When does benefit fraud occur?
Both Housing and Council Tax Benefit are "means tested" benefits. This means that we have to obtain specific information about anyone who wishes to claim these benefits so that their entitlement can be calculated correctly.
Benefit fraud occurs when a person gets more benefit than they are entitled to by knowingly or dishonestly withholding or falsifying information in respect of their claim for benefit.
Types of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit fraud
There are many different ways that benefit fraud can occur, these include:
- undeclared partner
This can either be not telling us about your partner when you first make a claim, or not letting us know when your partner moves in during your claim. - undeclared income
Not telling us about money you have coming into your household, whether at the start of your claim or during the time you are claiming. This could be from Tax Credits, other benefits, maintenance payments, or rent from a lodger. These are only examples and do not form a complete list of all the types of income we need to know about. - undeclared earnings
Not telling us about any employment you, or your partner, undertake either when you first make your claim or any employment that started during the period you are claiming. - undeclared capital
Capital includes any accounts, savings, and investments you, or your partner, have and any property you, or your partner, own, whether someone is living there or not.
Other types of benefit fraud include:
- non-residency
- undeclared non-dependant
- falsifying rent documents