To think you shouldn't be claiming benefits if you've just bought a house outright?

[coffeerevelsrock]

I've posted about this before- ex paid noting in CM for years then about £140ish per month for a couple of years and has them about 3 nights per fortnight but buys them NOTHING. Two dc.

He recently inherited enough to buy a £200k house in cash. There may well be more money, I don't know though it couldn't be that much more don't think. I have to pay him £10k as marriage equity in about 10 years.

I just got a letter to say his CM contributions will now be nil as he's on benefits??? I just can't believe it. I feel sick. I don't rely on the money but how much of a kick in the teeth can it be? and surely he shouldn't be able to claim benefits with that money?

I've rung CM and because he's on benefits and has them at least 52 nights per year there's nothing they can do. He has arrears too which he could have paid.

Can I report him somewhere? He's ignoring my messages. I want to email him mum or something. I'm off work with stress and this has tipped me over.

The tosser.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-maintenance-compliance-and-arrears-strategy-2018/child-maintenance-changes-to-compliance-measures

Read the paragraph about other sources of income

Don't email his mum. Don't message him about it. Go to CMS and explain the inheritance. Report him for potential benefit fraud if you have suspicions. Do it all through the proper channels and let them sort it.

It depends on the benefits OP.
It’s a common misconception that all benefits are means tested.
Universal credit is but carer’s allowance, DLA/PIP/Attendance Allowance etc aren’t.
Sorry that’s not helping much but for instance my husband and I own our house outright but my DD is disabled and so I can’t work and my only entitlement to benefits is carer’s allowance (there’s bills to pay!).
As to what you can do re CMS I’m sorry I don’t know anything about that but I’m sure someone will be along to advise.
Have you spoken to Citizen’s Advice?

Agree with PP in that it depends on the benefits he's on.
My ex did something similar when he was made redundant with 2 years of a very good salary as compensation. He claimed Contribution-based JSA knowing it didn't matter how much money he has in the bank plus it meant his liability for maintenance was only £5 per week. Sickening really but it came back to bite him when he got a job again a couple of months later and now he has an annual review.
I feel for you though x

God, I'd love to know who thinks I'm BU, seriously. Thanks for the link - I'll have a look and try CAB. He does have MS but is not badly affected by it. For instance, I'm having/have had the dc every Saturday night between July and December (that I know of so far) as he has gigs - plays in a band. So I doubt he is getting much/any from that as I know they don't exactly chuck money at people.

Men like this sicken me😭. Op it must be so infuriating and horrible...take heart😘

Yes that's really unfair. I don't know how benefits work, but know someone who has done the same - been on benefits for a decade or more whilst doing a degree and writing a book. Noone in the house works. But they've just bought a house outright, paying cash from inheritance, and are renting it out to private tenants. Is this allowed, or is there a scam going on?

What an absolute shit!!

The only thing I will say op is this might at least mean an inheritance for your children in the future. It sounds like he’s never going to pay and if he loses the house, would this mean your DC miss out in the future? He might be such an arse he will leave it to his mistress though or might need care so obviously they can’t rely on this. You are definitely not being unreasonable.

I think you're being unreasonable. Your ex should be paying CM, without question, but to suggest that no one should be allowed to claim benefits because they bought a house outright is completely unreasonable. Owning your own home provides security, and reduces the burden on the state in terms of benefits paid.

Separate the two issues. Your ex is a git. Your judgment of people on benefits is ignorant.

But they've just bought a house outright, paying cash from inheritance, and are renting it out to private tenants. Is this allowed, or is there a scam going on?

That's a different scenario. Owning a property that you don't live in would (assuming the equity in the property is worth more than £16,000) result in means tested benefits being stopped. They would however continue to receive non means tested/ contributions based benefits.

@Minceandonions

Yes that's really unfair. I don't know how benefits work, but know someone who has done the same - been on benefits for a decade or more whilst doing a degree and writing a book. Noone in the house works. But they've just bought a house outright, paying cash from inheritance, and are renting it out to private tenants. Is this allowed, or is there a scam going on?

I don't know. I know someone who is on benefits, but was left a house in a will, so she is selling hers and moving into the gifted house. DWP have said that the second the money from her house sale goes into her account, her benefits will be stopped. But she can reapply when she has no money left.

Report him for potential benefit fraud if you have suspicions.

I don't think housing equity has ever been counted as an asset when it comes to benefits means-testing, do I don't see any reason to think he's doing anything wrong.

