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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

..to ask if this is Benefit Fraud?

68 replies

Iloveidris · 04/01/2018 21:44

Long time poster, name changed for this.

In a nutshell, a male family member of mine has a 3 year old son with his girlfriend. She has her own house (council) and claims as a single parent as they split up for nearly a year.

They are now back together. Hes staying over hers quite a bit (4/5 nights a week), got clothes there and is hardly at his parents house anymore.

I said he would now have to declare that hes practically living there as shes claiming to be an unemployed single parent getting all the benefits and they could get into trouble.

He said he wont have to, as his job means he can work away at times (certain projects for say 3/4 weeks at a time) and he just comes home on weekends.

Surely, as I said to him, he can't earn 2k a month, be paying towards her bills etc, giving her money and all the while she gets housing benefit, income support, free prescriptions and so on? He says he can as long as hes not staying over more than 2 nights a week.

Don't want him or her to get into trouble, and at the same time, scam the system. Ive tried looking this up but no straight answers.

Is there anyone who can shed light on this?

OP posts:

Original poster

Iloveidris · 04/01/2018 22:59

I would never report them, as i say i do care for my family member. I couldn't be malicious like that.

I would definitely say to him make sure he looks into it as she could well get into trouble.

Hes personals bills go to his parents address.

OP posts:

TeachesOfPeaches · 04/01/2018 23:06

Depends on where he is registered to pay his council tax.

Original poster

Iloveidris · 04/01/2018 23:08

eltonjohn he works in the construction industry. Seems like a loophole.

Lots of different opinions on whether he is or isn't commiting fraud.

teaches his parents

OP posts:

BearLeft · 04/01/2018 23:08

Why are you concerned?

Jellybean85 · 04/01/2018 23:10

I used to work in housing so was fairly aware of benefits though not a benefit advisor, I'm sure it wasn't just financial though, more to do with how many nights he stayed etc. But they should just be honest. Better than getting in trouble.
Surely would be her committing fraud though by not declaring her change in circumstances, not your brother...

BearLeft · 04/01/2018 23:11

It's your brother, I take it? He got an extra ice cream in 1989? Get over it!

PaiMeisWhiteEyebrows · 04/01/2018 23:15

Sometimes I just want to get on Mumsnet and write..."you're a transparent twat".

Sorry....what I meant to say is: "a sanctimonious, transparent twat".
Said onceBut then I just want to say it all again. Except it takes so long to write it twice.

I think it's part of my Tourettes...at least my Tourettes is in context. Even if it takes me an awful long time to write this stuff down. I'm so careful about crossing i's and dotting t's.

A transparent, sanctimonious twat. I have Grammarly which corrects my mistakes.

People make me tired when thwwy are not self aware because its hard for me to comment in the first place.

Transparaent and santimonious.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 04/01/2018 23:16

idris, please implore them not to do it. They are getting really hot on it and they do pay particular attention to people working in that industry.

It used to be (apparently, I haven't done it but know a few people who have through DHs work) easy to get away with but it's not anymore.

lisara79 · 04/01/2018 23:25

unless he's actually living there full time, it's not fraud. If agree to leave it... why get involved at this point?

Julie8008 · 04/01/2018 23:31

Of course its fraud, I have seen it several times. Sometimes they get caught sometimes they dont. Its just down to chance. This is why so many people get worked up about benefit cheats.

Eltonjohnssyrup · 04/01/2018 23:36

unless he's actually living there full time, it's not fraud.

This is categorically not true.

Auspiciouspanda · 04/01/2018 23:37

I'm a housing benefit assessor and I've seen lots of cases like this. It's not to do with the number of nights it's the financial relationship and I would very much doubt your brother and partner would be able to convince the dwp they aren't living together.

As another point I've seen cases of partners having their own 'official' tenancys (usually renting a room) and paying council tax be proven as living together.

You give your address out to a lot of places all which can be ordered by the DWP so you aren't protected by data protection.

And with the decision being made by the DWP it's not a 'without a shadow of a doubt' it's more of a 'on the balance of probabilities'.

HateIsNotGood · 04/01/2018 23:56

Well your DB isn't committing any fraud but his partner is. Unfortunately.. Better sort it out before someone reports her, coz your db can easily fuck off still earning his £££s whilst the mother of his children gets criminalized.

MissDuke · 05/01/2018 09:27

Bearleft op made it very clear that she is only concerned because she doesn't want to see him ending up in court!!!

OP I would say that as the GF is collecting the benefit money, it is her responsibility to look into this. I don't see how he could end up in any trouble if he isn't in receipt of the benefits - all he is doing is staying at her house a few nights a week. All you can do is point out that there may be a problem with what they are doing and leave to them to decide if they want to either have him properly move in (they do have a child together after all!) or have him properly live elsewhere. This kind of inbetween thing seems weird to me for the child to understand. If they decide to carry on like this then that is their choice though!

MissDuke · 05/01/2018 09:28

Lots of different opinions on whether he is or isn't commiting fraud

As above, HE is not committing fraud because he isn't claiming any benefits, he is literally just staying over with his GF and child a few days a week!

Firesuit · 05/01/2018 09:35

Why are you concerned?

Yes, why would anyone care if they thought their brother was risking going to jail through not understanding the law.

Clearly any normal person would be just itching to report them, to try and make that happen.

80sMum · 05/01/2018 09:46

I used to help someone fill in his housing benefit claim form. There was a question right at the beginning asking if anyone else lives in the house with you. If yes, then that person's income also had to be declared.

So, unless the system has changed recently, I would say that the claimant should declare her change of circumstances. This will probably mean she is no longer eligible for housing benefit.

Original poster

Iloveidris · 05/01/2018 10:21

Firesuit MissDuke thanks, being genuinely concerned about someone seems like the unknown on Mumsnet!

I will just say to him, there is a good chance that your gf is comitting benefit fraud, its not based on number of nights but how you are contributing financially. I'd advise to check through the proper channels.

Then ill leave it at that, he can do what he wants with that information. He's a grown man, its their risk to take.

OP posts:

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