Raising Concerns

Subletting is when the person who rents a home lets someone else live in all or part of it in exchange for money or something else of value. The person who signed the tenancy agreement is still the official tenant and remains responsible for the home. This means they must still pay the rent, look after the property, and make sure all the rules in the tenancy agreement are followed.

Property allocation fraud is when someone is not honest to get a social housing home, keep a home, or move higher up the housing waiting list when they should not. This can happen when someone gives information that is not true, leaves out important information, or provides fake documents to help their housing application. For example, they might give the wrong information about who lives with them, not tell us when their circumstances have changed, give incorrect information about their income, say they have lived somewhere longer than they really have, claim to have health or support needs that they do not have, give wrong information about their relationship or family situation, or use fake or altered documents. These actions can mean that someone gets a home or higher priority for housing when they are not entitled to it.

Benefit fraud is when someone is not honest to get housing benefits or other welfare payments that they should not receive. This can happen when someone gives information that is not true, leaves out important information, or does not tell us when their circumstances change. For example, they might not tell us about changes to their income or savings, who lives with them, or where they are living. These actions can mean that someone receives money or support that they are not entitled to. If benefit fraud is found, the person may have to pay the money back, could receive a financial penalty, or may face legal action.

LHP has a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption. This means we take all concerns seriously and will investigate any suspected or actual cases. Bribery happens when someone offers, promises, gives, asks for, or accepts money, gifts, favours, or anything else of value to influence a decision unfairly or gain an advantage they should not have.

Please raise a concern if you become aware of:

• Money, gifts, favours, or other benefits being offered to influence a decision.
• Someone being pressured to act dishonestly or ignore rules, policies, or wrongdoing.
• Benefits being offered or received in connection with inspections, repairs, housing applications, tenancy decisions, or contracts.
• Someone accepting gifts, money, or rewards in exchange for giving preferential treatment.
• Decisions being influenced by personal gain rather than what is fair and right.

Our Code of Conduct explains how LHP colleagues should behave at work. It helps us do the right thing, treat people fairly and respectfully, and maintain the trust of our customers. All colleagues are expected to use good judgement, even when there is not a specific rule for a situation. It is important that their actions and decisions reflect LHP's values and do not negatively affect customers, colleagues, or LHP's reputation.

• You should raise a concern if you know about:
• Someone acting in a way that is dishonest, disrespectful, or unprofessional.
• Someone using LHP equipment, systems, information, or resources in the wrong way.
• Actions that could damage LHP's reputation or cause customers to lose trust in us.
• Someone not following LHP's policies, procedures, or expected standards.
• Behaviour such as dishonesty, unfair treatment, bullying, harassment, or someone taking advantage of their position for personal gain.

Whistle blowing is when you report certain types of wrongdoings at work. You can report wrong doings anonymously, but this might mean you may not be able to take the claim further. Therefore, as a whistle blower you are protected by the law if you report any of the following:
• a criminal offence, for example fraud
• someone’s health or safety is in danger
• risk or actual damage to the environment
• a miscarriage of justice
• the company is breaking the law, for example does not have the right insurance
• you believe someone is covering up wrongdoing
Personal grievances (such as bulling or discrimination) are not covered by the whistle blowing law. The wrongdoing you report must be in the public interest. This means it must affect others, such as the general public.
An example of whistle blowing would be if an employee witnessed another employee not carrying out electrical checks properly to save time, and they reported it. The employee reporting the incident would be covered by the whistle blowing law, meaning they should not be treated unfairly or lose their job because they ‘blew the whistle'.
We have a designated whistleblowing champion at LHP who is responsible for ensuring our policies and procedures on whistleblowing are effective and independent, this includes policies and procedures intended to protect whistle-blowers from being victimised because they have reported a concern.
LHP's designated whistleblowing champion is board member Anthony Read. You can reach Anthony via email on Anthony.Read@lincolnshirehp.com to discuss any concerns you may have.

Fraud and corruption can have a serious impact on LHP, our customers, our colleagues, and our reputation. Fraud is when someone acts dishonestly to gain money, an advantage, or another benefit for themselves, or to cause a loss to someone else. Reporting concerns about fraud helps LHP prevent wrongdoing and protect the services we provide.

Fraud usually falls into one of these categories:

• Fraud by false representation – when someone gives information that is false or misleading to gain an advantage, money, services, or support they are not entitled to.
• Fraud by failing to disclose information – when someone does not share important information that they are legally required to tell us, even though it could affect a decision or outcome.
• Fraud by abuse of position – when someone uses a position of trust, responsibility, or authority to benefit themselves or others, or to cause a loss to someone else.
• Corruption – when someone uses their position improperly for personal gain, such as accepting gifts, money, favours, or other benefits in exchange for preferential treatment or influencing decisions.

Probity means acting honestly, openly, and fairly when making decisions. It helps make sure that decisions are made for the right reasons, without favouritism, personal gain, or unfair influence. LHP is committed to making decisions in the best interests of our customers and the organisation, while maintaining high standards of honesty, accountability, and integrity.

Money laundering is when someone tries to hide where money has come from so it looks like it was earned or received legally. This is often linked to criminal activity, but it can also happen in everyday situations where the source of money does not seem clear or does not make sense. Within housing services, unusual financial activity can sometimes be a sign that money has come from illegal or dishonest activities.

Please raise a concern if you become aware of:

• Large amounts of cash being used when it would not normally be expected.
• Payments coming from unknown people or organisations with no clear connection to the tenancy or service.
• Someone being unwilling or unable to explain where money has come from.
• Financial activity that seems unusual, suspicious, or does not match a person's known circumstances.
• Attempts to hide who is making payments or where funds have come from.

Reporting concerns early helps LHP assess any risks, investigate where appropriate, and meet its legal and regulatory responsibilities.

Concerns about sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination, or other misconduct should always be reported. These concerns are often dealt with through internal policies and procedures, but they may also be raised as a whistleblowing concern if:

• There is a wider risk to other people.
• The behaviour is being ignored or covered up.
• There are serious concerns about how the organisation is responding.
• The issue could affect the safety, wellbeing, or rights of others.