Council house tenancy fraud

Yorky

I've recently found out that a someone who owns a house and land is living in council accomodation. The house they own is not occupied so I am concerned that they are availing of a benefit that they are not entitled to.

Does anyone know the procedure to report them to the council?

seahorse

Why would anyone leave a private house they owned sitting empty while they lived in a council house? That doesn't make much sense to me. Have they recently inherited the house and land? As far as I know the council are pretty thorough when it comes to checking people out before they offer them social housing.

Yorky

The vacant house was bought by this person about six years ago.

seahorse

Yorky wrote: »

The vacant house was bought by this person about six years ago.

And are they in the council property longer than that? I'd imagine they must be.

I'd understand the benefit to them if they were renting the private property out, but to leave it lying idle while paying the mortgage on it with property prices plummeting all the time and then paying separate council rent on top of it? I wonder why they're doing that. It doesn't sound like much of a money-spinner to me!

CreepingDeath

Yorky wrote: »

I've recently found out that a someone who owns a house and land is living in council accomodation. The house they own is not occupied so I am concerned that they are availing of a benefit that they are not entitled to.

Does anyone know the procedure to report them to the council?

While I'm all for reporting fraud, what if the house was uninhabitable due to structural problems, health problems from damp, ESB / water / sewerage supply problems ? Someone paying a mortgage might be entitled to apply to the council for temporary accomodation.

I'm just saying, their "might" be a reason.
Since you mention "land" that suggests a single house, which tends to have more problems with infrastructure and services.

Bluefoam

if the person can afford a house - any house - they should not be able to scab off the state.

jdivision

He might be afraid of being caught if he rented out the house although you'd think he'd still live in it.

Mailman

go to the local county council web site and find an e-mail address for the housing department.

mail them anonymously with the information.

they may follow up on it but probably won't.

I've seen a number of boarded up council houses in the estate behind me for the last year so I don't think my local housing department actually really cares about getting people in need of homes homed.

If they won't turn around houses which are vacant what prospect do you think there is they'll go to the effort of evicting a sponger.

K_P

Councils do take these things quite seriously, however there are a few points to consider.

Is this person an actual council tenant? Is the house in their name? Or, are they the partner of the named tenant? If that's the case they're possibly there illegally and obviously would not have been checked out by the council.

If they are the tenant and inherited the house/land after becoming a council tenant, then as far as I know there is nothing illegal about what they are doing.

The best thing to do would be to phone, write to or call into your local council office's estate management section.

Victor

Mailman wrote: »

I've seen a number of boarded up council houses in the estate behind me for the last year so I don't think my local housing department actually really cares about getting people in need of homes homed.

Many councils have problems getting individual or even small groups of vacant properties renovated as contractors simply weren't interested in the piecemeal type of work.

Mailman

Victor wrote: »

Many councils have problems getting individual or even small groups of vacant properties renovated as contractors simply weren't interested in the piecemeal type of work.

The houses aren't in a state of disrepair.

godtabh

Mailman wrote: »

The houses aren't in a state of disrepair.

How do you know what they are like on the inside if they are boarded up?

Mailman

kearnsr wrote: »

How do you know what they are like on the inside if they are boarded up?

Assume in good state of repair because they were habitable and lawns maintained by occupants before being boarded up. Now the gardens are overgrown and there is graffiti on the steel shutters.

K_P

Mailman wrote: »

Assume in good state of repair because they were habitable and lawns maintained by occupants before being boarded up. Now the gardens are overgrown and there is graffiti on the steel shutters.

They might have been habitable when the last occupants were there but tenants often leave behind furniture, large amounts of rubbish, etc. Walls need to be repainted and sometimes kitchens and bathrooms need to be replaced.

Believe me, it's not in the council's interest to have empty houses boarded up. It's trying to get contractors that's the problem.

Ultimate Seduction

I know a fella who has a council house, but he met a woman and moved in to her council house illegally. He still pays the rent on his council house but hasn't lived there in over a year. Id usually mind my own business but giving the shortage of houses now a days, I feel I must report it. Both these snakes should be evicted from both houses. Is there an email address I can send my complaint too

El Weirdo

Ultimate Seduction wrote: »

I know a fella who has a council house, but he met a woman and moved in to her council house illegally. He still pays the rent on his council house but hasn't lived there in over a year. Id usually mind my own business but giving the shortage of houses now a days, I feel I must report it. Both these snakes should be evicted from both houses. Is there an email address I can send my complaint too

The housing section of your local authority.

jimmycrackcorm

Ultimate Seduction wrote:

I know a fella who has a council house, but he met a woman and moved in to her council house illegally. He still pays the rent on his council house but hasn't lived there in over a year. Id usually mind my own business but giving the shortage of houses now a days, I feel I must report it. Both these snakes should be evicted from both houses. Is there an email address I can send my complaint too

I suspect that the reason he is doing it if in case the relationship breaks down that he has somewhere to live. Still given the shortage of social housing is only right to report.

Gatling

Unfortunately nothing illegal is going on ,
Morally wrong maybe but not illegal

Mrs OBumble

Gatling wrote: »

Unfortunately nothing illegal is going on ,
Morally wrong maybe but not illegal

Not necessarily.

One of the conditions of a council lease is that you continue to live in the property.

Of course he could easily say that he is living here, but that he's travelling for work a lot so only sleeps there once a week. That's ok. And as noted, there's a reason why he might want to keep his house, just in case she chucks him out.

elperello

I f you want to remain anonymous don't report by email.

Cuddlesworth

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Of course he could easily say that he is living here, but that he's travelling for work a lot so only sleeps there once a week. That's ok. And as noted, there's a reason why he might want to keep his house, just in case she chucks him out.

Or if he needs a family home in future, a wife and number of kids can move it. Lots of people "lived" in Ballymun flats and got new housing, who hadn't seem a flat in years.