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

twentypenceoff

barnaby-bear wrote: »

Or parents fraudulantly claiming? Not decalring extra working adult in the household or the rent?

i hope nobody trips on all these worms which appear to have been let out of some can.

G_M

Can't believe this thread is up to 72 73 posts!

poppysarah

babyblooz wrote: »

From what I have seen on the Fraud programmes on the telly, they have some kind of evidence or they wouldn't waste time contacting you.

Maybe it's malicious from someone who thinks they know your circumstances, but I don't think they move in unless they are pretty sure of a result.

They often watch properties and people to get the evidence for a week or two before striking.

I suspect saying you don't get on with your parents will reinforce the suggestion that you don't live there.

rubber_ducky_3

My BF works as an investigator in benefit fraud, and I work in Housing Benefits.

I can tell you now for a fact, the DWP would not call your GF in for an interview without evidence, I would suggest you ask her what evidence they haveas they would of shown her/told her.

As your GF is the claimant, the onus is on your girlfriend to provide proof that you are not living there, which you have touched upon already. The sort of proof/evidence would be, bank statements which show your address as your parents, wage slips / P60 / phone bills / your broadband bill / if you have a vechicle your log book, car insurance details, credit card bills / medical docs etc... the documents you supply to your girlfriend must show the dates that they state you have been living with your GF.

HOWEVER.... if, which it sounds like the DWP have, been watching, and they have seen you have been leaving the property each morning, coming back there every evening, and they would of been watching for a cetain period of time to gather this evedence to get your girlfriend in, then im afraid its a fair cop. I must add this is one of the hardest benefit frauds to prove so they definetly have some prrof to back up their allegations.

They may have already advised that they will be cancelling your GF's state benefits from the date they have evidence that you were living there this will create an overpayment of state benefit which she will have to pay back. If they do this and your GF is also claiming Housing Benefit, they will notify the Local Authourity and advise them also that your GF has had you living there. This would be classed as an undisclosed change in cirmstances which again the onus was on your GF to report to the Local Authourity. They will suspend her Housing Benefit claim and ask her to supply your income & capital details. Once you send them in, they will re-assess your GF's claim with you in her clainm, this will, with out doubt create an overpayment of Housing Benefit as your GF's Housing Benefit was origanaly based on her income of state benefits which meant she would of been entitled to full HB, which she may not be entitled to with the HB claim based on your working income!

Good luck you may need it - I see this every day of my working life - it just aint worth it!

babyblooz

So what you see on those telly programmes is really showing how it works in real life! I thought they were dressed up a bit to make good telly but it sounds like they show it just like it is!

amazelucy

How many nights a week do you stay with your GF?? If it is 4 or more this constitutes living with her - even if you do pay rent to your parents etc

Lucy

benjo

How many nights a week do you stay with your GF?? If it is 4 or more this constitutes living with her - even if you do pay rent to your parents etc

What is the source of this information? As far as I know this is a bit of an urban myth and is misleading, you can spend 24/7 in the same house as another person and not be living together as man and wife (two elderly people living together for company yet having seperate finances/meal arrangements), you can spend a year apart and still be living together as man and wife (husband in the forces/working on an oil rig)for the purposes of the benefits agencies.

The Government guidlines published for their own decision makers regarding this sort of situation, either for married people, civil partnerships, people living together as man and wife or those in same sex couples simply says....

that you will be considered a 'couple' if you are living in the 'same household' (note there is no mention of how many nights a week this refers to at this stage).

...
11017 To be members of the same household means that
1. they live in the same flat, apartment, caravan or other dwelling place and neither normally live in another household and
2. they both live there regularly, apart from absences necessary for employment, to visit relatives, etc

There is no definition of the word 'regularly', but it could be argued that every saturday night is regular and that the original poster only visits/stays at his parents address due to its proximity to work ie 'apart from abscences necessary for employment'.

duchy

My next door neighbour got invited to that sort of interview.
She was cross-examined about her boyfriend -who used to stay maybe four nights a month (they both have kids from previous marriages and he works long hours) ....it then turned out that the person interviewing her thought her boyfriend was also her landlord. It turned out they had an anoymous tip that she was in a relationship with her landlord-which was laughable on several counts-including the fact he'd avoid the house like the plague as there was outstanding basic maintainance that she'd been asking him to get done....including a sticking front door so I used to hear anyone coming or going so I knew she wasn't having "visits" LOL

We came to the conclusion that whoever gave benefits the tip was probably the same person who reported me to the RSPCA for having a neglected kitten (the inspector had no issues and fell in love with one of my cats when she visited).
It's easy to assume no smoke without fire-but there are some very odd people around.

FraudBuster

twentypenceoff wrote: »

i hope nobody trips on all these worms which appear to have been let out of some can.

:rotfl:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_4017514

schueys_girl

I am really confused here...so you have a child with your GF, but you dont live with her, to make the relationship work(ok fair enough I guess) but yet she is still classed as single parent...as you are not living there? Even this is wrong..she is not single you are calling her your GF and you have a child with her, which Iguess you are already supporting with some of your money??

So maybe this is why it has been brought up with your GF...as she is not single, and as you are staying there once a week and aRE IN A RELATIONSHIP, so therefoer you are supporting them both (at least i hope you are providing for your child) then she is not single is she??

In the sense that there are single parents out there who recieve no support from their childs other parent.

Hmmmm the system really is flawed!!! Get back home with your GF and child for goodness sake!!!