News from the Residential Property Investor, the bi-monthly magazine for RLA members other artilces from the February / March 1999 issue RPI news archive

New crackdown on benefit fraud - February / March 1999

An extra 100m has been allocated to help local authorities clamp down on housing benefit fraud. Measures will include rigorous checks on identity and address, backed by extra visits to people likely to be committing fraud, said social security minister Alistair Darling announcing the move. Under the new system local authorities will visit all housing benefit claimants more regularly to confirm details of the claim. Meanwhile the Chartered Institute of Housing has said it found the Department of Social Security receptive to its suggestion that direct payment of benefit to private landlords should be linked to voluntary licensing schemes which a growing number of local authorities are introducing. This would be a first step towards improving standards in the private rented sector especially at the bottom end where standards are all too often unacceptable, claimed the CIH.
 

other artilces from the February / March 1999 issue

• Business rate assessments
• Fast route to price realism
• One sided rules on rent capping
• Tennancy validate by bank action
• When acceleration takes longer
• New crackdown on benefit fraud