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

What I’m not allowed a view on benefits? I asked for information as my friend IS in a situation and predominately because I was asked to attend for support

a cursory AS reveals you’re all over a broad range of threads with one common feature… they involve benefits and often fraud

So this person you wrote about here last month… isn’t this person!?

AS this OP… and you’ll see dozens and dozens of posts on benefits

and now fibbing about that…. Odd

So you are also a single parent of two children, and you’ve just lost your job and have applied for UC.
oh and you have a DP that you don’t live with.

lots of parallels with this “friend”

Interesting

Did anyone actually believe that this was about "a friend" then?
I kind of assumed it was OP from the start

Ditto

This case is an object lesson never to let neighbours know your financial circumstances if you are on benefit. Also to stay off social media, Some neighbours are reptiles - and thats an insult to reptiles.

May not always be the neighbours or other people contacting the DWP. Interestingly there are jobs currently advertised with DWP for ‘under cover surveillance officers’, no need for anyone to ‘tell’ and if they do, staff to watch and evidence actual behaviours.

So your friend needs you to hold her hand. I see nothing wrong with that. You will not be implicated or investigates. If you have time support her.

Her new DP sound like he's avoiding tax if he's working cash in hand so I would guess they are probably living together too, otherwise they would do things properly in all parts of life.

As for the DD, please do something if she needs protecting. Either speak to the mum or report to SS. The mum clearly has poor judgement and a child could be at risk.

"It’s a fairly newish relationship" but he's staying over 3/4 nights per week? She needs to give her head a wobble.

Assuming if he lives with his dad , his dad /him will be paying the full council tax and have bills /bank account in dads adddess

if he isn’t under dads address to vote then may alert them

Ironically for the working population it does actually save money to move in with a partner. Rent is halved, batch cooking is cheaper, bills are shared. But not when the taxpayer is acting as your other half!

I mean i would class it as a newish relationship (about 7 months) but maybe some people don’t think that’s new? That’s just my personal opinion

I’m happy to go and support but I wanted to know a bit about the process before I put myself in that position

Yes but if you are on benefits then you could end up with nothing at all. Basically you cant live with someone unless you are to be 100% financially dependent on them and if you are a vulnerable person then that can be a dangerous position to be in.
Of course some couples can still claim benefits dependant on their incomings anyway. For me, I would lose every penny and have to be totally reliant on my boyfriend. He is not entitled to anything.

We did plan to but my partner became unwell and died.

OP? This friend… is it you? Because you and her seem to have remarkably similar circumstances. And you have been seeing your partner for 7 months too, which you say the friend has been as well.

You don’t need to declare this. You have separate homes and pay your own bills. They are interested in people who live together or whose finances are joint not people with a partner who they see a few times a week.

Thank you. The other poster who said he cant stay even 1 night a week and is not allowed to watch TV in my house has really shook me up.

No one has posted a link to say either way anyway. When I applied for benefits I was only asked if anyone lived with me and not if I had a partner or not.

I really don’t think the dwp are watching everyone unless they have a reason to. Maybe they do random checks here and there but they would do surveillance usually after someone has made a report. More likely they are looking at social media rather than hiding in a bush outside your house.

Please don’t worry, some people on here seem to be aghast that anyone on benefits dares to have a partner who sets foot in their house as it’s fraud but it’s not facts. The dwp are interested in who lives at your house and who pays for what so as long as you can prove you pay all your own bills and he has proof of residency and bills at another address you are fine.

The people I know who were caught lying about someone living with them were caught due to stuff they put on social media but there was other evidence too.
You are right though. DWP dont have the time or resources to monitor everyone who claims benefits and it would be horrid if they did. Benefit claimants should be able to do normal things without it all being scrutinised and judged.

Yes if he lives with his dad he’ll have his driving licence, doctors, electoral register at that address even if he doesn’t have bills in his name. But he’d still have a mobile phone bill there. Also the dad should be paying full council tax which will be good proof.

They are much better qualified and trained to be hiding in bushes!

More to the point for the OP is that for her friend it might be too late, investigators may have already watched her/BF’s home and have evidence of comings and goings to add to bills, voting, etc etc.

I am so sorry to hear that 💐