Written question asked by Jim Cunningham (Labour) on Thursday, 19 May 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 24 May 2011. It was answered by Grant Shapps (Conservative) on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Housing Associations: Fraud

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the level of fraud perpetrated against housing associations.

Answer: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect information about frauds perpetrated against housing associations. From accounting year 2010-11 onwards, housing associations that are registered with the Social Housing Regulator are required to make an annual report to the Regulator of any losses from fraudulent activity.As I outlined in a departmental press notice on 16 December 2010, social tenancy fraud in England is estimated to cost £5 billion, in terms of the equivalent cost of the number of social homes that are unlawfully occupied.We are supporting councils to tackle tenancy fraud through £19 million in funding and a dedicated national action team based at the Chartered Institute of Housing. We are also working closely with the National Fraud Authority to, for example, lower the cost of using the services of credit reference agencies to help identify potential fraud.

Secondary information