14 NIHE social houses in West recovered due to fraud and misuse at cost of £398,300
Fourteen social houses were recovered in the Housing Executive’s West area as a result of tenancy fraud in 2024-25 at an approximate cost of £398,300, an audit has found.
The local recoveries include Housing Executive homes only as a geographic breakdown for Registered Housing Authorities (RHAs) was not provided in Auditor General Dorinnia Carville’s new report on social housing fraud.
Ms. Carville reports that of 8,458 NIHE social homes in the West, 14 were recovered – a rate of 16.6 per 10,000.
The Auditor General estimated the cost of each recovery at around £28,450, including investigation costs, legal costs and temporary accommodation costs.
Although a regional breakdown is not provided for RHAs, several of those operating in the Derry area recovered homes that had been the subject of fraud: Apex (six recoveries), Arbour (eight recoveries), Choice (23 recoveries), Clanmil (three recoveries), Radius (30 recoveries), Triangle (15 recoveries) and Woven (15 recoveries).
Across the North as a whole 284 social homes were recovered – 169 NIHE and 115 RHA – at a cost of £8,079,800.
Ms. Carville suggests the rate of recovery reported is unlikely to reflect the level of fraud that actually exists across the North which has approximately 134,000 social homes.
Estimates in England suggest up to one in 30 social homes may be affected.
Were this rate applied locally, it would mean as many as 4,000 properties in the North could be subject to some form of tenancy fraud or misuse, she noted.
Ms. Carville said: “Each case of tenancy fraud and misuse denies a social home to someone in need, at a time when housing waiting lists are at record highs. There is also a significant financial cost, with a direct cost of £8 million in 24-25.
"In addition, my report last year on Homelessness in Northern Ireland highlighted that a lack of social housing is resulting in an increasing and costly reliance on temporary accommodation, with expenditure continuing to rise to over £40 million in 2025.
“Tackling this issue effectively starts with understanding the scale of the problem, which has been inhibited by an uncoordinated and inconsistent approach to recording and reporting data. I have therefore recommended that the Department establish an evidence-based baseline estimate within the next six months.”
Foyle MLA Mark H. Durkan said: "This report suggests that up to 4,000 social housing properties here could be subject to some form of tenancy fraud or misuse. But the reality is that nobody knows the true scale of the problem because astonishingly, no evidence-based baseline has ever been established. These figures are ‘guesstimates’ at best and the actual number is likely much higher, as are the costs to the public purse.
"Every property being occupied fraudulently is a property denied to a family in genuine housing need. It increases pressure across homelessness services and drives up spend on crisis management. People are rightly frustrated, yet many people are afraid to make reports.
"It’s madness that the system of public reporting is being relied on here. The onus must be on the Housing Executive and housing associations to be proactive in identifying fraud.”
Ms. Carville recommends that the Department for Communities makes it a requirement of both the NIHE and RHAs to implement an annual co-ordinated programme of tenancy fraud and misuse audits.