can a lodger be a lodger when he's a boyfriend?

Mrs_Arcanum

One area which may be an issue is your tenancy. If it is with a HA that only provides housing for people with disabilities they may not have provision for either sub letting or shared tenancies.

I would get this checked before making any further decisions.

SandraScarlett

Shazaaym wrote: »

What does that ^^ mean?

LTAHAW - Living Together As Husband And Wife

xx

Sixer

You could have a lodger without it affecting your benefits.

You can't call your boyfriend your lodger if he is your boyfriend. This, as others have said, qualifies as Living Together As Husband And Wife and means you must make a joint benefits claim.

What you are proposing is benefit fraud. (Note I say this bluntly as a bald statement of facts and not as any kind of judgement: I'm trying to make the post as clear as possible not make a moral argument for what you should do).

Quite how it could be PROVED you were LTAHAW is where it gets messy and where you have to make your own decision.

andrew71

Having never been in this type of situation my question may sound daft
But isn't a lodger classed as somebody who lives in a separate room to the landlord/lady? If the OP and her boyfriend slept on the same bed wouldnt social class that as living together? Also the OP says they have a spare room would she then fit it out with her boyfriend personal items eg clothes etc for him to live in?

fogartyblue.

HappyMJ wrote: »

Boyfriend does not equal partner or in the benefit rule book living together as husband and wife LTAHAW or in the case of two people of the same sex living together as civil partners LTACP.

Thanks. I have friends of both sexes, so does my wife. We are not at it like rabbits with them!!

Being a friend, boy or girl is simply that, a friend.

As I have said, most people assume that they are co-habiting!

HappyMJ

andrew71 wrote: »

Having never been in this type of situation my question may sound daft
But isn't a lodger classed as somebody who lives in a separate room to the landlord/lady? If the OP and her boyfriend slept on the same bed wouldnt social class that as living together? Also the OP says they have a spare room would she then fit it out with her boyfriend personal items eg clothes etc for him to live in?

The HMRC/DWP/Council cannot actually ask if you sleep together. The questions they ask are listed here... http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/ccmmanual/ccm15040.htm

pmlindyloo

spottydottydodah wrote: »

Yep, it is the benefits messy bit i'm afraid of!!

Yes, there is a room I could rent out as the house has two bedrooms.

I know he would really like to live together and I am not hugely against it, I like having him around, other than perhaps enjoying my own space a bit too much at times!

Also I guess it would save him money as he wouldn't have to rent and run a separate home to only live in four nights a week! It makes sense to live together, but I don't want to do it at the expense of looking after me- apologies if that sounds selfish but the past experiences have taught me to consider myself in the mix too!

I think it is quite clear from the OP's original posts that this is not some person moving in as a lodger. They intend to live together and are obviously known as a couple. I cannot see any reason to believe that the OP's boyfriend will act in a lodger like way. They will share food no doubt and do all the things that couples do.

The OP will be seen as living together and her boyfriend's income will be taken into account as regards her benefits.

The business about keeping their finances separate is of little concern to the relevant departments and will be seen as a ploy for the OP to keep her benefits.

Having set out what I consider to be the 'official line' then I am not saying that it is right in every case. But the rules are there to protect us from the people who 'play the system'.

I do not think that the OP has much choice than to continue to have separate homes until they both feel ready to support each other financially as well as in other areas.

FBaby

OP, having been on my own supporting myself independently after having to deal with debts due to my ex, I can totally understand your instinct to be careful to be financially linked with your new boyfriend BUT you can't have it both ways, having the pleasure of sharing your life with him, and sharing some finances (because inevitably, him living there will mean that you are better off financially with the share of the bills etc...), yet remaining totally independent when it comes to income. If you are not prepared to take that risk because you don't trust him enough financially, then you are not ready to move in with him, end of.

spottydottydodah

Thanks for the responses,

I am specifically trying to check what would and would not be benefit fraud, hence me asking rather than just going ahead and doing! It was a genuine question, and from the responses, it looks very much like a no go. I have only lived with my husband before, and we shared all finances, so it never came up as a 'what if' to question before.

The plan would be for boyfriend to get a job asap, not have both of us receiving benefits, he is shortly to finish university and then will need to find somewhere to live too. I think perhaps it best he rents somewhere else and we continue to visit each other, and to see where we go from there, as I really don't think i'm ready to share everything again so soon. I love him being around, but because my contribution to the finances of the relationship would be so small, I don't feel comfortable in sharing that (and therefore relying on him in a big way financially) just yet.

Mojisola

spottydottydodah wrote: »

I think perhaps it best he rents somewhere else and we continue to visit each other, and to see where we go from there, as I really don't think i'm ready to share everything again so soon. I love him being around, but because my contribution to the finances of the relationship would be so small, I don't feel comfortable in sharing that (and therefore relying on him in a big way financially) just yet.

Take your time with the relationship so you don't feel forced into an arrangement too early. When you're ready, you'll feel much more confident about the move.