Tenancy fraud deprives families and vulnerable people from valuable access to homes, therefore, we take this type of fraud seriously. Jigsaw will investigate any report of tenancy fraud from any legitimate source and take effective action against it. We log and monitor tenancy fraud on the Group’s Fraud register.
All employees who have contact with customers will be alert to the possibility that a property may be being used fraudulently and will report any misappropriation or misuse.
Where the fraud is a criminal offence, we will work with the Local Authority and/or police to assist them in bringing about a criminal prosecution.
At Jigsaw Group we define tenancy fraud as:
- Unauthorised subletting – the tenant claims to live at the property, but instead lets all or part of it out without our consent.
- Non-occupation – the tenant claims they are using the property as their only or principal home, but instead uses it infrequently or as a second property.
- Key selling – the tenant leaves the property and passes on the keys in return for a favour, or in place of a payment, or in exchange for payment. This would present itself as unauthorised occupation after the keys had changed hands.
- Fraudulently obtaining social housing – the tenant provides false information in order to gain a tenancy by misrepresenting their circumstances or by providing false identification.
- Wrongly claimed succession – the occupier states they are a person who is entitled to succeed but on investigation they were not in a relationship with the former tenant or a relative, they were not in occupation at the time of the tenant’s death and/or they have not resided at the property for the required length of time.
- Unauthorised exchange and assignment – this occurs when two or more tenants swap their homes, without obtaining permission from the landlord. Unauthorised assignment occurs when the tenant gives their tenancy to someone else and moves out, without obtaining permission from the landlord.
- Right to buy/right to acquire Fraud – a tenant knowingly provides false information when applying to buy the property they live in under the scheme.
You can report tenancy fraud by Getting in touch with us in the following ways.
- By telephone during office hours
- By email at anytime
- Online via the customer portals on our website 24/7
- In person at any of our offices during office hours
- By writing to us at our Head Office
All reports of tenancy fraud will be treated confidentially.
