Reply With QuoteSo you're saying the fraud is caused by the local councils being unable to meet their statutory obligations in a timely manner.
Perhaps the issue is with the public sector rather than the RTB policy.
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And a further twist on the leakage of RTB proprties into the private rented market (at much much higher rents) is fraud:
http://www.cih.org/news-article/display/vpathDCR/templatedat a/cih/news-article/data/Tackling_right_to_buy_fraud
'But are the right people benefiting from all of those sales?
The Audit Commission estimate that cases of RTB fraud have increased nearly five fold since 2009/10 and now cost the public purse £12.3m per annum. Anecdotal feedback from individual local authorities tells us that they are struggling to cope with the increased number of applications, particularly given the tight statutory deadlines within which they have to approve them (currently four weeks in most cases). As a result, they are simply not able to carry out sufficiently thorough checks to prevent fraudulent applications from ever being successful.
Feedback from a number of councils suggests that there are a growing number of sales in which the main beneficiary is a third party, often another family member.
....a number of authorities also report seeing properties purchased under the RTB being advertised for rent immediately after the sale has been completed, sometimes literally the next day'.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/audit-commission
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2905827/The-tenants- benefits-buying-council-house-one-five-applicants-receive-ha ndouts.html
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/right-to-buy-changes-risk-inc rease-in-fraud/6524562.article
Right to buy changes risk increase in fraud
8 November 2012 | By Nick Duxbury INSIDE HOUSING
Fraudsters are targeting the government's revitalised right to buy programme, a report from the Audit Commission has revealed.
The number of right to buy fraud cases has risen by 52 per cent in the last three years and the commission warns that the newly extended discounts pose an increased risk of fraud.
In April the government increased the maximum discounts on right to buy properties to £75,000 and since then councils have been inundated with applications from tenants.
The report Protecting the public purse 2012 said that right to buy fraud is a 'new emerging fraud' and that although the level is currently relatively low in 2011/12 there were 38 cases with a value of £1.2 million the increased discount would make the scheme 'more attractive to fraudsters'.
It warned that 'social housing providers should ensure their right to buy fraud defences can respond to this increased risk'.
Right to buy fraud is commonly when people provide false identification when making an application or a householder applies for a discount when they are not eligible.
The report, published today, revealed that overall, councils are becoming better at cracking down on tenancy fraud.
Fraud was down 3 per cent on last year from £185 million to £179 million which the report attributed to improved detection by councils.
More than half of this 124,000 cases totalling £117 million - came from housing and council tax benefits.
Councils recovered around 1,800 homes with a total replacement value of nearly £264 million last year which was broadly the same as the previous year. However, since 2008/09 the number of properties recovered from tenancy fraudsters has risen by 82 per cent.
The report shows 69 per cent of all recovered properties last year were in London despite only 27 per cent of council housing being in the capital. This is because many London councils work with housing associations to tackle fraud.
More than half of non-London councils did not recover a single property last year.
The report recommended that the Communities and Local Government department incentivises social landlords to tackle fraud.
So you're saying the fraud is caused by the local councils being unable to meet their statutory obligations in a timely manner.
Perhaps the issue is with the public sector rather than the RTB policy.
The local councils don't cause the fraud. That is desperate even for you.Originally Posted by The Local Boy wrote on Sun, 14 June 2015 13:47
Benefit fraud, tax evasion, RTB fraud all affects the taxpayer. Shall we stop collecting taxes and stop paying benefits because they are subject to fraud in the same way? Or are you going to apply your logic inconsistently because it suits you to do so?
The point about RTB fraud was that it's a result of councils being 'under pressure' to agree the RTB deal within 4 weeks. Meanwhile banks have to transfer accounts within 7 working days or face serious fines.
It seems as if the public sector want special dispensation to not have to deliver in what on the face of it is a seriously long time.
You're trying too hard now.
I am just pointing out that another factor that goes with Council homes (in future HA homes) sold through the RTB ending up in the private rented sector in large numbers is fraud. It is a major factor in RTB in London and some other cities and high cost towns. There have been several TV investigative documentaries on recent years showing how some tenants are paid by private landlords to submit a RTB application with the deal being that the property is sold on to that landlords on or soon after purchase. The original tenant moves somewhere else (who knows where) and the private landlord makes a killing. Fraud is a feature of the process and there have been some prosecutions - but they only scratch the surface.
It is a fact that the RTB gold rush caused problems for Councils in checking and processing applications - and more fraudulent ones got through the net. At the same time Councils were getting much better at tacking general tenancy fraud - as the article pointed out.
I don't think there is any equivalence between administering a RTB application and transferring a bank account. I may be wrong - I have never seen the process for bank account transfers - but RTB administration is a lengthy and complex process and I have seen how that works.
The point about bank accounts was that they are tasked to complete the process in seven days - credit checks, administration, moving DDS, cancelling DDs, redirecting SOs and everything else. It's not simple but with technology bit can be done. I can't see what needs to be done in the RTB process that can't be done electronically:
1. Length of time in social housing - ask computer
2. RTB entitlement - ask computer
What else needs to be done that requires 4 weeks checking?
Whilst I disagree with landlords acquiring the properties in the manner you describe these are small in number and there is nothing illegal with the activity.
Last word?
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