Sandwell council homes are taken back
More than 100 homes have been seized back by Sandwell Council after tenants were caught misusing properties during the past 12 months.
Illegal subletting and not using a house as a main home were among the ways residents were found to be flouting tenancy rules.
The council launched more than 200 fraud investigations during the past year and recovered a total of 115 properties.
Deputy council leader Councillor Steve Eling said the authority was determined to catch cheats but it was a growing problem.
"With the increasing shortage of affordable housing and the changes in right to buy legislation, tenancy fraud is becoming even more lucrative to some greedy people pocketing lots of money," he said.
The other ways people were caught misusing properties included not filling out home applications correctly. Some properties were also recovered after they were found abandoned.
"Housing tenancy fraud is perpetrated when social housing is used by someone not entitled to occupy that property.
"We have always taken a tough line on fraud in Sandwell but now more than ever we need to make sure that council properties are being used for the benefit of people needing and qualifying for our accommodation."
The council said two people had been convicted of 'right to buy' fraud during the past year.
Figures released earlier this year showed the council is owed more than £2 million in unpaid council tax from last year.
A total of 19,628 council tax accounts were not paid in full by the end of the 2014/15 financial year, the figures show.
This has left the council needing to chase £2.2m. But bosses say despite the outstanding payments, they have a high council tax collection rate in the borough.
Councillor Eling said he believed some of debt could be down to one late payment rather than a 'substantial' amount of arrears.
