What do I do? Compliance Interview

Sazzle1987

Hi,

I am looking for advice from people who have been in a similar situation I'm currently in..

My Situation is I was called into a meeting at the job centre with a compliance officer today as a malicious allegation had been made that I am living with a partner whilst claiming job seekers, I denied this allegation as it is not true.

I am currently pregnant and over Christmas my partner and I had been discussing moving in together and coming off the benefits which we finally decided to do but not until he has finished paying off the finance on his car, which he now has done.

He visits daily and stays once sometimes twice a week which I have told the job centre about and I was truthful about my relationship with him but I'm wondering how they will take it if I notify them that within the next week or two that his officially moved in and I'm stopping my benefits. Will they continue to investigate me and try call me back under caution thinking that I have only done it to avoid any further action or will they have to drop the whole case and close investigation they were doing on me and leave me alone if I'm not on the benefits anymore.



I'm wanting to do the right thing and the honest way but this has put a spanner in the works and now I'm worried that which ever way I go I'm going to look like I'm lying!



Please help x

rogerblack

If he has been living in another property - and has never lived with you (in any property), then you would not usually be 'living together as husband and wife' from the perspective of benefits law.

All you can do is to tell the truth.
Trying to vary the story at this point will only make things worse.

If you claim you are now a couple - then that will not automatically stop an investigation into past benefit fraud.

Even stopping claiming altogether won't do this.

cattie

It is extremely unlikely that you would be investigated further if you notify them that you & your boyfriend are now living together & you wish to close your claim.

If the DWP had thought they had enough evidence of you living together from the start, then you would have been called for an Interview Under Caution rather than a compliance interview. By calling you in for the compliance interview, they wanted to check the facts & give you a chance to give your side of the story & to come clean if you were in fact living together.

Does your boyfriend pay rent where he lives plus council tax & have all of his post etc. sent to said address? Only if he does then this is proof that you haven't been living together at your address.

missapril75

rogerblack wrote: »

If you claim you are now a couple - then that will not automatically stop an investigation into past benefit fraud.

Even stopping claiming altogether won't do this.

If they had something they felt was concrete, you're probably right. Without something more to go on, they'd likely move on to some other investigation where they felt benefit was wrongly continuing in payment.

Time was, they'd claim this as a "benefit saving" as a result of their investigation. It will probably get recorded as a positive outcome following their action.

Sazzle1987

cattie wrote: »

Does your boyfriend pay rent where he lives plus council tax & have all of his post etc. sent to said address? Only if he does then this is proof that you haven't been living together at your address.

My boyfriend currently lives at his parents house and they own their own home and only ask him to contribute towards food and maybe the odd gas bill if a huge one lands on their mat. All of his bills, banking and car related stuff is in his mums address nothing with his name on is in my address at all.

The compliance officer was quite vague with all the things he asked me, I know the whole point of his job is to get as much info out of me as possible but he didn't seem to do that. He asked if my partner lived with me as a allegation had been made and I answered no he doesn't live at my property but we have been talking recently about moving him in and quoting the benefits, the compliance officer just said ok you must let us know of any changes as soon as they happen, he didn't write it on the statement he took. I'm wondering if someone else sees the statement and doesn't know that I said what my future intentions where, if they will automatically assume I've moved him in because I'm running scared.. Soo stressful not knowing what to do for the best.

Morglin

I shouldn't worry, it just sounds as though they had a malicious report, and pulled you in, for your version. They have to follow up a percentage of these waste of time calls.

If they had thought they had a case, then it would have been under caution.

Just make sure you tell them if BF does move in.

Lin