A woman who made a false housing application and provided altered documents to North Herts Council pleaded guilty at court following an investigation by the Hertfordshire Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS).

On Friday 11^th July, Jade Hardiman, 36, of Ash Tree Avenue, Godmanchester, Cambridge, pleaded guilty at Stevenage Magistrates' Court to 4 counts of fraud, including Fraud by False Representation and Making or Supplying articles for use in fraud, offences under the Fraud Act 2006.

The court heard that between October 2022 and July 2023, Ms Hardiman made an application to North Herts Council's housing register to gain a social housing tenancy. The investigation uncovered that Ms Hardiman misrepresented her personal circumstances, failing to disclose key information and supplied altered documents to the council to support her application. It was found that Ms Hardiman altered utility bills to give the impression she had a genuine local connection to the district, a requirement to be considered for social housing. 

Ms Hardiman was sentenced on 8 August 2025 at Stevenage Magistrates' Court.

Magistrates sentenced Ms Hardiman to 12 weeks imprisonment on each of the four charges, which was suspended for 12 months. Ms Hardiman was ordered to attended 12 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement sessions with HM Probation Service, and to pay £3,000 in prosecution costs to North Herts Council, plus £150 in victim surcharge.

Cllr Daniel Allen, Leader of North Herts Council and Executive Member for Governance, said: "This case shows that we take fraud against the council and our community extremely seriously. Social housing is in short supply and must be allocated fairly to those in genuine need. When individuals submit false applications, they undermine public trust and take homes away from vulnerable residents who truly need them.

"I would like to thank our officers and the SAFS team for their hard work in bringing this case to court. We are committed to protecting our services and ensuring fairness and integrity in our housing system."

Hertfordshire County Council's Shared Anti-Fraud Service works in partnership with Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords to investigate and prosecute allegations of fraud against the many services delivered by the council.

You can report suspected fraud in the strictest confidence. For more information, and to report your concerns, visit: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/reportfraud, email [email protected] or call 0300 123 4033.