A woman has been handed a suspended sentenced and ordered to pay more than £6,300 after council officers found she had submitted a bogus housing application.
Amira Issa, 41, who lives in Southwark, submitted a false housing application to Hillingdon Council in February 2021 despite living permanently outside the borough.
She was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Ealing Magistrates’ Court on August 1 after being found guilty of two offences under the Fraud Act 2006. She was also ordered to pay £6,167 to the council.
Issa claimed in her application she had lived at a housing association property on Wraysbury Drive in Yiewsley since 2009, but that it had become overcrowded and she wished to apply for a council home.
When a housing application is submitted, the council’s fraud team conducts multiple checks to confirm it is legitimate.
Providing false information on a housing application is an attempt to obtain services or property through deception and is therefore classed as fraud.
During their review of Issa’s application, it was found she had links to an address in Southwark.
Despite providing details that her living situation in Hillingdon had changed and that she required a council home, it was held by the court that at no point did she notify the council that she was residing away from the Hayes property and had done so for a considerable period of time.
In sentencing, Issa’s defence stated the offence was not motivated by personal gain and that she had been attempting to help an ex-partner gain a tenancy as he had failed the initial checks.
However, magistrates took into account the cost incurred by Hillingdon taxpayers for the investigation, as well as the sustained dishonesty for a considerable period, ruling that she intentionally misled the authority.
Councillor Martin Goddard, Hillingdon Council's Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation, said: “We're determined to ensure our residents live in safe, good quality homes and are protected from the risk of homelessness.
“With council homes in short supply and high demand, housing fraud limits the availability of properties for those in genuine need and puts additional strain on public resources due to the cost of providing temporary accommodation.
“Our counter fraud and legal teams work hard to thoroughly investigate all applications, and we won’t hesitate to pursue legal action against anyone who seeks to take advantage of services and swindle the public purse.”
