Would this be benefit fraud?

faerie~spangles

Accept the council house it would be foolish not to.

Do not pretend to the authorities that you have split up in order to claim benefits.

Carpets can wait, you can paint the floor and put rugs down

Both of you register on freecycle/freegle. Don't give sob stories when asking for household / baby items and don't mess folk about re collection.

Be upfront with the landlord and come to some arrangement with him.

[Deleted User]

OP you`re a couple,you cant become not a couple,that would be fraud

rogerblack

woodbine wrote: »

OP you`re a couple,you cant become not a couple,that would be fraud

Indeed.
Unless of course they split up,

Faking a split may lead to at best being asked to repay benefits, and finding it considerably harder in the future,

EmmaHerts

If the landlord is someone you are friendly with, be honest. Explain you can't afford to live there any more. Do you really think they would not prefer the truth?

Perhaps even see if you know anyone who would want to take-over the property after you.

If you do decide to go the 'cheat' way, I would recommend you letting them know as soon as your partner moves back in with you so you aren't reported.

skintmacflint

EmmaHerts wrote: »

If the landlord is someone you are friendly with, be honest. Explain you can't afford to live there any more. Do you really think they would not prefer the truth?

Perhaps even see if you know anyone who would want to take-over the property after you.

If you do decide to go the 'cheat' way, I would recommend you letting them know as soon as your partner moves back in with you so you aren't reported.

As the OP has said she lives in a small place, it's possible somone could reprt them very quickly. Are they going to be able to live seperately for these months?. And if the OP isn't keen on anyone knowing she owes the landlord a small amount of rent , how will she feel if people know she's been caught for benefit fraud. Not worth it.

Negotiating with the Landlord , and taking the council house is the best way. As said you don't need all the new carpets and things when you first move in, they can come later.

EmmaHerts

I don't approve the cheating way.

Good point though- surely everyone would know you were pretending to not be together.

Prinzessilein

Be up-front with the landlord, especially as you know him personally.

The chances are he will be thrilled that you have been offered a Council House!

Explain your financial circumstances...You currently pay £400 p/m and your new rent will be £280 p/m...so you will be paying £120 less each month - could you offer this as a sort of 'goodwill gesture' towards rent for October and November? You will still owe your landlord the rest of his rent (£280 for each month, so £560) - but you will have shown willing, and can promise the rest as and when finances allow?

As for furnishing your new place - when I moved into my place I went to the big British Heart Foundation shop we have - look to see if any charities have larger places near you - I got some really good furniture there at bargain prices (sofa, tables, cupboards et.c and my pride and joy...a rocking chair!)

For baby-stuff when the time comes, check out 'small-ads' in the newsagents - and also places like the Church Hall where mother/baby groups are held - you can often find people wanting to sell their old baby-things.

pmlindyloo

I absolutely agree that you should take the council house and leave the other property. This is an opportunity not to be missed.

If your landlord refuses to negotiate with you and find a new tenant then you will need to treat the arrears as a debt.

Since you say you already have debts and are about to start maternity leave then a visit to the CAB might be a good idea so that they can look at your finances and come up with some options for you on how to repay them at a sustainable and affordable rate.

Speak to your LL asap and be accommodating with allowing him access for potentail new tenants.

The worse that can happen is that he will take you to the small claims court for owed rent. This would take time so best to get in with an offer first of repayment.

Do not attempt to pay him back (if he refuses to find new tenants and holds you to the tenancy agreement) at an amount that you just can't afford. You need to take an overview of your finances with a baby on the way.

Once the baby is born you will be eligible for tax credits and Child Benefit so your financial circumstances will improve.

When you are at CAB ask them if they have a list of charities that would help with getting things for the house. Freecycle, as already mentioned is usually excellent.

Just get the basics for now and gradually sort yourselves out when you are more financially stable.

Good luck!

PS Don't go the other route - it will be a nightmare and you do not want/need that stress.

Pricivius

bonehead903028402 wrote: »

Hi benefitbaby,

We didn't pay a deposit as we knew the landlord so were not asked to pay a deposit.

Our housing benefit claim was put in at the end of august so by the time its through will cover a months rent.

We are up to date with the rent and it is next due on the 30th of this month.

After this we only have 1 more months rent to pay

According to this, you only have two lots of £400 left to pay - on 30 September and 30 October, presumably.

You have one lot of £400 arriving from HB once the claim goes through.

So you need to find one lot of £400. Or looking at it another way, you were committed to the £400, so you actually only need to find £280 for the new rent.

Is it really worth living apart for a few months and potentially committing benefit fraud because of £280?

zaksmum

Just explain the situation to the landlord and tell him you HAVE to move out, don't ask his permission.

If he's a decent guy he will totally understand and would no doubt be happy with your promise to pay him back what you can, when you can.

You have to think of what's best for the baby now and the council house is the way forward.