Housing Benefit and short absences from home

Housing_Benefit_Officer

If you want to be paranoid enough to think G4S are spying on you - just think of this - if you were being watched to see if you were committing benefit fraud then they wouldn't park outside your house in a bloody great van with G4S on it.

If you were being watched you would be completely unaware. Our fraud section just parks a car with a time relapse camera (that could be hidden in a coke can on the dashboard) to see if someone leaves at a certain time or arrives at a certain time (if working or having a working partner resident). Best thing is when they go to shops and get served by the person committing fraud while wearing hidden cameras - the reaction when they deny working and are then shown film of them serving someone s great

Back to you original query - If you are absent and caring for someone you could be away for up to 52 weeks as long as it is you intention to return (the 52 week rule) and the Council will still pay your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support for those 52 weeks. So your Council couldn't care less if you spent the odd few days away.

SquiddlyDiddly

If I'm guilty of being paranoid, you're guilty assuming that G4S are competent.

All it takes for me to get suspicious is to hear some clot interviewing my neighbours about me outside my window.

But I do agree with your final paragraph.

SquiddlyDiddly

Incidentally there is a vacancy for a G4S Benefit Fraud Officer on the Policing Solutions website.