mum on benefits can afford to keep her dds 2 horses

[jugofwildflowers]

This is a lovely mum by the way. She has never married but been with the same partner for 25 years and they have 3 dc. He works and has another home but stays in family home often, although because she is 'single' and on benefits, she gets everything paid for and her dc have free school meals. I assumed that as the mum was on benefits, she wouldn't have much money.

They have 2 horses and she spends a lot of the time with them. We have a mortgage and after all the bills are paid we don't have enough to keep one let alone 2 horses! Comes across as sour grapes, doesn't it? Sorry but

If you believe that she is claiming benefits fraudently then shop her.

And to the posters who say those on benefits dont have better lifestyles?-thine eyes deceive me then...

In my own family-people on benefits who have nicer houses than us,nicer cars than us,better holidays than us,dcs also well dressed etc etc etc. Not that hard to live well when you dont have to pay mortgage/rent/council tax.

I am sure somone will come along and tell me I am lying but really why would I bother?

Well if your doubts are with me bad cheeses becuase my stats come from here which seems a solid source, DWP publication.

If it's with the actual stats themselves well who knows; I somehow think if the Government thought it was as high as Panorama said then they'd be shout9ing it from the rooftops, they do love to kill claimant self respect and breed paranoia after all.

Piglet you have no reason to lie

I know that I have insomnia from laying awake working out how to pay the bills with DH working part time / studying and me as a carer but it might just be I am crap.

Anyone who chooses to claim over work is a dunce though, especially with the impending changes and the risk of overpayment no matter how carefully you inform the offices of any changes.

OP says he stays in the family home often. How often OP?

To determine whether benefit fraud is being committed, there are various criteria this family would need to fulfill.

Having a partner who does not live with you as man and wife but is paying you child support, and who does not live in her house as his main home is not benefit fraud.

I am perfectly entitled to have a partner, whom I do not live with, who I may have children with, and who may pay me child support, but if he does not live with me as man and wife then I am eligible to claim benefits as a single person.

Being single in the eyes of the DWP does not mean I am not in a relationship. It merely means I am living independently of my partner, not in the same house, he isn't registered at my address, and he doesn't pay my bills directly. There is no reason yet to believe that OP is talking about a situation of benefit fraud.

no, with panorma- wasn't that clear? chippy.

do people peopel on benefits live better than you? social housing is ugly as hell 99% of the time, most people wouldn't pay good money for a house that ugly (excluding v expensive cities where you buy what you can) ex LA here go for over £100k less than a comparable more attractive house.

sorry that was supposed to say- pink4ever do people on benefits really live better than you....blasted i pad

Serenity Not sure how you've come to that conclusion, when 20% of new builds are allocated for social housing.
There can be no difference in structure and design between the private new builds and the social housing new builds on the same development, so you will get some people who pay £200K for a house and round the corner, the exact same house is rented for £150 pw through a social housing landlord.

Plenty of people seem to buy new builds so they can't be that ugly tbh.

Sorry probably was being chippy LOl, I did think you emant with my stats, used to being under fire on here!

Sorry.

It's hte luckyn people on benefits who have social housing; the rest have to top up their HB with ever increasing amounts as the LA rates are dropping quite dramatically.

And it seems my previous post was to pink4ever not Piglet, clearly time for coffee LOL!

thats so funny! I wonder how? oh yes, working in social housing for 10 years. I probably know nothing though eh?

no, it really doesn't work like that when you are talking about child related benefits, littlemiss. Being a single parent is not the same as being in a long term committed relationship with your co-parent. Both common sense and the benefit rules tell us this.
Single parent benfits are for people who are SINGLE PARENTS. If your partner maintains another house, this does not make you a single parent.

My DH is home only 2 nights a week - around 40 hours. His work address he pays bills including council tax.

I've been quite shocked how many people tell me we should claim we have split up to claim benefits. When did fraud become so acceptable?

