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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To tell the council I just can't remember?

24 replies

CinnamonVanilla · 04/01/2017 18:07

Back in 2013, DP and I moved house. It was a bit of a stressful period and 24 hours after we moved in, he left. He took all his stuff home to his parents and we didn't talk for a while. I called the council and let them know; but didn't tell the landlord as I needed somewhere to live. He stayed on the tenancy. All bills etc were in my name. I lived there until 2015; by the end we were rekindling and he stayed sometimes but I never considered him living there. He spent most of the week at work, and 90% of his free time at his home at his parents. He stayed registered with the dentist etc down there.

Today the council have contacted me. I am now exempt from council tax but they are now investigating what I should have paid. I was expecting them to pay circa £2k back to me; instead they have said I need to confirm in writing that he didn't live there or we owe them around £2k instead, as my exemption only creates a 25% discount.

They admit that I told them back in 2015 that he didn't live there and at that point they switched it into my sole name; so I'm confused as to why I need to confirm this again... I'm worried they are trying to trick me. I have severe bipolar, hence the exemption, so I find this type of thing really stressful.

AIBU to think it should be enough to say that I lived alone most of the time to the best of my knowledge four years later?

OP posts:
Floggingmolly · 04/01/2017 18:17

You kept his name on the tenancy... You're going to find it kind of hard to prove he didn't live there, unless he can prove he was paying rent / mortgage elsewhere.

PinkyPie80 · 04/01/2017 18:17

I suspect someone has reported you for fraud by the sounds of it, tread carefully with what you say

PinkyPie80 · 04/01/2017 18:25

Why have you changed your username half way through your thread Confused

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 04/01/2017 18:26

It was an accident... I was trying not to put too much information about me under one username; given how public this place is these days!

Costacoffeeplease · 04/01/2017 18:27

Is that you op?

NiceCuppaTeaAndASitDown · 04/01/2017 18:27

Did he change all his bank details, the address for any contract mobile phone, etc?

If not, the council may be using one of the credit reference agencies to investigate properties where people who have applied for the single person supplement. If they have discovered multiple individuals with lines of credit at an address registered for the SPS then this will have been flagged for investigation.

iminshock · 04/01/2017 18:29

Don't say you can't remember.
Repeat what you told them back then.
I'm sure it'll be fine .

Whosthemummynow · 04/01/2017 18:30

Name change fail OP!

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 04/01/2017 18:32

It was an accident... I was trying not to put too much information about me under one username; given how public this place is these days!

You need to change your name for each thread then rather than sock puppeting.

ineedamoreadultieradult · 04/01/2017 18:33

Can he provide bank statements etc addressed to his parents house, did you claim any tax credits as a single person?

whyohwhy000 · 04/01/2017 18:36

Three usernames on one thread?!

Faez · 04/01/2017 18:38

Not really sock puppeting

Mrsmorton · 04/01/2017 18:41

Give h e OP a break ffs. It's hardly sock puppeting, it's an understandable mistake because of the cunty daily fail.

Jeez, such dickery.

No advice op, sorry.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 04/01/2017 18:42

Three usernames on one thread?!

Two. One which is quite obviously my usual; and one I was going to use because I knew I'd have to give potentially identifying details.

I just forgot to change back before replying; it's harder on the app. No sock puppeting.

I've reported it.

To answer the other questions, I didn't claim any benefits or tax credits at all, all his post went to his parents, he remained registered to vote at his parents. He lived there, as far as I believed!

gamerchick · 04/01/2017 18:45

Tell him to ask his parents to put it in writing that he lives with them?

MonanaGeller · 04/01/2017 18:46

I'm not following this at all:

"I called the council and let them know [he wasn't living there]"

"they have said I need to confirm in writing that he didn't live there or we owe them around £2k instead, as my exemption only creates a 25% discount"

"I haven't had the single person discount (council maintain they didn't know I was living alone)"

So they didn't know that you were living alone, and you believe that you weren't getting a single person discount. As far as the council is concerned he was living there all along. Yet they are asking you to confirm in writing that he wasn't living there?

I'm not sure if you've obfuscated the details a little too much in an attempt at anonymity, but the details you've given don't seem to add up.

Ring them up and ask them why they're asking for confirmation that he was/wasn't living there. Either you were getting a single person discount and they suspect that you were not living alone at that time, or it's a clerical error (e.g. letter sent out to wrong person)

I'm not sure local authorities have the time/employee resources to invest in trying to 'trick' people. I'm sure that they do have a lack of time/employee resources that may result in error occurring, though.

Seeingadistance · 04/01/2017 18:47

It's possible that they're simply doing some kind of audit or check of their records. If they're asking you to confirm in writing that he didn't live there with you for that time period, then best just to get a letter saying that posted off to them. Maybe they just need a written notification for their records rather than a note of a phone call, if that's how you let them know at the time.

pipsqueak25 · 04/01/2017 18:49

give op a break on the name thing, she asked for advice not a lecture on her name or a stupid newspaper !
op try to keep calm and be as precise as you can when dealing with this, your condition is a barrier [i have it too] but you need to try to deal with this when you are 'feeling level', do you have someone who could help you with this ? maybe speak with the citizens advice ? but i'm sure if you calmly explain everything to the council it will get sorted out.

Lima1 · 04/01/2017 18:50

Show them copies of post addressed to him at his parents address during this period and get his parents to put it in writing.

PlanIsNoPlan · 04/01/2017 19:04

It's probably harmless - I recently got one of these letters from my local council too about a property I moved from a few months ago. Apparently they ran a credit check on all the Single Adult households (those receiving the 25% discount) and there was another adult linked to the old property, which I rented. In my case it was easy to point out there was no other Adult living with me and there probably are other Adults linked to the property as it's rented. As well as pointing out that not only was it a bit of a cheek to run credit checks on people that affect their credit record but surely a bit of looking at each case's records before sending out these letters would be more cost efficient for everybody. Apparently I wasn't the only one this happened to.

Probably your DP still had some accounts that were linked to the address as they can take time to change. So, just tell the Council the circumstances connected to the assertion.

KungFuPandaWorksOut16 · 04/01/2017 19:05

Because they do random checks on people, you would of raised a flag because
A. He's still on the tenancy
B. I'll guess his mail was still going there

Just because you said he moved out in their eyes doesn't mean he did, if stuff is pointing too him still living there, they're gonna assume he never left.

GTS · 04/01/2017 19:05

No real advice OP. But just wanted to add to the voices saying can everyone calm the fuck down about the name change? She's already SAID she's severely bipolar, there's really no need to bang on about a simple mistake that she made trying to protect her privacy. Jeeeez. *exhales.

throwingpebbles · 04/01/2017 19:39

I work for a council- they won't be trying to trick you. If you aren't sure what evidence to provide that you were living alone then call them and ask. They ought to be helpful. Did he change things like his bank account etc to his parents address? Hopefully he can help you with any evidence you need

Even if you have to repay (which sounds unlikely) then they will (or should!) make the instalments affordable

Good luck and feel free to PM me if any difficulties

FrancisCrawford · 04/01/2017 19:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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