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Interview Under Caution - Help Needed

Stumbled on this site when I was googling to help my sister so hope someone here can help me. Basically my sister turned up on my doorstep in a right state last night, she has apparently had an interview under caution at her housing benefit office and was accused of living with her partner. Basically she is guilty as hell, (you can guess from my tone that we don't particularly get on). She is now worried as apparently her partner has been called in for an interview under caution regarding what she said to them. She has told them that he lives with his parents miles away and apparently he had a letter sent to that address.

I am willing to give her moral support, only because my parents are not in the best of heath and like me have worked all their lives and paid their way and I really want to shield them against the worry of this.

I'm not sure what I can say to her when she asks what will happen to her. She claims Income Support for illness (genuine), housing benefit and council tax benefit, she gets tax credits and child benefit. Her partner doesn't work and doesn't claim any state benefits either.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you.
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Comments

  • Mara69
    Mara69 Posts: 1,409 Forumite
    I think your sister is continuing to lie. If she is living with her partner and he isn't (and hasn't been) working OR claiming benefits, then surely she would have been better off declaring him? How long have they been living together for and has he done any paid work or claimed any benefits in that time?
  • Boots888
    Boots888 Posts: 367 Forumite
    Well if you know that she knows she's guilty, she's gonna have to face the consequences.

    Are you sure of the facts??

    If so you can only be there for support while she's punished but it's not you that's done wrong so get on with your life whilst giving family support, as it's understandable you'd feel obliged to.

    Oh dear oh dear!!:(
  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Trouble is, you have to have a really good memory to be a good liar,

    anyone telling the truth would have instant recall.

    It probably would have gone better if she had just told the whole truth to start with, but hindsight has 202/20 vision.

    All you can do is be there to support her.

    Obviously she will have to pay it back. and probably a fine on top of that. The trouble is that this sort of thing has far reaching consequences, getting insurance etc. She wont for a long time be able to get house insurance, travel insurance, car insurance becuase no one will trust her.
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • Sledgehead
    Sledgehead Posts: 131 Forumite
    I haven't a clue about benefits, but have been taking more of an interest ever since the government has been citing certain (granted, perhaps extreme) cases of abuse to justify policy changes.

    Can somebody please explain in baby terms exactly what the OP's sister has done wrong? It sounds like, alone, she has been making a legal claim (hate the term "entitled to"). Am I right in thinking that the presence of the non-claiming bf has somehow made that illegal, and if so, how?

    As a non-benefit claiming saver I clearly need to keep up with events more!
  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Sledgehead wrote: »
    I haven't a clue about benefits, but have been taking more of an interest ever since the government has been citing certain (granted, perhaps extreme) cases of abuse to justify policy changes.

    Can somebody please explain in baby terms exactly what the OP's sister has done wrong? It sounds like, alone, she has been making a legal claim (hate the term "entitled to"). Am I right in thinking that the presence of the non-claiming bf has somehow made that illegal, and if so, how?

    As a non-benefit claiming saver I clearly need to keep up with events more!

    The OPs sister has been claiming benefits as a single mother.

    The OPs sisters boyfriend has been living with her

    They should have made a joint claim,
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • Scot-in-exile
    Scot-in-exile Posts: 7 Forumite
    edited 17 April 2012 at 3:57PM
    Thank you for you replies. I have been out of contact with her for a while so am unsure how long he has been living with her for, I think we are talking about from when she moved nearer back home which would have been June last year or thereabouts.

    Mara - my thoughts were similar to yours I must admit, I tried to put the details that I knew (or guessed) into a benefit calculator for her, and then put them in for both of them. I can't see that she has received anything that she isn't entitled to, all I can come up with is that she must have received less than if they had claimed together, so although I am 100% against what she has done, and please don't think I condone it in any way, I can't see that she owes anything at all.

    Two further points, she has apparently told them that he lives with his parents and visits when she is ill, and no, he has not claimed any benefits since leaving his permanent job, which I think is probably about 4 years ago.



    Just to add, I am ashamed for not knowing more about the benefit system - you wouldn't guess that I have worked in Recruitment for 20 years.
  • raven83
    raven83 Posts: 3,021 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    I don't get it though, surely if he isn't working and not claiming any benefits then wouldnt it of made sense to claim as a couple as they would of been entitled to more? Don't sound right to me, think the OPs sister is not telling the whole truth to her sister.......
    Raven. :grinheart:grinheart:grinheart


  • raven83 wrote: »
    I don't get it though, surely if he isn't working and not claiming any benefits then wouldnt it of made sense to claim as a couple as they would of been entitled to more? Don't sound right to me, think the OPs sister is not telling the whole truth to her sister.......



    I remember a few years ago he was hiding from the CSA and because they attached to his earnings he left his job, I assume he is trying to continue to hide from thousands of pounds worth of arrears:mad::mad:
  • Sledgehead
    Sledgehead Posts: 131 Forumite
    Right ... so this bf is basically a drain on the OP's sister's finances and avoiding his own financial responsibilities wrt his original family.

    Still, on another thread (the 13k overpayment thread) there was much talk of how it was the shared finances that made a couple a couple. It sounds like he was not in a position to share finances, so maybe the OP's sister has a defence?

    On the other hand, it sounds as if the bf might have been avoiding tax and working cash in hand. (?)
  • Absolutely he is a drain on her finances. Because he (definately) doesn't work my parents, brother and I will have nothing to do with him. She didn't even tell us he was back with her. I can't for the life of me work out how she has an overpayment at all. I have read a lot today (should have been working so am now completely behind), now I am not a stupid person, but a lot of what I read didn't make a great deal of sense to me at all. For the life of me I can't work out how there can be an overpayment. If the authorities decide that they ARE a couple, I can't see what there is to pay back?

    Hopefully this mess will give the CSA some ammunition.
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