Camden Council has successfully recovered 70 properties from tenancy fraud between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, saving an estimated £4.62 million. This equates to an average saving of £66,000 per property, benchmarked against average costs across London, according to the Leaseholder Services & Housing Income Update report.
The Housing Investigations Team (HIT) works with housing teams to ensure that only eligible residents live in council homes or purchase them under Right to Buy. The team investigates illegal subletting, non-occupation and abandonment, undeclared ownership of other properties, fraudulent Right to Buy applications, fraudulent succession or assignment applications, and false housing applications. Tenants found to be in breach of their tenancy agreement due to fraudulent activity will be subject to investigation and potential legal action.
The HIT consists of four investigation officers and one manager, all holding professional investigative qualifications. They work closely with Neighbourhood Housing Teams, ensuring intelligence sharing across the borough. The HIT also employs a range of investigative methods, including interviews under caution, to challenge fraudulent activity and ensure legal action is taken where necessary.
The 70 properties were recovered from:
- 48 Ineligible Right to Buy applications
- 15 Ineligible succession or assignment applications
- 2 Subletting
- 2 Non-occupation or abandonment
- 3 Keys passed on/other reasons
The Leaseholder Services & Housing Income Update report presented to the Housing Scrutiny Committee on 15 September 2025, noted that Camden's recovery of 70 homes in one year represents a strong performance relative to other London boroughs, where tenancy fraud recovery rates vary significantly. Camden's proactive approach in preventing fraudulent Right to Buy applications positions the borough as a leading authority in protecting housing stock.
The report also stated that a full review of the Housing Investigation Team is planned to commence in September 2025.