Social housing moral dilemma

[SolitudeIsHighlyOverrated]

Last year a family member falsified details on their social housing application in order to better their chances of being housed - claimed that they had been evicted from a house owned by another family member and that they and their 3 children were all sofa surfing at separate houses and were therefore being denied the right to a family life.

None of this was true. They all still live together in the house belonging to the family member.

Both adults are in full time employment but don't want to pay private rent and don't want a mortgage.

The family in question have now been offered the chance to have a viewing of a new build social house with a tenancy to follow if they like the house.

This situation is not sitting well with a few family members as we all work within the homeless sector and know how difficult it is to get to the stage of being offered a house in our area.

One family member has now stated that he wants to mention all this at work to the housing team but I'm not sure that sits well with me either.

What would you do?

perhaps I’m just unfamiliar with the differences in NI but I’m struggling to see how they’ve managed to provide enough evidence to get accepted on the housing register if they entire situation is a sham.

I’m amazed they got away with falsifying documents. I went through an application and assessment a while ago and they need EVERYTHING. Including proof you are sofa surfing, proof you’ve been kicked out etc. they check with the LL. are you absolutely sure they’ve got away with this?

It really is. Because I was not anywhere near homeless I was essentially fobbed off. Fair enough. But had I not been there’s no way I’d have got away with this. I understand they make visits and speak to all family members including children

I would 100% shop them. Grabby bastards

I'd happily report them and CC them into the email.

I would report it because I would be so worried if it all came out, and I knew, that working in that sector I could lose my job.

I wouldn’t do anything. It’s wrong but only because the rules are unfair in the first place.

Whether they live separately on family sofas, or are all living together in a family members house is irrelevant -they are still classed as homeless, and are homeless so really, I would not say anything
just because the two adults are working, it does not mean that they can afford private rent- even if the working adult family members are put down as living on somebody else’s sofa if the council thought that they could afford private rent it would not offer Housing to them. You have to provide payslips in your council application so clearly they can’t afford private rent

They are definitely not being housed because they are sofa surfing councils. Don’t care if you are sofa, surfing or homeless on the street If your payslip say you can afford private rent, they will tell you to private rent.
your family member who wants to say something, and as well of the others are all adequately housed, and I suspect they are jealous that they are being offered a new build flat. I was offered a new build house and take it from me. They are not cheap. I am paying £1330 a month for a two bed, new build housing association. These associations charge of the maximum on the local housing allowance, so I doubt that they would be getting free rent if they are working.

This

As it’s family what could happen to you if they find out and suspect you were aware? Is your job in jeopardy if you don’t tell them something you know to be a fraudulent claim?

moral compasses aside do not put your own job and career at stake.

@CroccyWoccy I think OP said other family members had supported their fraudulent claims by stating they were housing them on their settees etc. If enough individuals provide this “evidence” , I imagine the council wouldn’t check.

@SolitudeIsHighlyOverrated How many people are living in the home they share with family?

How many rooms are in the house everyone is sharing?

Have the family members asked them to move out or is there any conflict?

If family members have helped by providing evidence, is that because they see a genuine need for them to get a place of their own?

Many families with two professional income are struggling with private rents. Are there children who will likely struggle if the parents have to pay enormous rents?

I presume even with these two professional incomes they still qualify for social housing, meaning they’re not exactly well off?

Why has this become an issue now, a year later, when they may be offered a place?

Why would they be so stupid as to tell other people what they are doing?

If there’s two of them and they’re both earning a full-time wage, the council will expect them to be looking and able to get private rental, and they’ll see no excuse why they can’t get it. There’s either more to this or it’s not true.

*fraudulently accessing housing

Tenancy fraud is a criminal offence and you will be prosecuted under the prevention of social housing fraud act 2013 (POSHFA).

Convictions can result in a fine, imprisonment or both. The courts also have the power to make the tenant pay back any profit made from the fraud.

Are they aware of this, and the potential implications of having a conviction?

I would not say a word to anyone. They made a mistake by being open about it to some people.

But HOW have they got away with it? You have to show bank statements and I’m pretty sure they’d notice a large amount each month going out with the reference ‘rent’

Wouldn’t say anything. The children concerned deserve a home even if the parents have been a bit shifty in how they’ve got it. No guarantee that the next family on the list were any more deserving either. Also a new build housing association place is a bit cheaper than private, but no where near council rent level affordability. In my LA they use a strategy to rent the more expensive places to working couples and the council flats to un employed. Keeps the benefit claims down a bit. I’d stay out of it.

I’m so surprised and disappointed to see so many people say ignore this.

Assuming hey are actually successfully scamming the housing authority - “The children deserve a home!” - they HAVE bloody home!! Their entitled parents just don’t want to pay as much. They want to use a system they are not entitled to to save a few quid.

There are people who can’t rent through a letting agency because they don’t pass the credit check, or they don’t earn enough, or they have no references. The are children who are ACTUALLY homeless who deserve a home more than people already in a cushy one. Not these entitled tosspots.

As I’ve said they’d have to be geniuses to scam properly but on the off chance they have OP I’d raise concerns with housing. They don’t deserve a place another family may desperately need and not be able to get.

I would report. There's such urgent need at the moment. So many people waiting. People coning the system are literally taking away a home from people who are desperate.

@MumblesParty the council does check . It does everything it possibly can in order to avoid giving people housing so it definitely does check and only offers those who need it . As I said in a previous post just because they are sofa surfing does not give them priority for Housing and they are still homeless even if they are living in somebody’s house together. It doesn’t really make a difference that they’ve said they live separately when they don’t.

@SolitudeIsHighlyOverrated may be because the family they are staying with are going to lose their incomes as they probably charge them rent and have decided to report them instead to keep them put in an attempt to keep the income stream

@YorkshirePuddingBelongs you will be surprised in what housing associations are charging nowadays I am being charged £1350 for a two bed tiny housing association flat in London. Social rents are a thing of the past in newbuilds which is what they have been offered. It is Council rent which is cheap not housing Association which is what these people are being offered.

Just to say - housing isn't run by councils in NI. There is a separate body called the Housing Executive, due to historical issues around housing being offered unfairly.
In my limited experience the Housing Exec doesn't look into things as closely as councils in England. And Housing is devolved. So with no politicians in Stormont there may be further limitations on what the HE look into.