Surely its benefit fraud, and trouble is ahead?

Morglin

There are no hard and fast rules around this, and decisions are very much discretionary where the 'partner' does not reside at the home 24/7.

These were what used to be, and I expect still are, the basic giudelines, although they are still wooly.

(Different rules usually apply if one party is disabled, and the other is actually taing on any sort of 'carer's role').


Co-habitation signposts: - common benefit rules- DWP

1. Do you live in the same household?

2. Do you have a sexual relationship?

3. What are your financal arrangements?

4. Is your relationship stable?

5. Do you have children?

6. How do you appear in public?


Living in the same household:

In all cases you must spend the majority part of your time in the same household, although there are no set timeframes.

Being in a sexual relationship:

Have a sexual relationship is not sufficient by itself to prove you are co habiting.

Financial Arrangements:

If one partner is supported by the other or household expenses are shared, however it is important to consider how they are shared. ie lodger/landlady will not be considered as co habiting etc.

A stable relationship

The way you spend time together, the activities you do together and the things you do for each other are relevant. So questions such as how you spend your holidays and how you organise the shopping, the laundry and cleaning may be important. Personal possessions, (such as clothes etc.,) within the 'home', are also taken into account.

Children

Self explanatory.

Your appearance in public

Decision makers may check all public lists (electoral roll, NI/benefit/tax credit claims etc) to see if you represent yourselves as a couple. Many couples retain their seperate indentity publicly as unmarried or not cohabiting, they should however be aware that they may be regarded as co habiting. Mail delivered to the home is also taken into account.

Lin

Caroline_a

I had a friend who was a senior benefit fraud officer. The '3 nights' is in any period, not in a week. People are very stupid if they think they will get away with it - usually the only reason they get away with it for a period is that the fraud benefit department is understaffed and they have a backlog of people to investigate!

FBaby

It is so easy to do all that is required to avoid being considered as co-habitating when you really are. My ex and his girlfriend had it all figured out. She claimed as a single mum, IS, HB, CTB, CB. She worked a few hours just to make a bit extra, but not enough to lose these entitlements, got grants to study, full maintenance from her ex and was living a very comfortable life. My ex worked full-time and at time was making decent money. He rented a room at a friend for only a few ££ a week, the cost of having an address to have all his bills sent to, a place to store most of his clothes and justify that he didn't live at his girlfriend. The difference between what this and what she received made it very much worth it. He shared all the costs of the household, but made sure to never transfer money to her account, they bought everything cash, and he made sure to go back to the other place once or twice a week. They did this for two years....until she got in trouble with her landlord and had to move out and my ex lost his job, suddenly, there wasn't much an incentive to continue like this and they declared themselves as a couple... I knew there was no point in reporting them as they had done everything to insure it couldn't be proven there were officially living together and it would just have been trouble for me. They are not the only one who have found out how to play the system.