Need Help! Council had a "tip off" i am living at my girlfriends

baig

bluejake wrote: »

Your girlfriend doesn't have to prove anything and your parents certainly do not have to provide evidence of anything.

Even in this country the onus is on the DWP to prove that your girlfriend is committing benefit fraud. Not the other way around.

If you do not live with your girlfriend she has nothing to worry about. It may be as simple as signing a statement stating that you do not live there because they have had an anonymous tip off.

I repeat: they must present evidence to your girlfriend that you are living there and then she can respond to that evidence. Your girlfriend does not have prove that a person is not living with her.

This is exactly what i was thinking - that it is JOBCENTREPLUS that need to prove that i "am" or "have" been living there - rather than me proviing my innocence...

..the only thing is when my GF had the interview at the JOBCENTRE - she was given the 2 options and she was advised that if she doesnt provide a forwarding address for me - ie, my parents address - then she would face loosing her income support...and they will eventually still be able to find my address

...the man at the job centre has really pressured her.....

tweetyshells

Whats wrong with giving you address?

FraudBuster

tweetyshells wrote: »

Whats wrong with giving you address?

..............................................

Castleman

baig wrote: »

i moved out to make the relationship work

sounds like it's working really well!

benjo

To the OP...

It isnt unusual for the DWP to receive anonymous information regarding alleged benefit fraud and they absolutely have to investigate those reports in the same way as police investigate anonymous reports of crimes, nothing unusual in this. By the way, even if the report about you wasnt anonymous, you still wouldnt be told who had made it...unless it goes to court or there is some suggestion that this is part of a larger campaign of harrassment against you and a court orders that information to be released.

You seem to think that they should have carried out covert surveilance prior to interviewing your GF(they might have already done this and not told you yet), well it is often more cost effective to simply ask the person being investigated to provide information to counter the claim of fraud....which it seems they have done ie asking for your forwarding address, which they could then check, find out you live with your parents and voila investigation at an end. I cant think of a good reason why your GF wouldnt just be honest and open, give them your address and put an end to all this, but Im sure she has her reasons.

Now it could be a completely malicious report about you, someone could be out to get you/your GF... or it could be that who ever made this anonymous report has nothing against you personally but genuienly belives you are living as man and wife and doesnt like the idea of benefit fraud, but essentially the reason is irrelevant, since you/your GF are still in a pickle.

The government guidance on LTAMAW (living together as man and wife) states (very roughly) that you live in the same residence, regularly, apart from abscenses for work or to visit your family.

Well that 'could' describe your situation! you live there regularly (every saturday night) apart from when you are absent for work (mon-fri, early starts, work is closer to parents). You dont have to spend 7 nights a week together to be classed as living as man and wife and perhaps that is what they are trying to prove ie that you only stay at your parents for the purpose of work and that your main residence is infact your GF house even though you only spend one night a week there. (Similar to someone who is serving a tour of duty in the Royal Navy... their wife cannot claim income support, since the couple are still living as man and wife, even if one partner is away from home for 9 months).

I dont think they can compel your parents to provide any sort of information regarding who does/doesnt live in their house, unless they too are suspected of comitting some crime in which case they would be interviewed under caution.

Goodluck in proving your residence to the DWP, I like to think that the truth will out in the end one way or another.

prowla

There seem to be some rather judgemantal types around here.
But basically of you are being asked to prove that you don't live with your GF, then that's what you'll have to do.
If the only people who can do that are your parents, then they need to do that.

baig

tweetyshells wrote: »

Whats wrong with giving you address?

As stated throughout this thread - i would prefer not to get my parents involved - i have personal reasons for this....

NewFoundGlory_2

baig wrote: »

As stated throughout this thread - i would prefer not to get my parents involved - i have personal reasons for this....

Really don't understand what personal reasons would stop your parents signing a form/making a short visit to the Job Centre for the benefit of their grandson. I believe this sticking point is what is making people dubious regarding the situation.

Soot2006

baig wrote: »

As stated throughout this thread - i would prefer not to get my parents involved - i have personal reasons for this....

But giving JC YOUR address has nothing to do with your parents?
They just happen to share the same address.

To prove you're living somewhere you do kinda need an address .....

barnaby-bear

baig wrote: »

As stated throughout this thread - i would prefer not to get my parents involved - i have personal reasons for this....

But you don't have to, you just have to send them some of the following from the last two years:

bank statements with address on
pay slips with address on
bills for mobile etc. to address
reference to electoral roll

actually a statement from your parents saying you live there sounds pretty weak evidence anyway.... if your girlfriend wants all the rights of claiming benefits/housing etc she is accepting responsibility to demonstrate entitled and you have the responsibility to help demonstrate above board.