Housing Minister Grant Shapps has made proposals to help ensure tenancy cheats who deny social homes to families in need will face justice.

The Minister set out proposals to criminalise the abuse of social homes - such as unlawful subletting and key-selling - with a possible two year jail sentence. He said the plans could free up thousands of homes for housing waiting lists.

Tenancy cheats can earn thousands of pounds a year renting their social homes out to private tenants - but if caught, may currently face no greater penalty than losing their tenancy.

Mr Shapps wants to see much greater legal consequences for these cheats - and so is consulting on proposals that would introduce specific criminal offences for tenancy fraud, such as those which already exist for social security fraud.

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Some estimates suggest that between 50,000 and 160,000 social homes are currently being unlawfully occupied across the country.

The Minister said the plans would also strengthen councils' legal rights as landlords to help them detect and prosecute tenancy fraud more effectively and return lost revenue back to local coffers.

Mr Shapps said: "Tenancy cheats are taking advantage of a vital support system for some of the most vulnerable people in our society and getting away with a slap on the wrist while our waiting lists continue to grow. It's time for these swindlers to pay the price.

"It would cost us billions of pounds to replace the huge number of unlawfully occupied social homes across the country. Meanwhile tenancy cheats can earn thousands of pounds letting out their property, which was given to them in good faith and which could instead be offering a stable home to a family in need."

(CD/GK)