House deposit saved up while cheating benefits

[PaulinesPenStash]

Firstly I want to say I am as left wing as they come, a card carrying member of the Labour Party, and i am in full favour of benefits for everyone that needs them.

But this is an absolute piss take ...🤦🏻‍♀️ I have just found out that someone I am close to, her partner (and father of her children) has been claiming to live at his mums for about 5 years. he's been working the whole time while living with her rent free and living off her income, and a bit of his. They've saved up enough for a house deposit as he's saved most of his earnings and they've just had an offer accepted on a house

I don't want to go in to how I know in case it's in any way outing, because let me be clear I would not want to grass the person up despite how disgusting i find it

I am just very shocked and really want to tell someone but I can't so I'm posting it on here to kind of get it off my chest

The deposit amount is £50,000 btw 🤦🏻‍♀️

(The one positive is it will free up a council house !)

@dottiedodah

Yes I completely get that... it's almost impossible for people on low incomes to save a deposit and buy nowadays

So not condoning it either but I can see how people would get desperate

What's the alleged fraud? I don't understand what they have been doing.

Mummoomoocow Wait for it, they'll be along soon.

I'd report them. Yes, it will free up a house for someone in need but that's not the point. £50k is a huge sum that many others going about things in a honest way and not thieving off others could only dream of saving this deposit and having their own home.

Shame on his parents too for facilitating it.

Benefit fraud happens, though nowhere near as often as people think, and it is wrong to claim benefits you are not entitled to.
The problem is, you are very unlikely to actually know what anyone else is entitled to. The benefit system is extremely complex and some people may be completely legitimately claiming a number of benefits. So what one family gets may be completely different to what a seemingly similar family gets, whereupon someone screams benefit cheat.
But it amazes me how much people claim to know about other peoples finances. There is not one person in the world who i would have an honest discussion about my income with, and depending on who I am talking to, might inflate or deflate my actual income, assuming I mentioned it at all.
So it is sometimes unwise to assume that people are cheating the system, even if they told you they were. I know someone who claims to have a job on the side, even though they dont, because they dont want people to think they're lazy. Which they are.

I'm a leftie and I'd report. The problem is it would be very difficult to investigate a past offence, so quite likely no action will be taken anyway.

I'm not desperate to be a home owner, I can't afford it and I have a lifetime tennancy which can currently be inherited by my daughter.

I’d have to report this, I couldn’t not.

There’s people in this country who can’t feed their kids, have a disability and can’t get correct living access and it’s awful. I couldn’t sit back and watch someone defraud the system, it’s shameful and entitled.

By not reporting them you’re just as bad.

Isn’t there a benefits fraud line you can report to anonymously? It’s not on to defraud like that.

Sorry to be thick
You mean they claimed Housing Benefit that they didn’t need?

So you just casually found this out did you? But you don't want to say how? You could've name changed and then given greater detail.

If you didn't hear it chapter and verse from either of their mouths then how do you know it's true?

He'll just carry on claiming to have been living at his dm's.

I'd have no qualms about reporting benefit fraud. It's theft. I'm been very poor, too poor to eat properly and benefit fraud wasn't an option.

What's the alleged fraud? I don't understand what they have been doing.

I’ve read the op 3 times and I still don’t understand it either

I wouldn't report, if you do they'll have to pay that back BUT they'll keep the house.
Let them have their owned home, it won't last, they'll have freed up a house too.

That money could have done so much good - and in some parts of the country would have almost bought a house outright.

YANBU

Good on them 👍🏼

@DidItAgainOops

He claimed to live at his mum's, whilst she claimed benefits as a single mum. They lived together and had 2 incomes.

"What's the alleged fraud? I don't understand what they have been doing."

Not declaring that he lives there.

Maybe she got HB, council tax reduction which enabled him to save so much.

Ah Aneurin Bevan was worried about skyvers..not exactly this but an abuse of the precious Welfare state

I know how of two family members who do this.

Are the kids his? If not perhaps the relationship wasn't as permanent as you thought, legally you can have your boyfriend stay over as long as they maintain another home and it's not every night

Sorry I don’t are what you say it’s theft, not from the government but from those of us working damn hard and having to pay taxes, NI etc. That includes stealing from you as well as any family members who work. You would report someone who came in and stole money from your house, purse, bank account and this is no different, and in fact if you know it’s happened, have proof and don’t do anything I consider you are stealing as well

I’m not even remotely surprised by this . Benefit fraud is huge and the reason why the introduction of uc is seen as a good thing by many . Blame people like this for the decline of the welfare state.

We rent out property , two of them are occupied by single mothers atm ( who just happen to have their boyfriends living with them ) . It’s not fraud until it’s discovered and these people know how to play the game .