Sub-letting housing fraudsters could face prison

[johnmaricon]

Social housing tenants who sublet their properties are being warned they could face fines of up to ?50,000 and a prison sentence thanks to a new law.

The Prevention of Social Housing Fraud came into force on October 15th and gives local councils far reaching powers to prosecute tenancy fraudsters. Landlords will be able to recover the profits of illegal subletting and tenant caught breaking the law will lose their security of tenure permanently.

The new law?s been welcomed by local authorities and it?s anticipated that the government will introduce new powers for tenancy investigators, similar to those of benefit investigators.

[hpsaucey]

Does this include shared ownerships? It's been bugging me for ages that someone in our shared ownership block are letting one of their bedrooms and are letting it as a B n B. Never know who your going to meet on the stairs!

[JohnL]

Don't know if you are the same as me - but even if it's

not against the law - it was against the terms and conditions.

I know it happened once in ours (not B&B I thought ?) and assumed

it was being allowed as the property wouldn't sell - market has

changed now however.

The majority of lets with us were done by the housing association

when they couldn't fill by shared ownership !!

hpsaucey Wrote:

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> Does this include shared ownerships? It's been

> bugging me for ages that someone in our shared

> ownership block are letting one of their bedrooms

> and are letting it as a B n B. Never know who

> your going to meet on the stairs!

[LadyDeliah]

Social housing tenants are entitled to take in a lodger with the permission of their landlord. Subletting is renting the whole property to someone else. It is subletting, not renting one of your rooms that is not allowed.

[hpsaucey]

LadyDeliah Wrote:

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> Social housing tenants are entitled to take in a

> lodger with the permission of their landlord.

> Subletting is renting the whole property to

> someone else. It is subletting, not renting one

> of your rooms that is not allowed.

Ackowledge. But - to elaborate - physically separating off a room in your house with a new wall built and a lock to make it a separate entity and renting out this room on a nightly basis advertised on the internet isn't taking in a lodger presumably because they're not sharing the home (?) Guessing then it may not be against this new legislation but pretty sure it must be against tenancy agreements and sure as hell is against the spirit of shared ownership...

[tfwsoll]

hpsaucey - If the person has made structural alterations to create a room for B&B occupation they would need to building control approval and have informed the London Fire Brigade. Have you reported this to your Housing Association as I find it hard to believe they would turn a blind eye to this kind of a breach of agreement?

[hpsaucey]

tfwsoll Wrote:

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> hpsaucey - If the person has made structural

> alterations to create a room for B&B occupation

> they would need to building control approval and

> have informed the London Fire Brigade. Have you

> reported this to your Housing Association as I

> find it hard to believe they would turn a blind

> eye to this kind of a breach of agreement.

Thanks for the info tfwsoll,

Hadn't thought about the building regs and London Fire Brigade - good points! Apparently our Housing Association are cracking down on these sorts of occurrences in general so we will see.....

[tfwsoll]

The owner will also in be in breach of their mortgage conditions. Housing Associations were more flexible where the market made it difficult to sell but in London this is no longer the case. As the rental market is so strong and the scheme wasn't designed as a business making opportunity, HA's are taking a tougher line line but they can only crack down if they know about it so I hope you have told them!

[hpsaucey]

tfwsoll Wrote:

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> The owner will also in be in breach of their

> mortgage conditions. Housing Associations were

> more flexible where the market made it difficult

> to sell but in London this is no longer the case.

> As the rental market is so strong and the scheme

> wasn't designed as a business making opportunity,

> HA's are taking a tougher line line but they can

> only crack down if they know about it so I hope

> you have told them!

Hi there - have pm'd you...

H