Social housing fraud to be tackled under industry-first government partnership with Airbnb

• Tenants who are fraudulently subletting social housing will be identified and removed under a new data sharing agreement between the Cabinet Office and Airbnb.

• Families on waiting lists will get social homes faster under a new government crackdown on tenancy fraud.

• Early results have shown that 470 potential cases of fraud have been identified across participating local authorities, with fraudsters facing punishments ranging from eviction, fines, and up to 2 years imprisonment.

People illegally subletting social housing will be identified and may be removed from the property, following a new, innovative data-sharing partnership between the Cabinet Office and Airbnb.

The first of its kind agreement, led by the Public Sector Fraud Authority within the Cabinet Office, will ensure social housing properties remain there for the families who need them, and not in the hands of those using them illegally for personal gain. It marks the first time any short-term rental platform has proactively shared data with the government to combat social housing fraud.  

Airbnb is the first short-term letting platform to partner with the Cabinet Office to help tackle this industry-wide issue. The agreement allows local councils to check social housing records against Airbnb listings, identifying properties being exploited by fraudsters and allowing these properties to be returned to families in genuine need.

Under the programme, local authorities across London, as well as Edinburgh City Council, Birmingham City Council and Anglesey Council will work with Airbnb and listings confirmed as operating without permission will be removed.

Fraudsters can face further punishments including eviction, fines, and up to 2 years imprisonment. Kensington and Chelsea Council, alongside Westminster Council, are both participants in the data sharing agreement, and early results have shown that 470 potential cases of fraud have been identified across all participating local authorities.

It is estimated that 5,800 social homes are suspected of being illegally sublet on short-term rental platforms in England, with each case of tenancy fraud costing taxpayers an estimated £78,300. While this is a challenge across the short-term rental sector, over 450,000 properties will be covered by the data-sharing partnership between Airbnb and the participating local authorities.

Cabinet Office Minister Satvir Kaur said:

"By working with Airbnb, we're sending a crystal clear message: if you're cheating the social housing system, we will find you and we will prosecute you. These homes exist to help people who genuinely need them, not to line the pockets of fraudsters.

"This government will always crack down on those taking advantage of taxpayers and depriving families of the homes they desperately need. This partnership shows what we can achieve when the government, local authorities and industry work together and we are calling on other short-term letting platforms and councils to follow this lead."

 Lisa Marçais, General Manager for UKI, Northern Europe, and MEA, Airbnb, said: 

"Social housing fraud has no place on Airbnb. We're proud to have driven the first ever data-sharing agreement of this kind in partnership with the Cabinet Office and local authorities across the country, but to truly tackle this problem we need the entire short term rental industry to follow suit and participate in this initiative.

We remain committed to swiftly removing confirmed fraudulent listings and have a clear, established process for councils to flag issues with properties listed on Airbnb.

Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said:

This council has long called for short-term letting platforms to share the data needed to identify illegal subletting and stop people profiteering from publicly funded homes, so we strongly welcome this agreement with Airbnb.

We recovered 20 fraudulently let properties over the last year, and every one of those was a home taken away from a deserving household in genuine need of a safe, secure place to live.

Our message is clear: social homes are not private income streams and there is no hiding place for anyone abusing the system. We will keep rooting out illegal subletting and returning homes to those most in need.

The partnership will build on existing work with Airbnb, opening up the programme  for use across the country. One example from a successful trial of the system in 2024 led to the identification of a social housing tenant who illegally let out their Council flat in Soho for over a year on Airbnb, while living in France. They were caught and fined £12,890, based on their Airbnb income, with the property returned to Westminster City Council for use by a genuine family in need.

Social housing provides affordable homes to millions of households across the country who cannot afford market rents. This partnership will ensure these houses are being used to support those in need.

As part of this government's plan to usher in a decade of national renewal for social housing, £39 billion is also being invested into a new Social and Affordable Homes Programme, with an ambition to deliver around 300,000 new homes over the Programme's lifetime. 

Cllr Paul Swaddle, Leader of Westminster City Council said: 

"Westminster has seen the worrying proliferation of short term lets over several years and has continued to call for platforms to share the data needed to stop people profiting at the expense of our residents. For too long, a minority of operators have been allowed to break the rules, leaving us to deal with housing loss, fly tipping and noise nuisance.

"This agreement is an important first step and demonstrates what can be achieved when we work together. I have already had a productive meeting with senior executives from Airbnb who recognise the seriousness of the issue and have pledged to address our concerns. Other platforms now need to step up.

"There is no hiding place for anyone abusing the system and we will continue rooting out illegal subletting and returning homes to those most in need."