People illegally subletting social housing in Birmingham could face eviction, fines or up to two years in prison under a new data-sharing initiative to tackle tenancy fraud.
Birmingham City Council will compare its social housing records with Airbnb listings to identify properties being advertised without permission.
The initiative is being rolled out among local authorities under a recent data-sharing agreement between the cabinet office and Airbnb aiming to tackle social housing fraud.
According to Birmingham City Council, early checks have identified six potential cases of tenancy fraud.
Councillor Baber Baz, cabinet member for housing at Birmingham City Council, said: “Every property that is fraudulently sublet in Birmingham deprives a family in genuine need of a safe place to live.
“We recovered 36 properties over the last year that were fraudulently sublet, and this agreement will allow us to continue to identify potential tenancy fraud and free up homes for families on waiting lists faster.”
He added: ‘Birmingham City Council is proud to be part of this innovative partnership and the wider effort to tackle public sector fraud.’
When announcing the government agreement earlier this month, cabinet office minister Satvir Kaur said: “By working with Airbnb, we’re sending a crystal clear message: if you’re cheating the social housing system, we will find you and we will prosecute you.
“These homes exist to help people who genuinely need them, not to line the pockets of fraudsters.”
She added: “This government will always crack down on those taking advantage of taxpayers and depriving families of the homes they desperately need.
“This partnership shows what we can achieve when the government, local authorities and industry work together – and we are calling on other short-term letting platforms and councils to follow this lead.”
Comments (1)
Simple answer is to require AirBNB to verify ownership before listing just like the rest of us!