Fake council workers scam residents over repairs

The council confirmed it does not make cold calls to its tenants

Scammers have been cold-calling council tenants, claiming to be carrying out a survey and offering to take "no win, no fee" legal action over housing repairs.

Tenant representatives have spoken out about the problem at a series of recent meetings saying the scammers have also been been posing as council employees, complete with convincing badges.

Similar stories were told by tenant representatives from Craven Vale, Hangleton and Knoll, and Kemptown at Brighton & Hove City Council housing management panel meetings.

The local authority said housing staff and contractors did not make cold calls but visited by appointment.

The cold-callers have been trawling council estates asking whether people need repairs and then offering to take the council to court – and some have done so, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council said: "Please use our complaints process before considering legal action. We're committed to providing safe, high-quality homes.

"We know our repairs service doesn't always meet expectations and improving it is a top priority."

The council has set up a web page alerting people to claims companies which start legal action against the council over repairs - during which time the repair will not be carried out.

Fishing expedition?

Hangleton and Knoll representative Patricia Weller said tenants contacted her after receiving telephone calls from people saying they were from the council and asking whether they had problems with repairs.

She said: "I have advised them to ignore it because how do they know in the first place that these people have had a problem with the council, getting work done? Or are they just fishing?"

Emma Salcombe, who represents tenants in Essex Place, Kemptown, said a team from a "no win, no fee" company had been fishing for potential claims.

They had been asking people if they needed repairs and were wearing imitation badges which were "removed rather quickly".

She said: "If you're a council member of staff and a tenant is concerned and wants to contact the council to check that they are representing the council, that's fine. We encourage that."