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Written question asked by Baroness O'Neill of Bexley (Conservative) on Monday, 29 June 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 July 2026. It was answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour) on Monday, 13 July 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Social Rented Housing: Fraud

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government how many convictions have been secured under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013 in each year since its commencement, broken down by local authority.

Answer

Where unlawful occupation of social housing properties occurs, the government expects landlords to take active steps to tackle fraud and ensure social housing is used fairly – this may include taking legal action.

The Department collects data on the number of properties recovered where there was evidence that the tenant had been illegally sub-letting the property in Section G of the Local Authority Housing Statistics, published here. The Department does not monitor how social housing landlords are using the powers available under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013.

The government has commissioned a review examining how effectively social housing providers manage their stock, including tackling issues such as fraud, under-occupation, overcrowding and empty homes. Findings will be published later this year.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1441
Session
2026-27
Attachment
Local authority housing data
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Convictions Fraud Social rented housing
Legislation
Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk