To ask whether anyone here has ever been investigated by DWP for “living with a partner”?

[Labradorlover987]

My friend has just been asked to attend a compliance interview at the job centre - she claims universal credit as a single mother to 2 kids, and single person council tax discount she has a boyfriend but they don’t live together full time - he lives with his father - he obviously stays over 3/4 nights a week.

Just wondered what the process was etc

Thanks - he does grounds-works, think he earns quite well but not sure if a lot of it cash in hand type work.

I think he stays over a good few times a week but honestly not entirely sure about what he contributes

She will have received a warning or enquiring letter first. My partner is a lorry driver and can be away up to 12 weeks at a time. I was claiming tax credits when we first started seeing each other. He had his own home, but never really stayed there - he would stay here when he was back, I’d do his washing, we would have food together etc. We hadn’t been on holiday together, but had been on a few weekend trips when my mum was willing to have the kids. For context, I would receive £370 per month for help with nursery fees and then I’d receive the single person council tax.

I was (wrongly) under the impression that if they didn’t spend more than X nights per week at your house, you didn’t need to declare it. But, I received a letter in the post stating that they believed I was in a relationship. They gave examples as what could be perceived as a relationship, such as positing on social media together (which we did), going on holidays together (not quite holidays, but still), and if someone were to ask what we were to one another, would they say we were in a relationship. I felt this answer was “yes”. It said on the letter that if any of these instances were a correct example of my life, I needed to ring them and stop receiving tax credits. I did so immediately, told them how long we had been dating, and that was the end of that. So, it’s likely she’s received something similar and either ignored it or said none of it was correct.

It’s a crap system as my partner wasn’t my children’s dad. He didn’t have to contribute to my household. But as a result of us being “perceived to be a couple”, I had to ask my partner to cover my losses as I simply couldn’t afford it. Eventually he put his house up for rent and moved in - still here today and we now share bills but for over 12 month I was lucky that he could cover that shortfall for me.

Whilst I do believe you shouldn’t be claiming if you’re not single, women do have the right to date and begin relationships without that then meaning that all benefits stop. I was lucky that my partner was able to contribute, but in reality he didn’t have to - they weren’t his kids and this wasn’t his house.

I once sat on a jury in a case where a woman was being accused of benefit fraud, because she was claiming as a single person, but was accused of hav8ng a partner living with her. One of the pieces of evidence the prosecution provided was paperwork showing the man had used the woman’s address - I think it was for a loan, but it is 20+ years ago, so I have forgotten some details.

The defence contended that the woman hadn’t known that the man was using her address, and proved that you our (the jury’s) satisfaction, so she was found not guilty.

I hope the people assuming this woman is committing fraud aren’t the same people that would post “but why on earth did you let him move in?!”

A single mum and a child would be very sensible to keep their home just for themselves.

I know a couple who were investigated and prosecuted. They were actually living together and did not declare it. They were found out via their facebook accounts. They were even married.

But this thread has me worried about my own situation now. I have been with my boyfriend for over 2 years. We do not live together. Do I need to tell the job centre about him? I am on benefits and claim single person discount on council tax. He stayed over last night and the night before.

So do I need to tell the job centre I have a boyfriend? We dont live together.

There’s no specific set days he can or can’t stay. It’s about if he’s contributing to the household or not

Too many people pretend they don't look very together when clearly they do 3 or 4 nights a week. Sharing meals, a bed, laundry, etc.

My dad and his girlfriend. They took him to court over it and the gf had to pay it all back. She'd been claiming for 2 years. Ended up paying back thousands. Lucky she didn't get a prison sentence, it seems that fraud is worse than killing someone these days.

My neighbour went through this, they didn’t fine her but said to make sure she kept her single status he shouldn’t be staying more than 3 times in a week and mustn’t contribute to bills (food was fine apparently) he also must be registered to vote and be listed on a council tax elsewhere. I moved not long after but I think from correspondence they did move in together

This was posted by @LangClegsInSpace on a thread on the feminism board a couple of years ago and it resonates here.

There's a reason for this and if you've never been on benefits you won't know.
If you can meet your own housing costs and bills without relying on the state then you have the luxury of forming relationships gradually. You can take your time building trust, you can sleep together as many or few nights as you please, and nobody counts, and you can keep both properties so you have your own home to go back to if it all goes horribly wrong. You can move in together, part or full time, and keep some or all of your finances separate, for a while or permanently. You can take 6 months or 20 years to fully share everything. You can go at the pace of your mutual trust and it's no-one else's business.
Women on benefits are not afforded any of those luxuries. You are either single or in a couple and there is no inbetween. If you are in a couple then you must share your home and all of your finances straight away. If you are single then you must share nothing. Any relationship grey area that normal people enjoy will get you investigated and may result in loss of income, including your rent, and so your home.
Women on benefits are normal women and so have the same relationship aspirations as everyone else but they are in a much more risky and precarious position because the benefit system forces them at an early stage into an all or nothing situation with any potential partner.
It's not that 'these womwn have the worst taste in men', it's just that they get stuck with them, having been required to share everything at far too early a stage in their relationship.
This is a huge part of why women on low incomes are vulnerable.

God single parents can't win can they? Move a boyfriend in straight away and they are being selfish and not thinking of the children, live separately and they are 'rinsing the system'.

I was sanctioned for apparently claiming benefits over 14 years ago when my husband and I split up - they basically didn't believe me and I fought tooth and nail - provided proof but was told it wasn't enough. It went quiet for 6 years and I thought that was the end of it. They came at me again for £5900 - I did not have anything more to fight them with and basically said we don't believe you, pay up, which I've been doing every since at £100 a month. I sometimes think I should fight again but I don't know how else to prove that he had indeed moved out - he's even said he's willing to stand up in front of them and state he had moved out.

Long and short of it is if the system is being swindled you may well get away with it and then when they get a pushover like me who had no fight left (and was dealing with other shit at the time) they get their money back that way...!

These are separate issues.

Taxpayers don’t care about the personal happiness of single parents; it’s a financial implication only.

This is yet another reason why universal basic income would be such a benefit for women.

So is it likely someone reported her? We think it might be his ex gf obviously no idea if it is or not x

Four nights a week is deemed as living together...

Where does it say this please?

I was a housing benefit officer for around twelve years. 3 nights a week is the threshold at which a partner can stay without being counted. 4 or more is deemed as being resident. However, a partner can only stay one or two nights a week and be classed as resident if they are using your home as their main residence.

Unlike most people in this thread, I have sympathy with your friend.
I stayed at my partner's house a lot (sometimes 2 whole weeks at a time when he was on leave) in my 20's, but I didn't live there. I didn't contribute financially in any way at all. I had my own home.
Are we saying someone on benefits can't have a partner who just stays over part of the week? Daytime sex only please? Unable to "test" or progress relationships without full commitment?
The alternative being people moving in together prematurely. That would mean many more vunerable women and children surely? Putting men on tenancy agreements before the woman or mother would want to? Children having no break from mum's relatively new partner,unless at Dad's?

Yeah, didn't get the answer a wanted last week so thought I'd give it a different spin and see if anyone can advise me on how to commit fraud without getting caught.

It doesn’t matter how many nights they stay now, if anyone considers you to be in a relationship than that counts these days.

Can you post a a link to this information online please.
My boyfriend has his own flat etc. He pays no bills at mine at all. Do I need to tell the job centre about him?

He will probably need a utility bill or something to prove where he lives, they may check her bank statements to check he’s not transferring her money for rent or bills.

I don't know if that's truly the case as I don't work for HB anymore, but I disagree with this notion. I don't think it's right to deem a couple as one whole residence when they are living in two separate households.