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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Accused of benefit fraud

110 replies

cakeinspiration · 01/09/2021 11:30

I think my daughters dad and his girlfriend have reported me for benefit fraud. Is there any way I can find out if it was them or not?
I had my girl when I was 18 and split up with his dad when she was 6 months old. He got together with his girlfriend just before our daughter turned one. My girly is now 4.
I think his girlfriend is jealous of me because she loves kids but can't have any yet for whatever reason. She's told me she can't wait to be a mum and always tells me how lucky I am as my daughter is so polite and she loves her loads. I guess I'm happy that my daughter has someone who loves her a lot but sometimes feel like she's a bit much.
AnywY I met my partner a year ago and he stays at mine sometimes, maybe 2 or 3 nights a week. His 2 daughters (7 and 10) come and stay at mine too. I only have 2 bedrooms so the kids share my daughter's room or the living room.
I got a call the other week from the council asking if I share my home with anyone and I said no. My partner rents his own flat so pays council tax there and my council tax is just for me and my daughter, I have universal credit to go towards rent which is for my flat that I got when I moved out of my parent's house just before I had my daughter.
My partner and I don't want to move in yet as it would be hard for us to afford a place big enough for the kids, and we would lose out on universal credit and I don't think we can afford it.
The council lady said they might come and do a home check in the next couple of weeks and I'm really worried about it, what can they do? Will I get kicked out of my flat?

OP posts:
Rosscameasdoody · 03/09/2021 17:21

Councils will usually look at each case on merit - how often the boyfriend stays, and most importantly whether he can prove he has a home of his own and pays bills there. Which in the OP’s case he can. The three nights a week rule doesn’t exist - don’t rely on that. A home check will look at whether there are any visible signs that you are actually living with someone and if there are any suspicions, there may be some monitoring of who goes in and out. I wouldn’t have thought there would be any need for this if the boyfriend has his own place.

UC is a different thing and PPs are correct that it’s linked with housing benefit claims. This is where you are more likely to run into difficulty because you are supposed to declare any additional income you receive from any source. It depends what the DWP consider income - don’t accept cash contributions. Beyond that, you’re entitled to a life, and from what you’ve posted you’re not doing anything wrong.

Humbled3 · 18/01/2022 00:29

Am I being unreasonable to offer to pay back all the money (£9000) that I was paid for wrongly claiming for universal credit? Wasn't barely breaking even with my rental property, didn't realize I should have declared it as part of income. Am I right to feel scared? Just got a job after losing two jobs in a short space of time due to death in the family and kids feeling suicidal. What do I say to make dwp not prosecute. I feel dick to my stomach and I can feal my chronic illness flaring up. Please advise what to do.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 18/01/2022 00:45

You’re best bet is to emphasise that he has a home elsewhere. Where his bills and everything else goes.

What can be people’s downfall is where are credit cards and so on registered to your address.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 18/01/2022 00:45

Oh zombie sorry

HirplesWithHaggis · 18/01/2022 01:43

@Humbled3

Am I being unreasonable to offer to pay back all the money (£9000) that I was paid for wrongly claiming for universal credit? Wasn't barely breaking even with my rental property, didn't realize I should have declared it as part of income. Am I right to feel scared? Just got a job after losing two jobs in a short space of time due to death in the family and kids feeling suicidal. What do I say to make dwp not prosecute. I feel dick to my stomach and I can feal my chronic illness flaring up. Please advise what to do.
You'd be better starting your own thread, maybe in Legal rather than AIBU.
halloweenie13 · 18/01/2022 02:41

Why would you be worried unless they were actually living there? Also are you saying you told your ex and your partner how much your new partner and his children were staying or has your child relayed that info to them? If the latter then maybe they are concerned about their dc/dsc sharing a bedroom regularly (or more) with strangers. Also, If you do not in fact live with your new partner as you say you have nothing to hide, however, it depends how often his children comes to stay as if he is splitting his time between yours and somewhere else at least 3 times a week and his children are staying at least once a week then yes it is benefit fraud just get a shared property between you both.

rurallibralady87 · 12/04/2022 11:38

Humbled3 is it you or your flat mate who is in trouble? Seems to be a lot of posts about benefit fraud? People can help and give advice but only if you're truthful about the full situation

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/04/2022 12:03

Not sure what the point is in removing every trace of OP's partner from the property, if once the investigation quietens down it'll all just be replaced? If someone really has reported her, this'll just wind them up and they'll be straight back onto the UC people

As a PP said the claim's either legitimate or it's not, and if it isn't the only real solution is to sort it out properly, even if that involves losing benefits and someone taking on more work

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/04/2022 12:05

Oh zombie sorry

Apologies from me too; I missed that one!!

Rosscameasdoody · 31/01/2023 16:19

Humbled3 · 18/01/2022 00:29

Am I being unreasonable to offer to pay back all the money (£9000) that I was paid for wrongly claiming for universal credit? Wasn't barely breaking even with my rental property, didn't realize I should have declared it as part of income. Am I right to feel scared? Just got a job after losing two jobs in a short space of time due to death in the family and kids feeling suicidal. What do I say to make dwp not prosecute. I feel dick to my stomach and I can feal my chronic illness flaring up. Please advise what to do.

Sorry this is late, only just seen it. The only thing I can suggest is that maybe you should approach the DWP yourself and tell them you have made a mistake on your claim. When you say you’re barely breaking even, do you mean you’re making little or nothing after deductions for related expenses for upkeep, agency fees etc ? If this is the case then you need to explain that and show proof of your earnings from it and deductions for expenses. If there’s not much profit you may not have to pay back all of the UC money, as you would surely still be entitled to something. There’s a difference between benefit fraud and a genuine mistake. If you wait until DWP discover what’s happened it won’t be as easy to claim genuine error and at least this way you would have the chance to explain that you didn’t realise it was necessary to inform them as the income is negligible. I would imagine that since they are now cracking down on UC fraud and employing extra staff to check claims, eventually it will be discovered as DWP routinely liaise with other departments like HMRC. So you do risk it coming to light and it may not be so easy to deal with at that point. It’s daunting but that’s the only thing I can think of, sorry.

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