Fraud prevention and key amnesty for council homes this January

The council is holding a ‘key amnesty’ throughout January when council tenants breaking the law by subletting their council property have the chance to hand their keys back in order to avoid legal action. 

The aim is to reclaim council homes that are being illegally sublet so we can ensure they are given to people on our waiting list who are in desperate need of social housing. 

As well as the key amnesty, we are increasing efforts to track down people who are carrying out the illegal practice of subletting their council home and have recently recruited a dedicated Corporate Fraud Officer to investigate. 

Usually, housing fraud carries serious penalties, including eviction. January’s key amnesty gives people the opportunity to hand back their keys to their Local Housing Office without facing any further action. Housing fraud is a serious issue as it denies people in genuine need of a home. This is part of a national initiative and all councils and agencies have agreed to share data to tackle this problem.

Any council tenant wanting to hand back the keys to their property with no threat of legal action can simply put the keys in an envelope with the address of the property written on it and drop this into the reception area of their local housing office. 

We have also appealed for help from all residents of East Lothian to help us identify incidents of housing fraud and have asked them to contact their local Housing Office or email corporatefraud@eastlothian.gov.uk if they have suspicions about anyone in their neighbourhood. For example they may have seen a tenant moving out, or noticed a property where the occupants seem to change regularly. Maybe they have seen someone collecting rent from subtenants. All reports will be treated in the strictest confidence and can be made anonymously.