The fraud files

Woman jailed for fraudulent housing claim

A woman who used a false passport to fraudulently obtain a social home has been jailed for eight months.

Subletting tenant sentenced to 16 weeks in prison

A council tenant has been sentenced to 16 weeks in prison for subletting a local authority-owned property.

The wrong side of the law

Sector backs plans to criminalise tenancy fraud

Plans to create a new criminal offence for people who commit tenancy fraud have been broadly welcomed by the sector.

Criminals could lose benefits

The government is considering docking benefits from criminals as part of a review of social policy following the riots last month.

What’s in the post?

Landlords’ administrative errors can lead to time-consuming court cases, says Jane Plant, associate at Weightmans

Landed with the bill

A recent case highlights the need to make sure building agreements are as accurate as possible

Decisive response

Two cases show that courts will act robustly if tenants abuse the litigation process, says Jane Plant

The harassment minefield

Landlords which chase debts reasonably don’t need to fear legal action, says Matthew Lake, solicitor at Weightmans LLP

No trouble

The government is drawing up new measures to streamline approaches to anti-social behaviour. ASB advisor Chris Grose answers your questions about how they might work