known as "Trusts" and assume responsibility under the Housing Act 1996 as the LHP.
These companies or "trusts" if you prefer subsequently let the properties out to tenants: although bound by the Housing Act, they are in fact private landlords and as such have the same rights as any other landlord.
I just can't work out where anyone would get an idea that subletting a private property, paid for either by the local council (ie housing benefit) or by an individual/business could COST money?! Surely not.. I'm awaiting your clarification, as this 5bn GBP seems like a figure plucked out thin air. It's just not possible and I'm afraid you might be referring to another metric?
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