I'm looking for some advice please

[mummylou78]

I had a lodger living with me for 4 years. She was self-employed with a well paid job (£600+ pw), always paid her way, her share of the bills and everything but the council tax was in my name only.

However, when she moved out I found out that she had given me a false surname, she isn't registered as self-employed, receives full ESA and has a council flat which she has had for 10 years and rents out to other people.

I have learnt this information from a few angry sources and from seeing back statements. It seems that over the years she has claimed over £60k in benefits and god knows how much more in housing benefit.

I am looking for advice as I get the impression that one of these angry sources has reported her anonymously and I'm concerned that I could get into trouble since she lived with me and has had mail delivered here.

Has anyone else had any experience with this? Thanks in advance.

who are all these people calling you about it?

Iv not had experience of this but I don't see what any of this has/d to do with you, (so how would you be in trouble) you had a lodger and now you don't is all that really concerns you.

Who she was/is what her job or lack of, wether she had other properties etc are none of your concern

Wether she has committed fraud while not nice for you to have found out about has no relevance to you.

Thank you for your reply.

I have no experience of the benefits system so I am probably worrying too much. I just wanted to check if I could be implicated since she lived with me whilst claiming.

The people calling her out were people that work for her and have discovered that their payslips were fake and that she hadn't registered her business.

Do you have anything that proves she lied to you about her identity?

I think you are worrying too much, and I don't know why people are calling you about it. You didn't know.

No. The council tax bill is in mine and her fake surname. I don't know if that counts.

I don't think you can get in any trouble if she was just a lodger, its her that has committed fraud not you. However I'd do some due diligence on your next lodger and get copies of ID etc. You never know what the next one may be up to!

You never asked for ID? References?

I needed both when I was lodging.

It seems utterly foolish that you didn't ask for them.

I'd be worried that she could claim you were part of the scam with her? I don't know though I'm a worrier.

Definitely avoid stress next time by getting ID.

How was all her post in a false name? Did she open a false bank account?

I'm not sure how she did it.

I saw a reference and a bill, but stupidly didn't ask for passport or driving licence.

I will point out that it was a flatmate/lodger who rented the flat with me. I am not the landlord.

Your first post made it sound as if you were the landlord.

Why would it ever come back to you if you weren't the landlord?

And why were you seeing any form of her ID to start with?

Doesn't make sense

You’re not the landlord? Why post as if you are then? What exactly are you up to here

Were you getting the 25% single person discount on the council tax? If so, you could have to repay that, as the full amount should have been paid.

Ignore me, I misread the opening post!

@LakieLady

I thought the same as you but we didn't you misread the opening post.....it clearly says the council tax was in OPs name only.

In a later post OP changed it to her name and the fake name of the lodger 🤔

@mummylou78

Are you allowed to sub let to lodgers?