Using Technology and Innovation to your Advantage in Reducing Tenancy and Right To Buy Fraud Rates Andrew Jeffries Peabody Housing Association Fraud & Error

2. Using Technology and Innovation to your
Advantage in Reducing Tenancy and Right
To Buy Fraud Rates
Andrew Jeffries,
Tenancy Fraud Manager,
Peabody Housing Association

3. Using Technology and Innovation to your Advantage in
Reducing Tenancy and Right To Buy Fraud Rates
Andrew Jeffries
Tenancy Fraud Manager

4. About Peabody
•We were founded in 1862 by the
American banker, George Peabody
, and are based solely in London.
•Our first estate was built in
Spitalfields.
•We own and manage more than
27,000 homes across the capital
with more than 80,000 residents.

5. Housing Associations and
tenancy fraud
•Why ?
•How?

6. Peabody approach
•Now ?
•Fraud Specialist
•Fraud Training
•NAFN
•Partnership Working.
•Tenancy Amnesty

7. Data matching technology to identify
anomalies and targeted investigations
• Data Matching
• First steps
• Targeted Data matching

8. Benefits of this approach
• Better use of resources
• Increased recovery rate – over 300 properties in 3 years
• Increase rental income on re-let properties over £300,000

9. Applying greater verification checks to help
prevent and deter fraudulent applications
•All prospective tenants are credit checked.
•Improved application and Nomination forms
•New succession /assignment application forms.
•Incorporated photographs of all new tenants into Tenancy
registration forms.

10. Steps taken to tackle potential fraudulent
Right To Buy applications
• Currently only 646 of Peabody 27000 stock is eligible for RTB
•In Last year Peabody have received 56 RTB
•All applications checked.
•In last two years we have identified & stopped six fraudulent RTB
applications.

11. Right To Buy – Changes in legislation
• Currently 646 Peabody tenants are eligible for the Preserved
Right to Buy
• Under the new legislation this will increase to 15660
• Inside Housing research show an average of 5.7% of housing
association tenants registered an interest in buying their
homes.
• If accurate this would mean Peabody receiving close to 900
RTB applications a year.

12. How to utilise the Prevention of Social
Housing Fraud Act
•Vital to build working relationships
with partners in local authorities.
•Fraud Act.

13. Benefits of using the Prevention of
Social Housing Fraud Act
•Huge deterrent effect. The possibility of clawing back illegal profits made from
subletting.
•Peabody has brought four Criminal prosecutions for tenancy fraud.
•Results – In One Case with Lambeth Council we prosecuted a tenant for a 10 year
sublet which resulted in a guilty plea and the tenant receiving one year Prison
sentence suspended for 18 months and property recovered
•Case 2 Lambeth Council. Criminal charges brought against another tenant for a 10
year sub-let was disposed off by way of a settlement with the tenant paying Peabody
£75,000 and property recovered.

14. Any Questions?

15. Question and Answers Session

16. Panel – Ensuring Strategies are in Place to
Combat and Prevent New Emerging
Frauds to Local Councils
Mark Astley,
Head of Service at NAFN Data &
Intelligence Services,
National Anti-Fraud Network
Kevin Campbell-Scott,
Fraud Manager, Chair,
Southwark Council, London Borough’s Fraud
Investigators GroupAlan Bryce,
Chair,
The European Institute for Combatting
Corruption And Fraud
Arjun Medhi,
Deputy Head of Counter Fraud Centre,
CIPFA
Clair Green,
Assurance Assistance Director,
London Borough’s Fraud Investigators Group

17. Close of Conference and Drinks Reception