What is "living together as husband and wife" ??

MissAdventure

So the situation is that I moved into a shared house with four friends. We each have a separate bedroom, but there is a communal living room, kitchen, bathrooms, garden etc. We split the bills 5 ways. We share some food etc but also have our own. Sometimes I offers to cook for everyone or whoever is around, sometimes I just cook for myself. Its a faily standard house share. One of these friends is now my boyfriend

My last work contract ended and I signed up for JSA/HB/CTB. When I was asked whether I was living with "a partner as if you are husband and wife". I said No which I believed to be the truth. I didn't even think about it really, to be honest, it never occurred to me to think otherwise. To me a 'husband and wife' relationship implies all sorts of long term commitments, sharing money, space and life plans etc. that simply don't apply to a boyfriend. If I wanted that kind of relationship I'd get married!

One of my friends has told me she thinks I was wrong on this (she believes the 'husband and wife' stuff is just a euphemism for 'sex' ), so I looked up the guidelines. The more I try to understand them, the more confused I get . They say there are 'many factors' but won't tell you what they are, other than that whether or not you are having sex is NOT one of them.

Can anyone enlighten me? I can easily enough rent a different place if I have made a mistake on this, but its an awful lot of hassle, so I'd like to know its necessary! (Of course, dumping the boyfriend would be less hassle, but I'm rather attached to him )

Loobysaver

If you are living together under the same roof then you are considered as living together as husband and wife.

AnxiousMum

My son and his girlfriend are in the same position. He was starting his third year university this year, but pulled out last minute and is now looking for work (he resat an exam and learnt that the degree he was doing was not the right one for him). However, he had already signed a year's lease on the off campus student housing he was living in. His girlfriend is also a student, and they met by being in the same house. He is ineligible for JSA - as they take his girlfriends income (student loan!) into account. The fact that they eat together, shop together, have evenings in playing games, watching tv together etc. is what they determined 'makes them a couple'. However, the other roommates also do all these things - they do a group shop and then an individual shop for personal items, they all cook and eat together when home, they all share evenings playing games, watching tv etc. together as a group. My son asked 'so are the other housemates also deemed to be a part of my relationship'?
Long story short - he's not eligible for JSA as he's deemed to be part of a couple living as husband and wife. He is now also responsible for council tax etc.

Vader123

LTAMAW has no strict defination, but some of the things the DM would look at :

1) Sharing meals.
2) Sharing living space together
3) Doing things together
4) Some element of shared resource (like buying stuff together)
5) Shared holidays
6) Sharing a bill.

Its hard to say "yes you are LAMAW", each situation is different.

Vader

System

Vader123 wrote: »

LTAMAW has no strict defination, but some of the things the DM would look at :

1) Sharing meals.
2) Sharing living space together
3) Doing things together
4) Some element of shared resource (like buying stuff together)
5) Shared holidays
6) Sharing a bill.

Its hard to say "yes you are LAMAW", each situation is different.

Vader

Pretty much this. I share with 3 guys and a girl. One of the guys is an ex, and that ex is now shagging the ex of the other guy. I think the benefits office would have fun trying to define a relationship in the context of them 2..they share meals, do things togther, have sex but aren't officially in a relationship.

Its all subjective and they;d have to investigate your individual circumstances.

There was a link ages ago as to what the DWP look at in regards to deciding if people are LTAMAW but i've lost it

MissAdventure

Loobysaver wrote: »

If you are living together under the same roof then you are considered as living together as husband and wife.

This is incorrect. They specifically ask you to differentiate between people living under the same roof as you and 'someone you are living with as husband and wife'. Its that difference that I was trying to clarify

ceridwen

Vader123 wrote: »

LTAMAW has no strict defination, but some of the things the DM would look at :

1) Sharing meals.
2) Sharing living space together
3) Doing things together
4) Some element of shared resource (like buying stuff together)
5) Shared holidays
6) Sharing a bill.

Its hard to say "yes you are LAMAW", each situation is different.

Vader

There must surely be other criteria as well - put like that I wouldnt dare go on holiday with a friend soon if either of us had become unemployed in the meantime - as all those boxes would be ticked. But - we are both female and just friends (neither of us would dream of being involved with a member of the same sex:eek:).

Gawd! It was so much easier back in my days of unemployment - MANY years ago now...when I knew that my name was the only one on the rent book and bills and he wasnt allowed to stay more than 3 (or was it 4?) nights per week with me and that was sufficient to "protect" me from benefit deduction. As long as I kept within those guidelines - then no problem. The DWP has made it a heck of a lot harder in recent years to know whether one is "safe" from being defined as half of a couple or no. The current guidelines seem to be so vague/hidden from public scrutiny/subjective - that I dont know whether I would dare to even have a "bogstandard boyfriend" in this day and age or no - just in case I got deemed to be "married" and penniless.

One almost wonders if there is a "hidden agenda" at play here (ie by the Govt) - to stop people daring to have even as much as a boyfriend/girlfriend unless they were both safely in work at the time. Well - I suppose not letting the unemployed have a "lovelife" in the first place is one way to help deal with the overpopulation situation..........(said tongue in cheek I hasten to add)...

flea72

if you both have separate rooms in the house, and both pay full rent as an individual, then no you arent classed as 'living together'

however if you both shared the same room, and therefore only paid one joint lot of rent, then yes you would be classed as living together


F

Vader123

One of the guys is an ex, and that ex is now shagging the ex of the other guy. I think the benefits office would have fun trying to define a relationship in the context of them 2..they share meals, do things togther, have sex but aren't officially in a relationship

when I knew that my name was the only one on the rent book and bills and he wasnt allowed to stay more than 3 (or was it 4?) nights per week with me and that was sufficient to "protect" me from benefit deduction. As long as I kept within those guidelines - then no problem. The DWP has made it a heck of a lot harder in recent years to know whether one is "safe" from being defined as half of a couple or no. The current guidelines seem to be so vague/hidden from public scrutiny/subjective - that I dont know whether I would dare to even have a "bogstandard boyfriend" in this day and age or no - just in case I got deemed to be "married" and penniless.

My bolds.

In the interests of staying on topic I am bowing out the thread.

Vader

MissAdventure

AnxiousMum wrote: »

My son asked 'so are the other housemates also deemed to be a part of my relationship'?

:rotfl:I had to laugh at that!

AnxiousMum wrote: »

Long story short - he's not eligible for JSA as he's deemed to be part of a couple living as husband and wife. He is now also responsible for council tax etc.

The rest of its just not funny though really is it
Why should dating give you the same financial responsibility for someone as being married to them?!

Anyway, little as I understand it, looks like I'll have to find somewhere else to live.

Oldernotwiser

MissAdventure wrote: »

:
Why should dating give you the same financial responsibility for someone as being married to them?!
.

Since when has living together been the same as dating?