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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Dilemma, on possibly benefits cause of lack of disclosure on personal circumstances

79 replies

thosetalesofunexpected · 04/11/2020 10:49

Hi everyone,first time posting,recent lurker.My dilemma is for a while I have been receiving PiP benefit and universal credit benefit, due to having RA, had to give up my my houshouskeeping job at a well known budget chain hotel nearby,cause of of my health deteriated.
My ex,children's father became my unofficial Carer.
My health has improved thankfully.
Unfornately my children's father's health has reversed,to the extant he was sectioned briefly,still suffers from very severe mental health issues,and has been in an out of hospital with strokes,has recently only just come out,
My dilemma is only recently found out that he has not informed,the energy companies that he had stopped living at his previous address,as he became my unofficial carer,
Do I inform the energy companies that he stopped living there a while ago?at the risk the energy company to validate,check up to see if this is true,at the risk social security will find out and penalise us in some way,benefit wise, cause of lack of disclosure of this infor before, (would social security/H M Agency be reasonabe,so we only pay minimum payments back to them? Or do I leave this infor out to energy company and ullity company obviously don't run the risk of social security being informed,

Would really appreciate if a staff member from social security benefits agency and HM tax Agency could get in touch,with their advice please,

How would our personal circumstances issues,affect my children's father state pension and my PIP benefit and universal credit benefit payments ?
ps any useful advice,infor be appreciated,thanks

OP posts:
thosetalesofunexpected · 04/11/2020 10:54

Hi everybody i forget to mention i
would also appreciate too,if a ex recently retired, social security benefits agency and HM Agency staff members gave me sound advice too,thanks

OP posts:
Haffdonga · 04/11/2020 11:00

Sorry but the information isn't clear.
When your ex became your carer did he move back in with you?
If so did you declare this on your Universal Credit claim?
Did he claim Carers Allowance for you?
Do you get the severe disability premium on your benefits for living alone and not having a carer?
Are you living together now?

thosetalesofunexpected · 04/11/2020 11:44

Hi
Yes my ex children's father did move in to live with me,as unofficial carer.

No, I did not declare,inform officially, that my children's father was my carer at the time.

No he did not claim Carers Allowance for me.

Yes I have got the severe disability premium for living alone and not having a carer.

No we no longer live together anymore, due to his severe mental issues and physical health with multiple strokes, deteriated eye sight issue, he now lives at a local nursing care complex.

Thanks for getting in touch..

OP posts:
thosetalesofunexpected · 04/11/2020 11:45

Oops ment to say mental health issues...

OP posts:
Covidasaurus · 04/11/2020 11:48

Why didn’t you inform them?

Was he still paying rent and bills elsewhere? If so, I don’t think it matters. Or did he stop paying rent but keep paying utilities (?)

DianaT1969 · 04/11/2020 11:59

How long did he move in for? Was he receiving benefits or working when he moved in with you? (Asking the 2nd question in case what you do impacts his financial situation).
Why did you ask about his state pension? Is he drawing it?

DianaT1969 · 04/11/2020 12:00

I asked how long he moved in for, because if it was only weeks you'll get different advice to if it was years.

WhereverIGoddamnLike · 04/11/2020 12:06

The enegwr companies arent the problem here. Your benefit fruad is.
You need to call up to sort this out, give them the dates when he moved in so you can pay back what you werent entitled to and then give them the date moved out to have your claim adjusted back.

If his health hadn't become a problem, how long would you have continued claiming for money you were not entitled to?

CookieClub · 04/11/2020 12:08

Well if they've found out you claimed you were single and living alone, but aren't, then unfortunately you have committed benefit fraud. It wouldn't be down to your ex 'unofficial carer' to tell them, it's your claim and your responsibility.

PlanDeRaccordement · 04/11/2020 12:14

I would contact a disability charity like national rheumatoid arthritis society who have a helpline.
Most of them have professionals who know the rules intimately that can sort out benefits issues like these and also advise you on how best to proceed.
www.nras.org.uk/helpline

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 04/11/2020 12:14

Just tell the utilities that he moved out of his old place on the day he moved into the facility.

Your fraud is a different matter.

thosetalesofunexpected · 04/11/2020 12:14

Do agree with you, and regret now,we should have informed social security/ulitility companies,before about our personal cirmstances at the time,as obviously less stress worrying,about this issue.
I was Confused,stressed out in agony with undiagnosed RA,so no medication,could hardly walk anywhere in the house,without his help,just struggling constantly,surving/sleeping downstairs struggling getting even to visit loo.
He was just bogged down in general with usaul hard work of caring for myself ,and he struggles with his severe mental health issue,schtizenphzia and other mental health issues.