It's a real struggle financially, emotionally and practically for us but that how it is for the moment. If they are really a couple and claiming not to be - then I can't understand how that is not fraud.

Regarding the horses - no idea what they cost but like you a little surprised its possible to keep two while on benefits - especially given how little help we got when we were both out of work with three DC to support - though I was glad there a safety net for the few months we were there and the NHS existed free at point of use.

We certainly couldn't keep a horse even with DH working; we manage a gerbil and a very elderly cat and then sometimes I am a bit abut those costs! But ds1's gerbil is covered for him and the cat was here long before the lower income was, unfair to chuck him out, elderly creature would never find another home.

Does anyone know the exact sitution about the horses. maybe the dd's dad or grandparents pay for them and the mum just cares for them in return for them being paid for. Or another she may have them in share/loan or an arangement where she gets the bills paid for for the horses by looking after other peoples or this ones full time.

Re the same with cat and dogs I have a dog and i'd go without for hum as he my life.

Its all fine us looking in from the outside but we don't know the full story

So if being in a committed relationship means a single parent who lives alone is no longer a single parent, then at what point is a relationship classed as a committed relationship?

If my b/f is not contributing towards my bills, does not live in my house, yet I have children with him, when does it change from a b/f into a committed relationship as far as the DWP are concerned??

All the official estimates suggest that benefits fraud is far less than the amount of unclaimed benefits. So the taxpayers are gaining more than they lose. And we are losing far more to cosy deals between HM Revenue and Goldman Sachs/Vodafone or large corporations being 'tax efficient' and basing their operations in tax havens.

I can't see any public information campaigns telling us to call a hotline to report tax evaders...

Each case is different, its usually pretty obvious though. Are you seriously suggesting that you can be a single parent if you are in a 25 yr relationship with the father of your children who is fully involved in family life but sleeps elsewhere?
You could try it. You'd be in a lot of trouble if you got caught though.

I am loving the fact that inbetween all the serious discussion on benefit fraud , there is sheath cleaning and goat love going on , only on mumsnet eh !

I always wanted an Anglo nubien ,its the ears you see

FFS the horses could be
On loan
Shared ownership
she could be looking after them for someone else - people who love horses will do that. We will get up at 6am to shovel horse poo just for the love of it!

There are NO FACTS in the OP. NONE at all.
There never are in these threads.

Apart from when someone quotes verified stats or actually works in housing/DWP etc. Those facts are different and should be instantly dismissed apparently.

The other type are much more interesting. I have to say this is the first 'woman on benefits gets free horse' thread. Makes a change from the 'its not fair I have to pay my £3.50 for my DC to go on a school trip whilst that woman who 'pops out kids' doesnt have to pay. i mean I know OH earns £150k but he slogs his guts out for that and it doesnt go as far as you think you know' ones.

I loves MNs I do.

Obviously if she is keeping 2 horses something is not right. Yes I think you do have to declare you have a partner. I certainly had to when claiming tax credits. If that's not the case why bother having a partner section on the form. Yes they would need to know about her partner.

Neuromantic I am not saying that at all. What I am saying is that the OP has not given enough information to ascertain whether this woman and her partner are in a committed realtionship at all.
Just because they have been in a relationship for 25 years, does not mean they are in a committed relationship, because if it does, surely the criteria for deciding whether you are in a committed relationship lies with the length of that relationship??
I am just trying to ascertain what a single parent is wrt the DWP and the law?

I have looked on internet for definition of a single parent, and have found this.

If anyone has any other links which define what a single parent is in the eyes of the DWP/law, I would be interested to see them, otherwise we are left only with the opinions of people on here..not fact.

Notice how you're ignoring my post about housing little miss- it's mighty annoying, you know, to be told about your job by someone who knows nothing about it....

He has his own home, so they don't live together.

In order to be treated as a couple living together for benefits purposes, you have to be living together at the same address. If your boyfriend or girlfriend have another address where they receive their post, keep their things, pay bills, etc they clearly don?t live with you.

living together