Benefit fraud, interview under caution

rw17

Hello, my ex partner attended an interview under caution because they believed they had evidence that I was living with her. This is not true I live at a separate address and she supplied them with my tenancy agreement. The evidence that they have is my post goes there as I have failed to change my address over to my new address for pretty much everything, bank, work, car (we share the car still) although I am registered on the electoral register at my address. I know I have F***** up here but surely she cant be held responsible for my foolish actions. We have 2 children together and I live around the corner so naturally I see my children pretty much daily, they have no surveillance of my comings and goings, I have stayed over on occasion (on the sofa bed) to look after the children if for example she was going out and wouldn't be back until the early hours of the morning or if she was going out at stupid o clock to the next sale. I have a single room in a shared house so its not practical to have the children stay overnight at my place (tried it once, it didn't work out well) We are good friends and will sometimes have a cuppa when the children have gone to bed or watch a film, she will occasionally put me a dinner up if she has some to spare as I will see the kids when I finish work.We have been on a holiday together as the kids are so young neither of us would be able to take them on our own, my sister also came along. She has been honest in her interview about all this, I'm slightly worried that she may have said more than she really had to based on their "evidence". If they look into her bank account they will see I give her a regular maintenance amount and all of her utilities, rent etc are paid by her, I contribute nothing to her household other than to provide for my children. Of course I feel immensely guilty that I have brought this situation upon her, I have read horror stories of how these things can end up and am worried at what the outcome could possibly be when she has done absolutely nothing wrong. How much common sense do the decision makers apply to these cases? If we had concocted this master plan to deliberately defraud why on earth would I have not change my address over immediately? Goes without saying I have done this now. Guess I am just looking for someone who has had a similar situation to this and what the outcome was. Thanks

[Deleted User]

Sounds like benefit fraud to me.

You don't have to live together all the time to be considered a couple. You admit to having your post there, you spend loads of time there, you have kids together and you pay money into the household. You even go on holiday together!

She is not single and I hope they throw the book at her.

[Deleted User]

rw17 wrote: »

Hello, my ex partner attended an interview under caution because they believed they had evidence that I was living with her. This is not true I live at a separate address and she supplied them with my tenancy agreement. The evidence that they have is my post goes there as I have failed to change my address over to my new address for pretty much everything, bank, work, car (we share the car still) although I am registered on the electoral register at my address. I know I have F***** up here but surely she cant be held responsible for my foolish actions. We have 2 children together and I live around the corner so naturally I see my children pretty much daily, they have no surveillance of my comings and goings, I have stayed over on occasion (on the sofa bed) to look after the children if for example she was going out and wouldn't be back until the early hours of the morning or if she was going out at stupid o clock to the next sale. I have a single room in a shared house so its not practical to have the children stay overnight at my place (tried it once, it didn't work out well) We are good friends and will sometimes have a cuppa when the children have gone to bed or watch a film, she will occasionally put me a dinner up if she has some to spare as I will see the kids when I finish work.We have been on a holiday together as the kids are so young neither of us would be able to take them on our own, my sister also came along. She has been honest in her interview about all this, I'm slightly worried that she may have said more than she really had to based on their "evidence". If they look into her bank account they will see I give her a regular maintenance amount and all of her utilities, rent etc are paid by her, I contribute nothing to her household other than to provide for my children. Of course I feel immensely guilty that I have brought this situation upon her, I have read horror stories of how these things can end up and am worried at what the outcome could possibly be when she has done absolutely nothing wrong. How much common sense do the decision makers apply to these cases? If we had concocted this master plan to deliberately defraud why on earth would I have not change my address over immediately? Goes without saying I have done this now. Guess I am just looking for someone who has had a similar situation to this and what the outcome was. Thanks

So you kept your room on to try and make it look like you lived separate but everything else points to you being a couple. Seems like that to me so probably more so to the DWP who probably have evidence of such to pull her in.
Are you claiming benefits too? Because if so you can probably expect the same letter.

poppy12345

rw17 wrote: »

