‘Persistence Overcomes Resistance’ Presentation date 2 March 2011 Richard Bellis Head of Supported Housing (London)

What I’ll cover 1.Affinity Sutton’s approach 2.Role of Neighbourhood Auditors 3.Investigative process 4.Tenancy Check Program 5.Successes 6.Observations

Affinity Sutton’s approach Employed 2 Neighborhood Auditors Funding through SELHP helped us to: Train staff Develop paperwork Take on more complex cases Raise fraud awareness generally Set up dedicated fraud phone line and address Purchased Experian ‘CitizenView’

Neighbourhood Auditors Role To ensure that the legal tenant is living at the property and the property is not being illegally sublet. Work on NFI database To update information about tenants which will help with the future planning of our services To provide information on the services that we provide To identify residents that require additional support

Investigative Process Referral received Unannounced visit Verify Identification/Confirm Occupancy ‘7day letter’ to contact us for appointment Further ‘stronger letter’ NTQ If suspicious following visit/no response to NTQ further investigations carried out

Tenancy Check Program Carry out ‘Block Audits’ Work with Housing Officers to identify blocks to prioritise Don’t leave until they’ve verified every tenancy! Verified 172 tenancies Recovered 5 properties this way

Successes 33 properties recovered in total 4 ongoing court cases Using CLG figures that’s worth £2.4 million 6 recovered through NFI Prevented 2 residents obtaining stays in arrears cases 8 people referred for support Residents happy that we are taking action

Observations Good information sharing essential Subletting linked to other problems/crime Need to work with Local Authority Tenancy misuse, not just fraud. When there’s a change to a tenancy agreement, there’s an opportunity for fraud It’s a game of ‘Brinkmanship’ ‘If it doesn’t sound right, it probably isn’t’ ‘Persistence Overcomes Resistance’