to Tackle Tenancy Fraud Paul Bicknell Corporate Fraud Manager - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Developing Partnerships to Tackle Tenancy Fraud Paul Bicknell Corporate Fraud Manager stoke.gov.uk

A Different Approach?  Involve Housing Officers on a ‘joint - working’ basis from the outset  Recover the property AND Sanction the offender

The Challenges  Tenancy Fraud doesn’t exist  Housing Officers lack of powers  Staff are too busy  Legal Teams wary of Fraud Act 2006/POSH Fraud Act 2013  No understanding/experience

The Solution  Awareness training  Specific investigative resource  ‘Put it about’ a bit  Partnership approach involving stakeholders from the outset  3 Stage investigation process  Publicity

Investigation Process – Stage 1 Investigator Housing Officer  Utility usage  Housing file  Bin crew  Discrete neighbour enquiries  Gas inspection  Monitor property  Social media  LEA – schools

Investigation Process – Stage 2  Surveillance  Financial info  Witness statements  Benefits in payment?  Fraud Act offences  Issue IUC letter and/or notice to quit

Investigation Process – Stage 3  IUC conducted by the Investigator and the Housing Officer  No response – Recover property

Post IUC  Benefit overpayment  Repossession hearing  Sanction action

Desired Outcomes  Referrals fully investigated  Benefits corrected  Property recovered & re-let  Offender sanctioned

RSL Partnerships  7 HA’s on board  Same approach  Prepared to pay  4 Agreed to data-matching exercise funded by DCLG

Data Matching Exercise  Commenced May 2013  Credit Reference Agency  DPA Agreements signed  New matching in May 2014

Initial Exercise Results  664 Matches received  161 Disregarded immediately  503 System Checked – data cleansed  92 Warranted investigation

Exercise Results (cont)  18 On-going investigations  23 Properties recovered  2 Prosecutions, 2 AdPens, 2 Cautions

TF Results since April 2011 120 Ongoing investigations  11 Prosecutions, 5 AdPens, 4  Cautions 201 Properties recovered  (54, 64, 75, 8) £800k benefit overpayments  Highest reported fraud type 

Things You Need To Know!  People still don’t believe HTF is an issue  Most cases in receipt of HB/CTB  Mags/judges need awareness training  Results are tangible  Almost certainly a bigger problem than you think

Quote “Facts do not cease to exist merely because they are ignored” Aldous Huxley “Tenancy Fraud does not cease to exist merely because we choose to ignore it” Paul Bicknell

Contact Details paul.bicknell@stoke.gov.uk Tel: 01782 232828