Hello, my ex partner attended an interview under caution because they believed they had evidence that I was living with her. This is not true I live at a separate address and she supplied them with my tenancy agreement. The evidence that they have is my post goes there as I have failed to change my address over to my new address for pretty much everything, bank, work, car (we share the car still) although I am registered on the electoral register at my address. I know I have F***** up here but surely she cant be held responsible for my foolish actions. We have 2 children together and I live around the corner so naturally I see my children pretty much daily, they have no surveillance of my comings and goings, I have stayed over on occasion (on the sofa bed) to look after the children if for example she was going out and wouldn't be back until the early hours of the morning or if she was going out at stupid o clock to the next sale. I have a single room in a shared house so its not practical to have the children stay overnight at my place (tried it once, it didn't work out well) We are good friends and will sometimes have a cuppa when the children have gone to bed or watch a film, she will occasionally put me a dinner up if she has some to spare as I will see the kids when I finish work.We have been on a holiday together as the kids are so young neither of us would be able to take them on our own, my sister also came along. She has been honest in her interview about all this, I'm slightly worried that she may have said more than she really had to based on their "evidence". If they look into her bank account they will see I give her a regular maintenance amount and all of her utilities, rent etc are paid by her, I contribute nothing to her household other than to provide for my children. Of course I feel immensely guilty that I have brought this situation upon her, I have read horror stories of how these things can end up and am worried at what the outcome could possibly be when she has done absolutely nothing wrong. How much common sense do the decision makers apply to these cases? If we had concocted this master plan to deliberately defraud why on earth would I have not change my address over immediately? Goes without saying I have done this now. Guess I am just looking for someone who has had a similar situation to this and what the outcome was. Thanks

Is there any reasons why you didn't change your address for everything, including your bank? This alone could be the proof they need for benefit fraud not forgetting everything else you've admited to in your post. :eek:If you claim benefits too then all i can suggest is you ring them and tell them all of this before you get the same letter.

rw17

No I don't claim benefits I work. No reason but stupidity and laziness, it was easy for me to pick up the little post that went to her house. We would be worse off paying 2 sets of rent and bills than being together and paying it once. As i said i don't pay into her house hold only maintenance for my children. If we were trying so hard to make it look as if i lived separate when in fact we didn't i'd have made sure my address was changed. Why should I not spend time with my children in their own home and why should we have to share the times that we spend with them? We have been on one holiday together she had never flown before so would never have taken the children on her own and neither would I have taken them on my own and we don't want them to miss out on such things just because their parents are not together. We are in no way more than friends which is why we split in the first place, we have been in each others lives since being teens and we moved away to a different area a couple of years ago so essentially all we know is each other and we spend some times on an evening together for companionship although we never go out alone together. Yes I see how this would look to them but there are simple explanations for everything

Diary

You and your ex girlfriend need to come clean about this straight away. And you need face to face advise from a specialist benefits solicitor or other benefit specialist. You should have gone with your ex girlfriend instead of leaving her to face it alone. She must have told you about this serious interview as you share alot togther and you should have gone - it's about both of you being discovered not just her.

kaya

it simple, if you don't live there then they can not prove you do, if your fibbing then you're in the poo, there is no law against having your bills wherever you like although it looks suspicious. If they want to prove you live there in a court of law I would imagine they need some surveillance to show you turning up there during the day and not leaving until the next day, if they had this "evidence" they would have produced it (I'm guessing they are trying to trip you up into confessing to something you haven't done) Going on holiday together is not the same as living together. Please ask them for their legal definition of "living together" and then ask what evidence they have to support their accusations before this goes any further

Annie35

Can you get everything moved over now, what you say about being a little lazy moving it over is understandable to me, ive still got random letters going to my parents, but you need to get it sorted now.

heartbreak_star

Just be aware that your "simple explanations" may not be believed.

HBS x

Bogof_Babe

Hey steady on everyone, RW's story sounds perfectly valid to me, so why the instant disbelief?

I would rather have my post sent to a private address than a "room in a shared house", for obvious reasons.

The only contribution he is making to his ex-partner's household is child maintenance, which is right and proper.

Finally, he is now paying rent for his room, which would probably negate any advantage gained by the ex claiming as a single parent.

I know fraud goes on, but this guy sounds genuine to me. Just my two penn'orth.

powerful_Rogue

I could possibly understand if you rented a flat, but the fact you rent "a single room in a shared house" - Sounds like the cheapest possible way to get a tenancy agreement to show as proof in the situation your "ex"is now in.

What else is your ex likely to say in interview that you are worried about?