A Manchester key amnesty is currently in force allowing tenants in social rented homes to hand in their keys without consequence, if they are renting out a home illegally. The amnesty will come to an end on Friday 27 Feb 2026, and is the first stage of a campaign to tackle city-wide tenancy fraud. This type of fraud can be a criminal offence and takes homes away from those that need them most – many of whom have been on the housing register for many years.
Once the key amnesty comes to an end, an expanded and dedicated team of officers will continue to work through potential fraud cases. Where criminal fraud is found, officers will begin prosecution action against those responsible.
If you are currently in a home you are not entitled to, or illegally subletting, now is your chance to do the right thing, or risk being caught out and legal action taken against you.
The social housing tenancy fraud campaign is one of the first times a local authority has partnered city-wide with housing providers to tackle the issue – which means all the organisations signed up to the Manchester Housing Providers Partnership (MHPP) will work with the Council to report and investigate potential fraud cases.
Some examples of fraudulent tenancies include:
- tenants taking up a Council tenancy while living elsewhere,
- enabling them to rent out the home at market rates
- subletting rooms in a Council home without permission
- obtaining a housing by deception or exchanging a property without permission.
For more information, if you would like to speak to us about a person or persons, illegally letting their property (in strictest of confidence) or if you would like to hand in your keys, please get in touch: send a WhatsApp message to 07418 367 396, email info@s4bmanchester.co.uk, visit the S4B housing office, or give us a call on 0300 555 0128.