to dob on a friend that is subletting her council flat

[fruitloop13]

Nc but regular.

I have a friend that was lucky enough to get a council flat in pimlico when she was unemployed and single with two kids.

Now she has moved out of it but is subletting the entire flat and manages to make more money a month than I do sloging my guts out in a job I hate.

As you might of guessed maybe she isn't a friend, more a friend of friend. But would it be wrong to tell on her?

I would love a council flat, but seems like I've got a better chance of winning the lottery so this rubs it right in my face.

Are you sure she hasn't purchased the flat from the council and is letting it out legitimately?

Absolutely. Not a single doubt. This is fraud. She should be reported immediately.

Well I'm going to be the first to say I would mind my own business.

The OP wants/needs a council flat. People fraudulently depriving her and others of one is her business.

If you are prepared to ignore it, then you are happy for a family in need to be stuck in one room in a B&B

Are you sure she hasn't purchased the flat from the council and is letting it out legitimately?

If that is the case the council will know there is no case to answer and no harm is done.

It's everybody's business if people are committing fraud which is a serious crime.

Report. Yes she has two kuds but she should have thought about them
Before she did this.

Well I'm going to be the first to say I would mind my own business.

I'm very relieved to see you are in an extreme minority. If you were the one stuck in b & b due to this woman's greed, I think you would feel differently.

Thanks everyone. Just confirmed what I was thinking.

Just one more question, would it make any difference what she has been thought in the past? I didn't post about her background as don't want to muddy it. But should that make any difference to if I should report her?

The kind of ironic thing is if she lost the flat, she would put herself back in a situation where she does need the flat. If that makes sense as she's reliant on making a profit on this for her current place.

in that case, why dont you warn her obliquely?

I'd argue a criminal for a mother isn't the best role model for those kids anyway.

fgs teeb get off your high horse - what are you suggesting? That the woman should lose her kids now?

fruit either report her or don't. Nobody can tell you what to do. Drip feeding is silly.

I see this as a bit different to benefit fraud for some reason. Maybe because fiddling the system for a few extra £££ is generally done because things are just too tight otherwise and when there are children involved I sympathise. This woman is just simply profiteering and she clearly doesn't need the £££. Report her and write to her telling her you have done so. That will give her time to sort it out before she gets in too much trouble.

No, just the whole 'oh but she has kids. God forbid she cant have done anything wrong!' Routine is bollocks. Her kids, her responsibility not to be a greedy fraudster.

true

So she's using the rent money to rent a more expensive flat elsewhere I assumed she had moved in with a wealthier partner. She needs to move back in to that flat and apply for a transfer. Not sure how I would go about telling her that!

TBH tough she could probably move back into it and she would get some warning I should think...

In that case, I'd have a word with the friend who's her closer friend and ask her to have a word, perhaps a 'white lie' about the government doing a crack down in the new year, looking at who's registered to vote at council properties and doing spot checks on ones where someone other than the person who should be there is registered, looking where council tenants are registered for services etc. That you know that X is subletting, and if she got caught out, she could lose the flat, might be worth giving notice to her tenant and moving back in, rather than lose it...

Report her, no question at all

oh and then if she doesn't make any move to get back in the flat in the new year, report then. you'll have given her a chance to sort it out.

Someone who needs it should have that flat.

God this makes me so angry!!! I have a whole list of clients who are living in absolutely abysmal circumstances who cant get housed because they aren't high enough priorities. And people do shit like this? To me this is criminal. So many people need those homes, so many!!!

yes it is criminal, to you and in the eyes of the law

UANBU! Hate this! My friends mum claims the highest rate whatever it is you get, so rent an ctax and has a mini cooper on mobility which is my friends as she cant drive. Her mum got caught working in a hairdressers, went to court got fined and a tag! The tags off now and she gave the on the side job up but they still have the car and claims what she always did! Happy days ey!? grr

Report her.
She will have weighed up the risks before she decided to cash in on this, and it is entirely her look out if it puts her in a difficult position.
There is absolutely no excuse for what she is doing