B&D Reside is acting against tenancy fraud with the launch of a key amnesty in November 2025

Why is this happening?

We all know how hard it is to find a suitable, affordable home. This is why Reside is supporting the local council, working together with the City of London Police. It’s the right thing to do to protect affordable homes for local families. We are working to identify the illegal activities of fraudsters and prevent dishonest money-making sub-letting using online short-term letting platforms such as Airbnb.

The key amnesty initiative aims to recover Reside homes that are being used illegally so they can be re-let to people in need of affordable housing in Barking and Dagenham.

What is the key amnesty?

From Monday 3 November, anyone who believes they may be committing tenancy fraud with a Reside property, has the opportunity to free up a home for a family in need, by handing in the keys to the homes they should not be renting from us. They can do this in person at the Town Hall, 1 Town Square, Barking IG11, during opening hours.

By doing the right thing, those individuals will avoid legal action being taken against them for any tenancy fraud committed. A member of the council’s reception team will be available to process the handover. No questions will be asked and there will be no investigation – just fill in a short form and handover the keys.

This amnesty runs until Friday 28 November 2025

After this date, if you choose to keep hold of a property you know you are not entitled to or sub-let it without permission then enforcement action will resume.

Following the amnesty, work to combat this issue will restart. We will visit and deal with all tenancies that have been obtained incorrectly, and where tenants continue to abuse the terms of their tenancies. Legal action will be instigated where required and all means of financial redress will be sought to ensure those who have committed fraud, and other offences, are dealt with in the most appropriate way.

The key amnesty excludes those that have already been made aware that they are being investigated for suspected tenancy fraud.

How do I know if I am committing tenancy fraud?

Enforcement action is focused only on people who are deliberately breaking the law.

This includes:

• Illegitimate Reside tenants
• People who sub-let without permission
• Individuals who obtained a property by deception
• Holiday lets advertised through short-term rental sites like Booking.com or AirBnB

More resources than ever are being devoted to tackling illegal lets.

It is not worth the risk – if you commit housing fraud, you will be caught

What is Reside doing to help?

Reside is working closely with the City of London Police and LBBD to strengthen fraud detection – in Operation Chandrila. 

We have over 100 cases of tenancy fraud and subletting that we are already investigating with 20 properties already recovered through legal and enforcement action. We expect our recovery rate to rise significantly now that we are working together.

How you can help

If you think you have seen a suspicious sub-let or been offered a ‘fast-track’ opportunity to a Reside tenancy - Report It.

You can do this anonymously via the council's fraud portal. All we need is the address and the details of what you have seen.

Alternatively, you can report via City of London police website here.

If you have any questions about the key amnesty or tenancy fraud, please email enquiries@bdreside.co.uk