Keeping a UK Council property for life even though you no longer live in the UK

[Vintlet]

This story has just been released
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyxkeny8x6o
It seems so unfair given the lack of social housing in the uk that the First Lady of Sierra Leone expected to be allowed to keep her London social housing property as a pied a terre. Surely we cannot be expected to house the world. No one in authority would have realised given that she was still paying the rent if she hadn’t boasted about keeping it on a radio interview. I wonder how many people keep and sublet uk council properties when they no longer have a right to keep it.

I thought you could only pass it on once too and that’s only if the other person is actually living there or saying they are living there
They don’t own it so don’t have the right to keep passing it down for generations

How is capping private rent going to help with fraud in social housing?

The entitlement is breath taking. These properties are meant for people in social need.

I don't get the plan you are trying to pull off? You are defending being greedy, grifters by saying it's security for kids and grandkids - are you expecting them all to live together under one roof or move in and out from elsewhere every 6 to 12 months when your grifters take it in turns to grift! Are you proud to be a mother who has raised fraudsters that depeive people in need?

How is security, if you wanted the best for your kids then you'd want them on property ladders! When my partner and I retire we will have a house to sell to fund a decent life, what will your grifters have? Nothing!

You are all so greedy that you aren't thinking of the bigger picture! You think it's great for your grifters to live in areas of council housing? All great fun until you get bad council tenants moved in around them that like loud music, drug dealing etc! You would choose to raise grandkids in a riskier environment when they have the money not to do that!

I could tell you about plenty of evidence.

This entirely. I know more than one white Brit who keeps their council house, subletting it, while they live with their partner. This is only a big story because it's a black woman. These white men who I know who are doing this literally boast about doing this. It will be rife.

People like this don't tend to feel shame. They often tend to be the same sort of people who accuse immigrants of doing the same. Not saying the poster you're quoting above is, but it's often as they say when you point a finger, ten fingers are pointing back at you.

@Firetreev
This is primarily news because she is the First Lady of Sierra Leone. She lives in a Presidential Palace and her family own many properties. Are you telling me that if Melania Trump had a social housing property in London everyone would ignore the story because she is white?
This story has nothing to do with race or colour but to do with huge greed and entitlement.

Wet true has to be living there and known to be living there as well otherwise they have no legal right

A poster claimed up thread that no one on here would defend a rich First Lady who owned many properties and lived in a palace yet thought she and her family would hang onto a council flat in London for when they paid a visit here. Yet that is exactly what is happening. Claiming the story is only newsworthy because she is black, disregarding her huge wealth and power.
some of the posts on here that have shocked me are, the poster who claimed that it was common where she lived in West Africa for people to have a council flat back in the uk which they used as a sublet income. The Bulgarian village where most residents had uk social housing. I looked up that and it is true. The town is Silvern and there was so much corruption linked to UK benefits and housing. The numerous anecdotal stories from posters who have seen for themselves how many people hang onto and sublet their social housing. The poster who boasts that she is keeping a tight hold on her daughter’s council property and plans for it to be passed to her children and grandchildren.
I really hope someone senior in housing reads this thread and looks at changing conditions for social housing allocation. It appears to be rife with corruption.

So what happened to the supposed council tenants who were subletting? Anything?

I’m reminded of some TV prog. on this theme - a fairly young bloke was showing his central London council flat to a would-be tenant - and told him he lived just across the landing, in a similar one he owned! And he was a serving police officer!

It’s pretty clear from this thread that council housing depts. are unbelievably lax, and no, I don’t believe it’s entirely down to lack of staff.

Most Local Authorities now outsource the running of social housing to Housing Associations. I have just done a bit of internet searching.

A London City Hall review noted,'The system is deeply vulnerable to tenancy fraud. In areas of high demand like London, allocation has become a difficult rationing process rather than a transparent system'.
AI tells me -
While housing associations themselves are heavily regulated and generally avoid orchestrating illegal schemes, the wider allocation ecosystem is heavily targeted by fraudsters: 1, 2]
Illegal Subletting: An estimated 148,000 social homes across England may be fraudulently occupied, with individuals renting out council/housing association homes for profit. 1]
Document Falsification: Applicants have been known to commit fraud by bribing officials, submitting false information (such as non-existent dependents), or falsifying claims of domestic abuse. 1, 2]
Scale: Tenancy fraud costs taxpayers hundreds of millions annually. 1, 2]

The numbers are references to reviews and enquiries to support the findings.

You have evidence that Fatima Bio was subletting her flat?

Did you send it to Southwark council when the story broke two years ago? Or before that?

So, tenancy fraud is huge. Social housing is an essential way of supporting those in need. We should all as a matter of urgency report anyone we suspect is subletting their property. I am really shocked by the lack of transparency in how social housing is allocated. It costs the tax payers hundreds of millions each year. More importantly, it makes life really difficult for those desperately in need of a safe, secure home.

Many posters on here, admit that they couldn't be bothered to report someone, housed by the local authority, who is sub letting. It is very wrong and short sighted.

Oh my god. I didn’t think anything would shock me anymore. This can’t be serious?!

I would say its big news as she is a public figure, and on a good wage (probably) and not living in this country

Many? How many?

I think it was one or two, but prepared to be corrected.

The poster who boasts that she is keeping a tight hold on her daughter’s council property and plans for it to be passed to her children and grandchildren.
I really hope someone senior in housing reads this thread and looks at changing conditions for social housing allocation. It appears to be rife with corruption.

And several posters (I would go so far as to say many) have told that poster that the rules no longer work like that, that terms and conditions have indeed changed and that the repeated passing on of a lease doesn’t fly any more.

I'm as liberal as they come, but I'm horrified that this is allowed.

Absolutely agree. I've been saying that his for years. Why people who have social housing can win the lottery, get large inheritance etc and still live there is beyond me. Finance and ID checks should be made that the correct person is living there and financially the requirement is still there. It is not THEIR house which many council tenants I know seem to think (I privately rent and am fully aware that I do not own this house).

The trouble seems to be that because Housing Associations now allocate social housing it is not transparent in the way you might think. No one has the time ( or even the legal right) to check on tenants as long as the rent is paid. The social properties are theirs for life.

Note the City Hall Review I quoted, 'The system is deeply vulnerable to tenancy fraud'. There is no effective way of checking that tenants are who they say they are.

It's not. And as other posters have pointed out their plan is unlikely to work

@Vintlet is this the report? If not, could you link directly?

barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s89562/Appendix%20C%20-%20Tenancy%20Fraud%20London%202025.pdf

Totally agree- and actually many genuinely liberal minded people who want fairness agree too - I know several instances where people have done a crafty , split up on paper , obtained social housing after a few years and then strangely original family all back together - and with decent income - to be honest I wish it wasn’t like this and having to be petty but in a very much shortage market then fairness has to count - myself I would have no social housing allocated for any non British within first 5 years ( regardless of needs situation) - it was like this when we lived in Denmark , they were very tough in it , if you came you either took your chances in private sector or bought - and yes 5 year reviews on situation - relative to average earnings and rental market in that area- clearly a £60k family income in London or Bristol isn’t same as £60k family income in Nottingham etc - would also cease any right to buys - i think maybe that’s been done - I personally would also have had a policy that on right to buys 50% of any profit after purchase price and minus any significant proven improvements went back to the state - but realise you can’t do this retrospectively - one guy we know never paid a penny himself on rent - suddenly inherited , bought outright and sold 8 years later in a desirable area for £150k profit having never paid a penny in rent - it’s this kind of stuff that’s totally unacceptable -