Fraud

Rochford District Council has its own Housing Benefit Fraud Policy and the Council will constantly review all aspects of its benefits administration to ensure that entitlement is only awarded for genuine claims that have been properly checked and validated. 

Entitlement to benefit will be renewed at more regular intervals, at which time a full review of all the circumstances of the claim will be carried out. The landlord may be asked to provide a detailed rent account statement. 

The Council's Visiting Staff will be undertaking an increased number of visits to both tenants and landlords, and the latter will be expected to maintain and produce comprehensive records showing details of tenancies, and of rent payments collected from tenants.

The Fraud and Prosecution Policy is implemented by:

• Carrying out an on-going programme of residency checks to ensure that claimants are resident at the property for which they are claiming benefit.
• Investigating referrals from the Benefit Assessment Teams or other bodies, where there appears to be irregularities and information from individuals.
• Investigating possible contrived tenancies that have been created to take advantage of the Benefits system.
• Having close liaison with external organisations such as the Benefits Agency to detect multiple frauds.
• Carrying out interviews under caution where there is a possible fraudulent claim for benefit.

Under new legislation, Council Investigators have powers to enter premises and inspect the records kept by landlords and employers in order to check information supplied in support of benefit claims. An offence will have been committed if someone fails to comply. 

Our Officers will also visit customers in their homes. These visits are part of the Verification Framework.  Customers will have to verify their claim with our Benefit Officers and provide proof of their identity, and prove that the information provided on their application claim form is correct.  This procedure of visiting is only a part of countering benefit fraud.

The department will continue to apply sanctions and prosecutions for all those who have been found guilty of committing Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit Fraud.

However we still need your help in preventing Benefit Fraud. If you know someone who is committing Benefit Fraud you should call us immediately on 01702 318041 or Freephone 0800 0462097, the call will be completely confidential.  There is also a form which can be downloaded from the Related Documents section.

Remember every time someone obtains benefit by fraud and deception, they are taking up our time when it could be better spent helping the people in the community who really need it.