He,my ex children's father he owns his own house,but he is behind,not up to date with ulitility bills payments at previous address,
So its turned into bit of messy situation.

OP posts:
PlanDeRaccordement · 04/11/2020 12:22

There is no severe disability premium (SDP) under universal credit. OP said she’s getting UC, so she can’t be getting SDP too.
www.entitledto.co.uk/help/severe-disability-premium

Also under PIP, no points are awarded for living alone or not having a carer. So the ex moving in would not have affected her PIP.

CookieClub · 04/11/2020 12:24

@thosetalesofunexpected

Do agree with you, and regret now,we should have informed social security/ulitility companies,before about our personal cirmstances at the time,as obviously less stress worrying,about this issue. I was Confused,stressed out in agony with undiagnosed RA,so no medication,could hardly walk anywhere in the house,without his help,just struggling constantly,surving/sleeping downstairs struggling getting even to visit loo. He was just bogged down in general with usaul hard work of caring for myself ,and he struggles with his severe mental health issue,schtizenphzia and other mental health issues.

He,my ex children's father he owns his own house,but he is behind,not up to date with ulitility bills payments at previous address,
So its turned into bit of messy situation.

So this sounds like he was with you for months and months, rather than just a few weeks.

So the place he owes the utility bills for, is the address of which he owns?
If it's his property - be it rented or mortgaged, then he is responsible for all the bills. Although presumably, if he was sectioned/not living there to use the utilities, then the bills shouldn't be vey significent anyway??

Sorry, I am a bit confused about how he has bills and you're trying to deny he is responsible for them?

Him living with you is the more serious matter tbh.

Ah...i've just sussed it....is he subletting his house??

Littleideasbigbook · 04/11/2020 12:29

You need to say how long he lived with you and if he was contributing to your household expenditure...

thosetalesofunexpected · 04/11/2020 12:30

Hi
No my ex,children father was not working.

He has been in reciept ,recieving state pension for some time,

He lived with me, far long than few weeks, he lived with me as my unofficial Carer for about a year.

OP posts:
ComtesseDeSpair · 04/11/2020 12:31

If he owns his own home and pays his own bills and always intended / intends to return to his home when he’s out of hospital then you don’t need to “declare” anything to his energy providers. It’s his home. His bills will reflect that he wasn’t using as much energy whilst he was away. If you’re acting on his behalf to sort out arrears because he hasn’t paid his bills then you just need proof that he’s given you permission to do so.

Your own situation - I’m not sure what this has to do with his energy bills. If he was staying with you to provide care but was paying for his own home elsewhere, you didn’t have shared finances, and he wasn’t contributing financially to your household then whilst you should have declared his moving in, it isn’t going to carry the same penalty as benefit fraud provided you can demonstrate you weren’t benefiting from him financially and he wasn’t bringing an income into your home.

thosetalesofunexpected · 04/11/2020 12:32

Hi
No he not sub letting out his house.

OP posts:
Calmandmeasured1 · 04/11/2020 12:34

How long did your ex come and live with you for? What happened to where he lived in that time?

Does he receive Pension Credit as part of his state Pension? Housing Benefit and Council Tax support?

Your PIP would not be affected by him moving in with you but Severe Disability element would and so would UC. Your Council Tax bill would also go up if it changes from a single adult household to more than one adult.

If he is now living in a 3rd location and he will not be returning to his former home, I would be inclined to just tell them that he has moved out as of now and obtain a final bill and pay it.

I can't see that HMRC would be involved.

Littleideasbigbook · 04/11/2020 12:34

If he lived with you for a year what happened to his house? Was it left empty?

aztecnik · 04/11/2020 12:36

If he was your ex and helped care for you then how is it benefit fraud?

He is your ex.

DanielRicciardosSmile · 04/11/2020 12:39

Unless I'm missing something, I don't see why the energy companies need to know whether he's living there or not.

thosetalesofunexpected · 04/11/2020 12:44

Hi
All bills,from ulitility bills, are his to do with his address,
Just concerned cause of not declaring before hand,benefit wise,our personal cirumstances,(him being,was my unofficial Carer and how,that will impact us and just moving forward to sort out the benefits /ulility bills mess a.s.a.p

OP posts:
thosetalesofunexpected · 04/11/2020 12:46

Hi
Yes his house has been left empty.

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 04/11/2020 12:47

If he was your ex and helped care for you then how is it benefit fraud?

The OP received a premium in her benefits due the fact that she lived alone with no carer.

Yet for a year she did not live alone, but had a live in carer. She did not declare this, as she ought to have.