At the meeting of the Audit and Risk Management Committee on the 2 December 2021, and with reference to Report CFO-032-21-GM, Councillor MacDonald asked for detail on any direct working with Housing Associations.
The Corporate Fraud Team undertake vetting of all tenancy applications for the Housing service. The vetting is undertaken immediately prior to any offer being made, to establish that the Council holds up to date and accurate details regarding the applicants’ current housing position. This ensures houses are allocated in accordance with the Council’s allocations policy.
The Council is also responsible for the allocation of properties managed by Caledonia Housing Association; therefore, all offers made for properties managed by Caledonia Housing Association are subject to vetting.
With regards to homelessness applications, the Council makes housing referrals to other Registered Social Landlords (RSL) under the provisions of section 5 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 Act. All such cases are subject to the Corporate Fraud vetting process, prior to the referrals being made.
A final piece of joint working relates to Hillhead Housing Association, who are no longer part of the Common Housing Register. Hillhead HA refer housing offers to the Council’s Corporate Fraud Team directly to undertake vetting on their behalf.