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

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Oct 27, 2022 208 likes •403 views

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

SLIDE 1

stoke.gov.uk

Developing Partnerships to Tackle Tenancy Fraud

Paul Bicknell Corporate Fraud Manager

SLIDE 2

A Different Approach?

 Involve Housing Officers on a

‘joint- working’ basis from the

utset

 Recover the property

AND Sanction the offender

SLIDE 3

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

SLIDE 4

The Solution

 Awareness training  Specific investigative resource  ‘Put it about’ a bit  Partnership approach involving

stakeholders from the outset

 3 Stage investigation process  Publicity

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Investigation Process – Stage 1

Investigator

 Utility usage  Bin crew  Gas inspection  Social media  LEA – schools

Housing Officer

 Housing file  Discrete neighbour

enquiries

 Monitor property

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Investigation Process – Stage 2

 Surveillance  Financial info  Witness statements  Benefits in payment?  Fraud Act offences  Issue IUC letter and/or notice to

quit

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Investigation Process – Stage 3

 IUC conducted by the

Investigator and the Housing Officer

 No response – Recover property

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Post IUC

 Benefit overpayment  Repossession hearing  Sanction action

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Desired Outcomes

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

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RSL Partnerships

 7 HA’s on board  Same approach  Prepared to pay  4 Agreed to data-matching

exercise funded by DCLG

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Data Matching Exercise

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

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Initial Exercise Results

 664 Matches received  161 Disregarded immediately  503 System Checked – data

cleansed

 92 Warranted investigation

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Exercise Results (cont)

 18 On-going investigations  23 Properties recovered  2 Prosecutions, 2 AdPens, 2 Cautions

SLIDE 14

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

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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

SLIDE 16

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

SLIDE 17