All Associations are required to have in place a policy and procedure for managing fraud which includes a dedicated Tenancy Fraud Strategy and Response Plan. For the purposes of this guidance fraud can be defined as the use of deception with the intention of gaining an advantage, avoiding an obligation or causing loss to another party. For practical purposes fraud may include such acts as false representation, concealment of material facts and collusion. The criminal act is the attempt to deceive. Attempted fraud is therefore treated as seriously as accomplished fraud. The suspicion that any of these acts has taken place should be regarded as potentially fraudulent and dealt with as such. Obtaining money, including grants, by providing false information can also be a criminal offence even if it is on behalf of an organisation rather than an individual.
All instances of actual and suspected Tenancy Fraud should be recorded in a register and reported to the Department’s Social Housing Policy Branch via email to socialhousingpolicy@communities-ni.gov.uk using the form TF1 (Initial Notification of Tenancy Frauds to DfC). The Association is also required to provide a quarterly update via email to socialhousingpolicy@communities-ni.gov.uk using form TF2 (Quarterly Update on Tenancy Fraud Cases) as requested by the Department.