Electoral Roll at two addresses conundrum

MrJester

So I currently set my billing address for everything to my previous address at my mothers. She still lives there and happily picks up my post and sends it to me. I also visit there obviously and stay for short periods.

But I live in London, and am about to move for the third time since being here in under 7 months. So made a lot of sense to just keep my post to a solid location/address which I will have had previous credit file connections with.

as I said I am about to move again, and I will register on the electoral roll at my new address for council tax reasons. I haven't registered on the electoral roll at my mothers address, because she is retired and is on, I believe, certain benefits/pension to help pay her rent.
I would like to register on the electoral roll at my mothers address also, as I know that this is OK to do as long as you only vote from one address. Doing this would be another tick on my credit file for an address that is consistent across all my financial connections.

The question is, could this affect her benefits? She definitely needs them and I dont want to risk harming that. If I register on the electoral roll there does it mean that I am a 'resident' of the household and thus my earnings could determine changes in her benefits etc?

Tixy

You presumably pay council tax at your other property?

Being registered on the electoral roll at her property won't directly affect her benefits.

What can happen is that it can lead to a query relating to any council tax benefit she receives and her entitlement to single occupier discount on her council tax.

If it gets queried but you can demonstrate your actual address and that you are paying council tax from that address then that will help you prove that you are not resident at her property.

MrJester

Tixy wrote: »

You presumably pay council tax at your other property?

Being registered on the electoral roll at her property won't directly affect her benefits.

What can happen is that it can lead to a query relating to any council tax benefit she receives and her entitlement to single occupier discount on her council tax.

If it gets queried but you can demonstrate your actual address and that you are paying council tax from that address then that will help you prove that you are not resident at her property.

Yes at the property I actually live/will live at I am paying council tax, all up to date. About to move into a new property this weekend in which the council tax is handled by the live in landlord.

Okay so as long as I can provide adequate proof, there shouldn't actually be any issue with being on the electoral roll at both addresses, as it does not necessarily mean that I live there full time.

kobracai

JoeJester wrote: »

Yes at the property I actually live/will live at I am paying council tax, all up to date. About to move into a new property this weekend in which the council tax is handled by the live in landlord.

Okay so as long as I can provide adequate proof, there shouldn't actually be any issue with being on the electoral roll at both addresses, as it does not necessarily mean that I live there full time.

I am also interested in this since it ties into my other thread

so when you move to the new place and you won't have council tax under your name any longer... will your registrations at both places be valid? or only one?

Jude4488

This is interesting - didn't realise you could be on two electoral rolls!

My query is similar so thought might be easier to post here rather than starting a new thread - apologies for gate crashing!

I moved to a new city about 4 months ago for a job and took myself off my girlfriends accommodation electoral roll for council tax purposes (I only stay there 3 weekends in a month now) and registered on the electoral roll at my new address.

However, all my other stuff is still registered to my old address: my car, mobile phone, bank, credit cards.

I will be looking to do a credit card balance transfer swap in the next few weeks or months when my 0% period expires and was wondering whether it is possible to list two current addresses on applications or whether i should start transfering everything over to this address.

Anyone had any experience here or any advice?

Thrugelmir

JoeJester wrote: »

So I currently set my billing address for everything to my previous address at my mothers. She still lives there and happily picks up my post and sends it to me. I also visit there obviously and stay for short periods.

Doesn't sound as if there is any degree of permanency. Presumably your work is also based in London.

Torry_Quine

Just to say that the electoral roll is separate from registering for council tax.

MrJester

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Doesn't sound as if there is any degree of permanency. Presumably your work is also based in London.

It is. Are you asking because it has a relation to electoral roll requirements? Or was that entirely rhetorical and unhelpful?

antrobus

JoeJester wrote: »

....The question is, could this affect her benefits? She definitely needs them and I dont want to risk harming that. If I register on the electoral roll there does it mean that I am a 'resident' of the household and thus my earnings could determine changes in her benefits etc?

Benefit fraud investigators certainly look at data from the electoral roll. If your mother is indeed claiming certain means-tested benefits on the basis that she lives alone, then the presence of your name on the electoral roll at her address will lead them to ask questions.

MrJester

antrobus wrote: »

Benefit fraud investigators certainly look at data from the electoral roll. If your mother is indeed claiming certain means-tested benefits on the basis that she lives alone, then the presence of your name on the electoral roll at her address will lead them to ask questions.

Yeah, understandable. But when they do ask questions, and I show them a copy of my tenancy letter from my London address, would those questions be sufficiently answered?

antrobus

JoeJester wrote: »

Yeah, understandable. But when they do ask questions, and I show them a copy of my tenancy letter from my London address, would those questions be sufficiently answered?

Don't know. All I know is that councils (for example) do engage in these data matching exercises, and the result can cause a degree of grief to those flagged up as 'fraudsters'.

For example; http://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/dec/16/council-tax-shock-single-person-discount