Is this benefit fraud?

[ahzixy]

I recently have gotten back together with the father of my kids. We've been seeing each other and he's been staying over at my house. I claim housing benefit.

He doesn't pay towards any of my bills and I don't to his either.

We've always had an agreement between the two of us that he pays £200 per month in child maintenance. That is all he pays to me. In times I have borrowed money like small amounts( but I also do this with my mum and that doesn't tie us financially)

His car is registered at his house, all his bills etc, his work has him as registered at his house.

My name is on my wifi bill, phone bill and I have pre paid metres under my name.

He pays all his council tax etc and gas and electricity which in his one bed flat cost £70 combined but he's paying of a huge debt so he pays £300-400 a month to that.

Things like days out etc or new things for the kids we do go half.

I've also gotten him things through catalog credit like very and Argos since his credit is bad so every other month he will bank transfer money for that but he labels each transfer (I know that doesn't hold much)

We have 3 kids together and he is over often and on his days off takes the kids to and from school.

My close friends would say we are seeing each other but neighbours I exchange polite exchanges would say we are a couple.

I know it's nothing to do with nights spent here it's about finances. I have a lot of proof he pays nothing to my house.

The only thing is I use his Netflix. But before this I used my best friends nextflix too I only changed to his to not lose my place on shows.

The only thing is he's so tight with money even before seeing me he never had wifi. We can prove this also. But to me that looks odd no wifi.

He's also the cheapest person I know with bills. He refuses to have heating on, does washing at his parents house and showers at his gym. Making his bills as low as possible.

My downstairs neighbours told me to my face in April they've reported him living here. Nothing at all came from this so surely it's not fraud??

Is it fraud?? I'm terrified I really don't like this situation and want to get him added asap but we literally couldn't afford to live if he did with his huge debts and until he sells his house.

@Whistlesandbell how long will surveillance last?

Will I be looked into if I report him living here as of now?

And he pays £50 a week for his children's expenses, and lets the benefit system carry the rest... 🙄

If you're just seeing each other and he lives most of the week in his own home then it's not benefit fraud, but if he is staying at yours more than his own home and you haven't declared that then it is more likely to be looked at as fraud. If you're considering moving in together which is bound to be cheaper for you both then they won't look into the background of it, they'll just accept it as a change of circumstances and you'll be put down as joint claimants. The other issue he could face is if he's in social housing they could look into abandonment of tenancy if he's at yours more than his they might consider it that he has somewhere else to live but probably not if he's at his own house at least a few nights a week.

If you're both paying bills, separately, on separate properties, you are not committing fraud. However, I'd think twice about this man. You say he's "tight" with money, yet he has massive debts. I'd think that was a red flag.

I don't think you should report him living there as he isn't. If you do then it's a joint claim with his earnings taken into account and he will still have his own rent to pay. That is the key at present as he has his own bills in his own home and is a visitor in yours. It doesn't mean you may not be investigated bit if he does not contribute to your household other than the regular child maintenance then he is not your partner. However you should move in together at some point if he is the father and you are a couple as it's taking the mickey of the benefits system a bit.

How would your neighbour know your financial situation to report you??

This happened to a daughter of one of my old supervisors. She was caught out on Facebook. She got away with it for ages and got caught when she put her wedding photos on social media.
She went to court and had to pay back all that she had claimed... which was something stupid like £6 a month as she was still low income.

@mrsharrisgoestoparis she can obviously see I'm at home with my 2 year old.

As I said she stalks me. Every time my door chaps she's at her window. Every time I leave the house I hear them at the window.

As long as he having his own place to live, pay his own bills and doeasnt contribute to your household it's not a benefit fraud.

As far as UC or housing benefit are concerned, you are a couple but you live separately. As long as he doesn't contribute towards your household bills and has his own property, it's doesn't matter how often he's at yours or not.
People can be married and live I separate houses and still claim benefits.
Its all about your household income for your claim. If he gives up his property and moves in permanently then you need to inform of the change.
You're doing nothing wrong and it isn't fraud.

And he pays £50 a week for his children's expenses, and lets the benefit system carry the rest... 🙄

This. What a useless excuse for a man.

Get rid, OP. What do you see in him?!

Why don't you report her for harassment? May not come to anything but it sounds like she is practically stalking your family.

Dont be so pedantic. Clearly because she would rather have him not stay over and be able to continue claiming her full benefit if she knew that was a choice she had to make 🙄

So he gets to financially abuse you - but you're the one on the hook for a criminal conviction, repayment of benefits and being unable to claim anything at all after the conviction because you'll be sanctioned for the longest period.

You need to get him out, not put him on the books to abuse you even more.

So the taxpayers are paying for two houses so he can come and go as he pleases, as it suits you both? Must be nice to have the option.

Would love to be able to pack DH off to another house when he's getting on my wick but as we're paying for our own expenses, not an option.

Officially no not fraud.

morally it’s shady and he sounds like a cheapskate.

As long as you're not married it's technically ok. Morally? Well that's down to your morals.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-couples-an-introduction/universal-credit-further-information-for-couples#definition-of-a-couple

I recently have gotten back together with the father of my kids. We've been seeing each other and he's been staying over at my house. I claim housing benefit.....

The only thing is he's so tight with money even before seeing me he never had wifi. We can prove this also. But to me that looks odd no wifi.
He's also the cheapest person I know with bills. He refuses to have heating on, does washing at his parents house and showers at his gym. Making his bills as low as possible.

and this is the life you want? I mean. come on, why on earth do you want to be with a fucking enjoyment sucking arsehole

You're in a relationship with him

Whichever way you try and dress it up

With intermingled finances.

Don't report him as living with you if he doesn't as they will immediately stop your benefits until you can be reassessed as a couple.

To the posters criticising the OP for her 'morals' - would you otherwise recommend a woman moves a man back into her home full time, when they have previously been separated and there are red flags about him having debts and being shit with money?

She isn't exploiting a loophole, the regulations allow for people to date. It's when it tips over into sharing a life with a partner and pooling resources, being a proper couple, that people need to joint claim/declare a change of circs.

The OP shouldn't be guilt tripped into rushing things and risking the stability of the children just to make some indignant Mumsnetters feel smug.

This is from the benefits guide that Decision Makers should follow. It refers to households and houses as separate things - you can be in the same household even if you have separate addresses.

Two people owning or renting other accommodation
Even if one or both people own or rent other accommodation, they can still be thought of as members of the same household, particularly where other accommodation is seldom used.

DMs should consider

the nature and ownership or tenancy of the accommodation they are living together in and
the extent to which rooms and facilities are shared and
the ownership of furniture.

A person cannot be a member of more than one household at the same time. So a person cannot be a member of more than one couple at the same time1 .

It's all in here:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/661551/adme4.pdf

A lot of false information here.

DWP are not interested really in how often he stays over, they look at other things. For example, they will want to know if you eat together in your house, if you have days out together, if you holiday together, how others see your relationship, does he have clothes in your house? Etc etc. I would say actually you would be found as being a couple. The purpose of benefits for single parents is to ensure that they have sufficient money to support their children because they are single and do not have a partner to financially support them. You do have a partner, who seems to own his own house. Why do you think you should be able to claim benefits and have both yours and your kids father's income? It doesn't work like that.

How is him spending a week at your home not living together?

I think it's pretty clear that he has a token presence in another house and absolutely would class what you're doing as benefit fraud.