Of course you are not being unreasonable.
However take it from me the best thing you can do for your own sanity is to let it go. Keep communication with your ex down to an absolute minimum. Never cover for him with regards to your children, if he lets them down then let them see that. Instill in your children how important it it for them all to be financially independent, whether they are male or female. Instil in them how they must never have a child unless in a living stable relationship and do not give up your financial independence.
The law is skewed in favour of feckless parents it’s really is.
Only communicate with your ex via email and I repeat keep it to an absolute minimum.
Once your children are old enough stop communicating with him and let them deal with him alone.
It will help your sanity.
It’s awful op it really is.

It looks like he went on to benefits after he bought the house, which would be OK. If he was on when he received the money, I suppose that might be a different scenario.

He’s got MS, a degenerative condition, if you’ve split up what makes you the expert on how badly he’s affected!? There is very likely to be a time, of that isn’t now when he won’t be able to work at all. The children will inherit the house almost certainly, eventually.

Housing equity in your own house doesn't count, if a house you own is being rented out then the income would be counted.

To be honest if he spent the money on a house and has less than the required level in savings he is now allowed to claim benefits. Plenty of people claim benefits who own their own home.

You can claim when you own a house if you live in it. If you own a house you rent out then the income/equity is taken into account.

You can't live on capital tied up in a house you live in.

Of course he should be working and paying maintenance.

There is no law against buying a house with inheritance, what exactly would you be reporting him for ?

I agree with @ClitorisAllsorts

As long as saving below 16k he can claim benefits he has bought the house out right so would not be claiming housing benefit entitlement as he his in a paid off house unfortunately nothing you can do he has not broke any rules what so ever

If you qualify for a benefit then you should receive it. Full stop. Trying to make value judgments about who deserves and doesn't deserve help only makes people less likely to apply for what they really need, and allows the government to make even more cuts, supported by the public who eat up all all this bullshit about deserving vs. undeserving benefits claimants.
People who report others or complain about others' benefits allowance are the absolute lowest of the low and are the reason that the welfare state will probably not exist anymore in our lifetime. People will starve to death on the streets because we would prefer that to the idea that SOMEONE might be getting a little bit more than we think they're entitled to and we'll clap our hands and say too right as the welfare state dwindles to nothing.
If you want to get het up about something, why don't you worry about the billionaires and corporations who receive more undeserved "benefits" every day than every benefit claimant in the UK together will see in a lifetime.

I said yabu because I get disability benefits and in 10 years time I will have paid off my mortgage but still have to claim benefits because I still need to pay the bills and I can't work. You also don't know how his ms is affecting him presently.
However you are not being unreasonable about cm. My ex hasn't seen dc or paid any cm in 16 years, dc is 17 and cm wrote off the areas years ago, ex gave up his job so didn't have to pay. He's now working but I'm sure if I went after him he'd give up his job again and I can't be doing with the mental load for £7 a week. So I understand your frustration but the two shouldn't be linked, he needs a roof over his head for him and his dc so buying a house seems sensible and means the government won't have to help him with rent as his condition deteriorates. He still should morally be paying for his dc, however how far you push this is upto you. I had to put my mental health first and stop chasing ex.

He hasn’t broken rules by the sounds of it as others have said but he sounds like an absolute brat. I can’t believe he won’t be contributing to the kids. Disgraceful. I hope he starts giving money again soon.

@CorrBlimeyGG

I think you're being unreasonable. Your ex should be paying CM, without question, but to suggest that no one should be allowed to claim benefits because they bought a house outright is completely unreasonable. Owning your own home provides security, and reduces the burden on the state in terms of benefits paid.

Separate the two issues. Your ex is a git. Your judgment of people on benefits is ignorant.

Agree with this entirely. I get tax credits because I’m on a low income. I work hard full time and support 3 DCs in our family home, which has a chunk of equity in it due to rising house prices. I can’t access that money without selling the house as I don’t earn enough to pay the extra on my mortgage if I released some equity.

My plan is to downsize to a smaller house that I can buy outright with my equity and then my outgoings will be reduced by £700 a month. At that point if I’m still on a low income and entitled to tax credits I will be better off, however as the kids grow up, and the lone parent benefits and child maintenance stop, I’ll be significantly worse off.

I don’t see why I should chip away at my equity, which will hopefully give me a security blanket into old age too, rather than claim the help to which I’m entitled.

Nobody pays my mortgage for me, whereas if I rented I’d get a housing element to my benefits to help pay for it, so by buying my own place I’m saving the government money on housing benefit.

I agree he should be paying maintenance even if only a small amount due to his circumstances but don’t tar all claimants with the same brush.