Capita today launches its tenancy verification service to support local councils in tackling tenancy fraud. Capita’s tenancy verification service is a fully managed service that enables councils to identify cases of social homes being sublet.
The Government recently announced a crackdown on tenancy fraud and is providing support to councils to enable them to address the problem. Government figures show that at least 50,000 social homes in England are being unlawfully occupied. Based on government calculations, to replace these homes would cost more than £5 billion .
Capita’s service enables councils to quickly establish dwellings that are being sublet, without creating additional work for council officers or requiring the time and cost of visiting every social home. The service uses data and technology to scrutinise financial activity at a specified address which is assessed against social housing records.
Capita then uses in-house experts to review and assess up-to-date housing information to establish the likelihood of a social home being misused. The findings will then alert social housing teams to high risk cases that need to be investigated.
Commenting on the newly launched service, Giles Reid, sales director, Capita Local Government Services, said: “Capita’s tenancy verification service uses Capita expertise, coupled with the latest technology, to identify where social housing is being misused. Social housing fraud can amount to a significant cost to the tax payer and Capita is pleased to be able to support councils in tackling this problem.”