Housing fraud ... It's really not on now!!!

[Deleted User]

Have come to a decision recently that I am going to have to report some people for possible housing fraud...

There is SUCH a shortage of council properties as it is , so to have them 'taken' by people who are not eligible for them is becoming more and more serious

The councils themselves are cracking down now thankfully as in alot of boroughs if you apply for a mutual exchange they now want to see your passport plus a separate recent photo of yourself plus a utility bill in your name etc as SO many people are not the 'actual person' on the tenancy!!

I had a 'discussion' on Facebook where someone else knew of a housing scam ring which was rife but that person is not going to report it

I know of someone who 'rents' out properties fairly cheaply that he does not own ... I don't know exactly how he aquires these properties but I know he has council flats on his 'books' and alot of them at that!!!

He rents the flats etc out to people who usually do not have a right to remain in the UK and to be honest this is also what enrages me as those who are ENTITLED to a council flat are possibly stuck in some grotty temporary accomodation with a baby / kids even while they 'await' a flat that someone else has 'got' from this dodgy guy

Unfortunately my ex has got involved and he now 'brings' people to this guy who 'rents' out flats to them and all week this guy is busy 'doing the rounds' collecting the rent in cash from all the tenants in ''his'' properties

He even offered me £5,000 to do a home swap with him because he wanted my flat but I know he has ALOT of money and now has at least TWO guys working for him including my ex now who gets a 'cut' for bringing him the tenants.....

My ex does not have the right to remain in the UK and is waiting for his application to be accepted BUT SURELY to be accepted into the UK with the right to remain you have to be a FINE UPSTANDING CITIZEN which now that he is involved in this dodgy business he is NOT , he is just lining his pockets now and is very happy to have the extra cash as well as only pay £25 a week rent because the guy gave him a discount for bringing him lots of tenants

Anyway , any support would be appreciated as I have never done anything like this before , have alot of other stuff going on in my life as well , but am in the process of finding the best way forward in reporting them etc and once I have done it ie given the council all the info I know , then it's up to them & I can leave it in their hands but I find it SO unfair that legal UK citizens aren't getting a flat they are entitled to because some DODGY team of unscrupulous greedy people are actually ripping this country off :mad::mad::mad::(:(

Anyway - I am DEFINITELY reporting the fraudsters :T

Dunroamin

Good move, shame about the motives!

[Deleted User]

The MOTIVE as in feel it is UNFAIR that people who are not even entitled to a council flat or possibly even live in this country are getting a council flat from an unscrupulous person who is scamming the UK system at the expense of those who ARE entitled???

Terrible motives I have to be thinking about the possible single Mums stuck in a hovel of a b&b while waiting for a flat which ''someone else has'' illegally when they could be in that flat with their child / children

Anyway , question my motives if you want to but I shared this experience for support as it is not actually an easy thing to do and most people just let it go by - I just think it unfair they are scamming the UK system!!

And yes I DO feel bad that there are people like me who are struggling to get by and keep warm and EAT when this guy is bombing around picking up money which he has 'gained' from scamming the system & he had either £150 or £500 on his electric key meter I can't remember which , so there you go - I do think it is unfair that many of us struggle when there are unscrupulous people getting 'fat off the land' by scamming the UK :-( :-( :-(

[Deleted User]

Might be best I don't report them if my motives are so bad......

I don't know who you are to question my motives anyway but all I know what is driving me to do it is I don't like seeing the UK being scammed!!

iluvmarmite

About the electric key meter, I have a key meter and the most I can have on it is £50, it then has to drop to £30 before I can top it up again, it could be different for the various companies I guess.

[Deleted User]

I saw it with my own eyes .... I just can't remember exactly how much it was but it was definitely over £100 .... I THINK it was £150 coz he said he had '150' on it & I thought he meant £1.50 :rotfl:

Then he SHOWED me & I was SHOCKED

( Oh & just remembered the warm home discount payment is £130 they put on your meter but it was the wrong time of year for that )

Anyway - I think he has at least 30 flats so if the council can claw back even SOME of them and give them to people who genuinely need / are entitled to them then it's all good & if everyone shopped this kind of thing it would free up TONS of council properties coz this sort of thing is pretty rife now...

