The savings include those from tenants who are renting fraudulently, as well as investigating Right to Buy applications that had to be cancelled - either due to fraud or lack of funding.

Dozens of council homes were also recovered and returned to those in need after fraud investigations.

Investigators tackled a range of fraudulent activities, including the illegal subletting of council properties, false applications for social housing, fraudulent Right to Buy applications, tenants not residing at their registered addresses and unlawful succession claims to council tenancies.

As a result, 36 council homes were recovered and re-let to families in genuine need, 210 housing applications were cancelled, and 12 Right to Buy applications were stopped.

Right to Buy fraud prevention has strengthened substantially, with almost four times as many Right to Buy applications cancelled compared to the previous year.

The higher volume of fraud detected reflects improved intelligence, rather than increased fraud prevalence alone.

Stronger officer presence on estates, better quality referrals, and an improved relationship between different council teams working together have led to a better performance.

Tenancy fraud can take several forms but some of the most common ways include:

• Sub-letting council homes to others
• Cheating the system by making fraudulent Right to Buy claims
• Lying on a housing application
• Living in a property without permission after someone has died

Cllr Baber Baz, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:

"Tenancy fraud deprives people of a much-needed home - we will not tolerate it and will use the full extent of the law to root out people abusing the system.

"Demand for housing in Birmingham is at an all time high, with more than 35,000 people on the housing register in Birmingham waiting for a good and safe home.

“It is therefore extremely welcome that we are taking action to ensure each council home goes to someone who needs it, while saving a significant amount of taxpayer's money.

“I also want to thank the honest tenants and residents throughout the city; their tip-offs and reports are invaluable to help us combat tenancy fraud.”

Reporting tenancy fraud

Residents are encouraged to look out for some tell-tale signs of fraud such as:

• A sudden change in who is living in the home
• Someone being vague about who lives there or what their relationship is to them
• Increased anti-social behaviour at the property
• The property appearing to be abandoned
• A neighbour is talking about their landlord as a person, rather than the council

Residents who suspect anything can report an instance of tenancy fraud on the council website.