Local authorities across North Yorkshire and York, the Joseph Rowntree Trust and other social landlords are backing Tenancy Fraud Awareness Week which starts today and runs until Sunday.

York councillor Lindsay Cunningham-Cross said: “At a time of huge demand for social housing it is even more important that available social property goes to those who need it most.”

Social housing tenants should not let their home, swap homes with another tenant or stay in a council property after the legal tenant has left or died.

Tenancy fraud also includes getting a tenancy by using false information, selling on the keys of their home or leaving the property empty.