Housing Benefit Query

goffy63

Problem: I have a letter from the fraud investigation department claiming i am living with someone as husband/wife partner.

My history:
I had a boyfriend for most part of 2010. he didnt live with me in fact he lived about 120 miles away from me. We kept a long distance relationship and he visited me a couple of weekends a month.

After a very traumatic last year I decided a change of direction was needed, i was already on pills from my doctor and i was getting worse from the stress. So in September 2010 I moved to the same county as my boyfriend. Once again he did not live with me, he still lived 45 mins away so it was just myself and my son on a tenancy. I claimed housing benefit.

Unfortunately our relationship broke down in November 2010 due to various reasons but thankfully we remained good friends.

In Jan 2011 we were both desperate to move again. The place i was in had no heating and he needed to move from his brother's spare room. He works so he would pay his half of the rent, I would claim some housing benefit as I was now in part time work.

We have our own bedrooms, his is upstairs, mine is downstairs next to my sons room. We use seperate bathrooms, his is upstairs, mine is downstairs. We have our own food cupboards. I dont do his washing and we even have seperate sofas to sit on.

How do I get the benefit people to understand we do not live together as a couple.

Thanks in advance

Aarons_mummy

Did you declare to them you are living in the same household?

If not then surely they are still paying the amount of rent they were doing when you were living there alone meaning they may ask you to pay back any overpayment as if HB were awarded you wouldn't be paid the full amount if that makes sense?

I'm not sure how it works as you were not living with him prior to your split, are you in a private let/council let? Are you allowed to sub let? Have you asked the landlord whether it's ok?

goffy63

I claimed hb as a single person as that is what I am.

I didnt declare we were living together. As I said we are not a couple, we have never lived under the same roof as a couple, or as friends either.


We have only been in this house share since 8th jan this year, only a matter of weeks as of todays date the 21st feb 2011, ie. 6 weeks and two days!!

any more help appreciated!

McKneff

So you have a lodger, did you inform them of that, obviously you were sharing all costs or he was giving you lodging money.

Were you entitled to Housing Benefit or any other means tested benefit.

I think youre going to have a fight on your hands to be honest.

sunnyone

goffy63 wrote: »

Problem: I have a letter from the fraud investigation department claiming i am living with someone as husband/wife partner.

My history:
I had a boyfriend for most part of 2010. he didnt live with me in fact he lived about 120 miles away from me. We kept a long distance relationship and he visited me a couple of weekends a month.

After a very traumatic last year I decided a change of direction was needed, i was already on pills from my doctor and i was getting worse from the stress. So in September 2010 I moved to the same county as my boyfriend. Once again he did not live with me, he still lived 45 mins away so it was just myself and my son on a tenancy. I claimed housing benefit.

Unfortunately our relationship broke down in November 2010 due to various reasons but thankfully we remained good friends.

In Jan 2011 we were both desperate to move again. The place i was in had no heating and he needed to move from his brother's spare room. He works so he would pay his half of the rent, I would claim some housing benefit as I was now in part time work.

We have our own bedrooms, his is upstairs, mine is downstairs next to my sons room. We use seperate bathrooms, his is upstairs, mine is downstairs. We have our own food cupboards. I dont do his washing and we even have seperate sofas to sit on.

How do I get the benefit people to understand we do not live together as a couple.

Thanks in advance

goffy63 wrote: »

I claimed hb as a single person as that is what I am.

I didnt declare we were living together. As I said we are not a couple, we have never lived under the same roof as a couple, or as friends either.


We have only been in this house share since 8th jan this year, only a matter of weeks as of todays date the 21st feb 2011, ie. 6 weeks and two days!!

any more help appreciated!

You have lied, at best by omission no matter how you try and dress it up.

Im pretty sure the LHA/HB forms ask if you live alone and you would have signed a declaration saying that you did, that and the fact you were lovers make strike two and then add in him working full time makes you in deep carp.

One could easily be defended IF you hadnt hidden it at the start and that makes two seem doublely the reason why you hid it.

If you really believed that you were doing nothing wrong you would have declared that he lived in the same property, any innocent person would fill in the form truthfully and them provided evidence to back it up if asked.

McKneff

Sorry, if people on here are a bit sceptical, well you will have to be prepared to at least pay the amounts back you have claimed
illegally. Really I think you are trying it out on here to see if we believe then the DWP might believe also.

Aarons_mummy

I didn't explain right I meant as the OP said did you declare him as living within the household?

If not then you will have to repay an amount they state whether that be part/full amount of HB depending on whether they see you as living as a coulple or not and from when they 'know' you have been living together.

I don't really think there is any way out of this he has moved in and paid you money which you are gaining from as HB is paying all/part of the rent.

In my opinion I don't think they will see you as living seperately either from the letter they have sent out.

chauhja

I have a query. I have a property mortgaged under my name. Can I rent this out to my parents who are entitled to claim housing benefit?

allen35

If he was a lodger his income would be assessed as a non dependant therefore at the least the local authority would charge you accordingly, as you say you never lived together, miles apart, then move closer, then split up due to it not working out and now living in the same property would seem a little bit suspect to benefits department.

SHIPSHAPE

goffy63 wrote: »

Problem: I have a letter from the fraud investigation department claiming i am living with someone as husband/wife partner.

My history:
I had a boyfriend for most part of 2010. he didnt live with me in fact he lived about 120 miles away from me. We kept a long distance relationship and he visited me a couple of weekends a month.

After a very traumatic last year I decided a change of direction was needed, i was already on pills from my doctor and i was getting worse from the stress. So in September 2010 I moved to the same county as my boyfriend. Once again he did not live with me, he still lived 45 mins away so it was just myself and my son on a tenancy. I claimed housing benefit.

Unfortunately our relationship broke down in November 2010 due to various reasons but thankfully we remained good friends.

In Jan 2011 we were both desperate to move again. The place i was in had no heating and he needed to move from his brother's spare room. He works so he would pay his half of the rent, I would claim some housing benefit as I was now in part time work.

We have our own bedrooms, his is upstairs, mine is downstairs next to my sons room. We use seperate bathrooms, his is upstairs, mine is downstairs. We have our own food cupboards. I dont do his washing and we even have seperate sofas to sit on.

How do I get the benefit people to understand we do not live together as a couple.

Dunno, but thanks for the laugh!:beer:

SHIPSHAPE

chauhja wrote: »

I have a query. I have a property mortgaged under my name. Can I rent this out to my parents who are entitled to claim housing benefit?

Are you an MP? Don't you ever learn?