customer compliance officer Help!!!!!

lisa31uk

HI I'm wondering if anyone can help
I have lived with my friend for 5 years.....we have been friends for some years prior and she got divorced 5 yrs ago ..i suffer bi polar disorder and hated being on my own so we decided to get an house together....all is well everything is halved she does her thing i do mine most of which i spend in my room with my illness.....my friend howeva in the last 2 years started with bad health too and it was best to move to a flat as she couldnt manage stairs...so we got a 2 bedroomed flat we are both on benifits mine being sickness ..hers being sickness and motability ...we have been in our new place 2 months and we have both got a letter the same day saying a customer compliance officer is calling monday to see us both ....obviously it worried us so my flatmate rung them and the lady said we will be calling to see you both on monday she asked why she basically said we need to know ur not cohabitating as a couple...i found this very offensive as we are like family and im wondering why they are coming could anyone advise ty

AsknAnswer

As they lady said, they are coming to do a LTAHAW (Living together as husband and wife) visit, they will ask to see documents and ask questions to establish whether you can be considered to be LTAHAW, or to establish whether you are simply house sharing.

It is not unusual for benefit sections to do this when people who are claiming benefit as single persons who and are not related and are living in the same accomodation. They do this to counter act fraud, because there are plenty people who will claim to be in your situation but who realistically are a couple defrauding the system.

lisa31uk

thx hun ......for ur reply its just very worrying soon know monday ty again for ur reply

Kimitatsu

Lisa

there are several threads on here concerning this issue, you should be fine as you have seperate living and sleeping quarters and you can show that you lead seperate lives.

Try not to worry

lisa31uk

thx hun that we can do

Anthillmob

try not to worry. you hav nowt to hide. be honest with them as you have been with us here.

Bryando

I got the same due a neighbour living here for a week. His mum kicked him out and well I could not see a 16 yer old walking the streets. However I must admitt I was worried, however the guy who came out was very nice. Explained the circumstances and that was it.

lisa31uk

ty so much 4 ur replies i feel a little bit better still worried though cause ive read a lot on forums about how u have to proove u r not a couple lol ....i cant do nothing else but be truthful so fingers crossed its routine and thats it other than that it prob malicious gossip because 2 girls cant live together can they llol thx again guys xx

Bryando

Nothing to worry about. I just looked at as I've got nothing to prove. Thats like any guy that stayed with me, he was my boyfriend. Crazy. So compliance officer knows and just phones me should there be a report.

lisa31uk

i just thought about it when we moved to the 2 bed flat we rang dwp to change address and they were quizzing the part what are you when we said friends they asked allsorts then my friend that i live with got a letter off them requiring more information on this query so i gather thats why they comin g to our flat to check themselves anyway thx so much evry1 for ur kind replies xx