WITH a couple of weeks to go until the end of Cornwall Council's key amnesty, which gives people who are illegally sub-letting or not living in their council homes the opportunity to hand back their keys, dozens of calls have been made to a dedicated fraud hotline and two properties recovered.

Sixty-nine calls have been received and two properties have been surrendered by tenants, following the introduction of a two-month key amnesty which runs until February 28. The amnesty allows anyone not living in their council home or illegally sub-letting it to hand back their keys rather than face possible criminal investigation and potential legal action, which could ultimately result in a criminal conviction.

Every property being used fraudulently stops anotherfamily in housing need from accessing that affordable housing.

A new home costs on average more than £150,000 to build and there are almost 28,000 households registered on Cornwall Homechoice seeking an affordable home.

Illegal sub-letting happens when a council home is let to a tenant and that tenant moves out then illegally lets the property to someone else — usually at a higher rent. Not only is this illegal, it prevents much needed homes from being made available to families in genuine need and in addition costs every household in Cornwall money.

Cornwall Council's corporate fraud team and Cornwall Housing Ltd have been working in partnership since August 2014 to tackle tenancy fraud; in what is believed to be the first such prosecution in Cornwall under new Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act legislation, a former tenant was convicted of tenancy fraud in December for illegally sub-letting.

Jane Barlow, managing director of Cornwall Housing, said: 'This prosecution shows that this type of activity will not be tolerated in Cornwall Housing Ltd. Two homes have already been surrendered.

'We have seen evidence of how introducing a key amnesty has worked well in other parts of the country.

'By bringing the issue to the public's attention, other authorities saw an increase in referrals to its tenancy fraud hotline and we are seeing the same results here.

'We know that the overwhelming majority of residents live in their homes legally and that they share our commitment to tackling tenancy fraud and I would encourage anyone who suspects someone of committing tenancy fraud to get in touch.'

The introduction of the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013 in October 2013 means people illegally sub-letting their property can now face a prison sentence of up to two years, a criminal record, or a fine of up to £5,000.

Joyce Duffin, Cornwall Council cabinet member for housing and environment, said: 'I would urge anyone either not living in or illegally sub-letting their council home to get in touch right away. Once the amnesty ends anyone found not to be living in their home or illegally sub-letting it will face the full force of the new powers.'

Anyone illegally sub-letting or not living in their council home should hand back their keys to the council's corporate fraud team, local housing officer or housing office as soon as possible.

Residents wishing to report someone who may be illegally sub-letting or not living in their property can do so in complete confidence by calling the dedicated fraud hotline on 0800 7316125.