Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prosecutions have been brought under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013 in each year since its commencement, broken down by local authority.

Where unlawful occupation of social housing properties occurs, the government expects landlords to take active steps to tackle fraud and ensure social housing is used fairly – this may include taking legal action.

The Department collects data on the number of properties recovered where there was evidence that the tenant had been illegally sub-letting the property in Section G of the Local Authority Housing Statistics, published here. The Department does not monitor how social housing landlords are using the powers available under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013.

The government has commissioned a review examining how effectively social housing providers manage their stock, including tackling issues such as fraud, under-occupation, overcrowding and empty homes. Findings will be published later this year.