No right to buy - Haringey investigation leads to repayment of right to buy discount
Friday 21 August 2009
A Haringey leaseholder has been ordered to repay the Council over £58k following her claim for a wrongful right to buy discount. Homes for Haringey’s Home Ownership team, in partnership with the Council’s legal services, succeeded in recovering the right to buy discount at Cambridge County Court.
Following a trial held on July 6, the judgement in the case was handed out this week (18 August). The Judge awarded the Council over £58k which included the discount of £38,000 plus interest of £20,822.30. The leaseholder will also have to pay legal costs.
The leaseholder had bought the South Tottenham flat under the right to buy scheme almost eight years ago. Following an investigation by the Council’s Audit team, it was discovered the leaseholder was not occupying her flat as her main or principal home prior to finalising the right to buy purchase.
Jackie Thomas, Homes for Haringey’s Executive Director of Housing Management, said: “We are committed to working with our partners to ensure that council homes are only sold to those who are entitled to exercise the right to buy. It is essential that tenants meet all the correct criteria when either purchasing or renting their homes, and do not benefit from huge discounts or sublet while they are living in another property.”
“We take tenancy fraud very seriously. If anyone has any reason to believe any of our properties are being sublet or are concerned that they are unoccupied, please contact us on 0800 195 3404 or contact your tenancy management officer directly.”
“There is a great demand on council housing and we are committed to providing good housing management services to all tenants and leaseholders. However, we will continue to work in earnest to recover costs and homes which tenants and leaseholders are not entitled to, where necessary.”
The Council is now considering taking additional legal action against this leaseholder.
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