AND IF they get deported I don't actually give a **** coz they are NOT exactly hard working fine upstanding British citizens are they? A credit to the country , no , just a drain and they are RIPPING IT OFF and it's growing at the moment & why leave it to grow when so many people are struggling to get a place / are on council waiting lists / in temporary accommodation for years , it's enraging and upsetting to be honest as I don't mind anyone of any nationality whatsoever getting a council flat if they are ENTITLED to it but this is just an illegal underground SCAM and it is robbing those who are genuinely entitled to a council property!

mysterywoman10

Clearly if the situation is as you say, then something needs doing about it. Maybe your first port of call should be the police?

I note from another post you are in London? I think these sort of situations are probably more rife there.

It makes a very strong case for improving the Allocations system and making it much more thorough.

Dunroamin

cazzap06 wrote: »

Might be best I don't report them if my motives are so bad......

I don't know who you are to question my motives anyway but all I know what is driving me to do it is I don't like seeing the UK being scammed!!

Your motives seem to be that the people involved aren't British and you want revenge on your ex, neither of which are in any way laudable.

However, I do agree that something needs to be done about these scams in SH, just as something needs to be done about evicting people with considerable arrears.

dandelionclock30

Your doing the right thing to report him.I would go down to the housing and give his name and the addresses of all the properties that he is letting out.
You can do it anonymously over the phone and they have to keep your details confidential.
People shouldn't live in fear,I would do what is right and report him.If hes doing nothing wrong then he has nothing to worry about.

suburbanwifey

cazzap06 wrote: »

Have come to a decision recently that I am going to have to report some people for possible housing fraud...

There is SUCH a shortage of council properties as it is , so to have them 'taken' by people who are not eligible for them is becoming more and more serious

The councils themselves are cracking down now thankfully as in alot of boroughs if you apply for a mutual exchange they now want to see your passport plus a separate recent photo of yourself plus a utility bill in your name etc as SO many people are not the 'actual person' on the tenancy!!

I had a 'discussion' on Facebook where someone else knew of a housing scam ring which was rife but that person is not going to report it

I know of someone who 'rents' out properties fairly cheaply that he does not own ... I don't know exactly how he aquires these properties but I know he has council flats on his 'books' and alot of them at that!!!

He rents the flats etc out to people who usually do not have a right to remain in the UK and to be honest this is also what enrages me as those who are ENTITLED to a council flat are possibly stuck in some grotty temporary accomodation with a baby / kids even while they 'await' a flat that someone else has 'got' from this dodgy guy

Unfortunately my ex has got involved and he now 'brings' people to this guy who 'rents' out flats to them and all week this guy is busy 'doing the rounds' collecting the rent in cash from all the tenants in ''his'' properties

He even offered me £5,000 to do a home swap with him because he wanted my flat but I know he has ALOT of money and now has at least TWO guys working for him including my ex now who gets a 'cut' for bringing him the tenants.....

My ex does not have the right to remain in the UK and is waiting for his application to be accepted BUT SURELY to be accepted into the UK with the right to remain you have to be a FINE UPSTANDING CITIZEN which now that he is involved in this dodgy business he is NOT , he is just lining his pockets now and is very happy to have the extra cash as well as only pay £25 a week rent because the guy gave him a discount for bringing him lots of tenants

Anyway , any support would be appreciated as I have never done anything like this before , have alot of other stuff going on in my life as well , but am in the process of finding the best way forward in reporting them etc and once I have done it ie given the council all the info I know , then it's up to them & I can leave it in their hands but I find it SO unfair that legal UK citizens aren't getting a flat they are entitled to because some DODGY team of unscrupulous greedy people are actually ripping this country off :mad::mad::mad::(:(

Anyway - I am DEFINITELY reporting the fraudsters :T

Have you thought about the risk to your safety in reporting what in effect is part of a large criminal gang? people who report these people usually get found out (there are people on the take everywhere) and oftentimes they end up very injured or dead. Lots of money at stake here, ran by very nasty people.

I'd keep my nose out, its not your place to detect fraud or take risks with your own safety.

mumx3

It really doesn't matter where these people are from they are involved in a scam and by the sounds of it a very large and profitable one, I would take everything you know to the police and the council.

Well done for wanting to report it, too many people turn a blind eye and allow these people to get away with it.