Waltham Forest Council has successfully recovered 15 properties from individuals engaged in illegal subletting and fraudulent succession applications. The announcement came during a recent Audit and Governance Committee meeting, where the Corporate Anti-Fraud Team (CAFT) presented its Q1 progress report for the 2025-2026 financial year.
The recovered properties will be made available to residents in need of housing, addressing a critical demand within the borough. The CAFT's efforts also included:
- Stopping one Right to Buy application proven to be fraudulent.
- Removing 1,655 Single Persons Discount claims found to be fraudulent.
- Seizing or cancelling 75 Blue Badges for misuse.
- Issuing 48 civil financial penalties to private landlords for failing to meet minimum property standards.
The Audit and Governance Committee convened on 15 July 2025, with Councillor Marie Pye presiding as chair. The agenda included a review of the Corporate Anti-Fraud Team's activities, as detailed in the Public reports pack.
For more detailed information, the full Internal Audit Annual Report 2024-25 and the Appendix A - Corporate Anti-Fraud Team Q1 Update Report 2025-26 are available.
