It's a scam but I don't know what the scam is...

[caz1010]

My g.mother has been taken into care
Her house was placed up to rent with an estate agents to help with costs.

I've just found out my cousin has moved into the house and is paying below market value rent through the agent using housing benefit.

I want to know if this is legal.

utilities have been contacted and asked to restart accounts (including sky) yet g.mother is resident of a care home and been billed for these accounts which have obviously been restarted fraudulently.

Some cousin will pay hb to a relative. The agent presumably gets a % of the rent as a fee so less than cousin is paying is going to your gm. Cousin gets cheap accommodation , agent gets fee. Yes the utilities should be in cousin's name.

sorry some councils ...

Thank you. May see if our council are one who pays to relative.

I need to gather all my info.

G.mother has also received mail by accident in the mail re divert, from benefits setting up a claim for cousin and children she doesn't even have.

who has signed the letting agreement with cousin , gm or the agency Is she receiving any money ?

G.mother has dementia which makes it difficult to find out definite details. I believe the contract is with estate agent. just can't get my head round why cousin would leave a larger council house in a better area to move to this house so suddenly. The type of person she is there has to be something in it for her.

But someone must have instructed the estate agent to put the house up for rent - who was that? Does anyone have PoA?

Does your cousin think if your grand mother passes away she will get the house because she lives in it?

I think Nancy maybe right.
A family member pit house up for rent with g.mother instructions.

I just feel something is amiss but can't put my finger on it.

more digging to do.

would she be entitled to house as a tenant ?

Not automatically unless she inherits it 100% in the will but she would be a sitting tenant so whoever owned it would have to follow the relevant legal eviction process. That could be both protracted and potentially acrimonious if it is involves family members. Do you know how long the lease is and the terms of it ?

She could be illegally subletting her council house.
Also of utilities are in gms name she's getting those for free

But gm has dementia - she can't instruct family member to put it up for rent who is receiving the rent? Done any she need to use the income for care home fees? SS will want partial funding surely? Who manages her affairs? Someone has to.....

The rent is to help towards the cost of her care plus savings she has.
Thanks for help. I need to look into a lot of points raised here. I don't think I'm going to like what I find.

If your grandmothers savings run out and the rent alone doesn't cover the care home fees I would think the below market rent would raise questions, it would look like they were doing it to stop the house being sold to fund care.

www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/guide/vulnerable-people/Pages/vulnerable-adults.aspx

You have good reason to suspect that there is financial abuse going on.

Call the Action on Elder Abuse helpline, free and in confidence, on 0808 808 8141

Is the overall rent below the market price, or is the cousin paying under market rent and having it topped up by HB (or Universal Credit equivalent bit)?

Who has power of attorney? It's time for thst person to ensure your DGM isn't ripped off in her final days (and all her heirs not ripped off in the future!)