Report Housing Fraud

To help prevent housing fraud and stop people abusing the system we always ask people using our services to prove who they are and where they live. This also helps prevent identity theft, as well as protecting our residents' rent and service charges.

Tower Hamlets Homes takes housing fraud very seriously; please help us by co-operating if we ask you to prove your identity.

If you know or suspect housing fraud – including illegal sub-letting - is taking place we want to know. 

How do I report Housing Fraud?

Online
If you suspect fraud you can tell us about your concerns using our on line form report housing fraud.

By phone
You can also report most types of suspected fraud direct by calling the
fraud hotline: 020 7364 1222.

Outside normal office hours you can leave an answer phone message on 020 7364 7443 (24 hour answer phone).

Calls may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes but you can expect calls to the fraud hotline to be treated confidentially and you chose to remain anonymous or leave your name and details if you want us to keep you informed about the action we take. 

In person
You can also tell us about suspected fraud by reporting it confidentially to your Local Service Centre.

Your Local Service Centre will work closely and share information and intelligence with Tower Hamlets council, the police and the benefit agency.

You can contact your Local Service Centre Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except public and bank holidays. To avoid a long wait, please ring first so we can make an appointment convenient to you.

What is housing fraud?

Here are some of the types of fraud we want to know about.

Housing - you may know or suspect someone who:

• isn’t living at home (they may be illegally sub-letting or applying for the right to buy)
• got a tenancy for a property managed by Tower Hamlets Homes using a false identity
• got the right to buy but didn’t qualify
• has applied to the council as homeless but has somewhere to live

Housing Benefits - you may know or suspect that someone on benefits:

• is working but hasn’t told the Housing Benefits team about their income
• is sub-letting the property where they claim benefit but are living somewhere else
• hasn’t told the Housing Benefits team about someone else living in their home
• is claiming housing benefits using a false identity
• has a property, assets or savings they haven’t told the Housing Benefits team about

Residents parking / disabled blue badges - you may know or suspect that someone:

• is renting their garage or parking space to someone else
• is using their garage to store stolen goods
• got an estate parking permit illegally
• is using a forged parking permit or disabled badge 
• is misusing a blue or white disabled badge 

More information

Download Preventing Housing Fraud Factsheet (pdf 545kb)

 Get in touch. Report housing fraud.