im being pulled in as someone has reported me for letting my ex husband stay at my address

for a recent period of 7 weeks i let my ex husband stay with me while i was in hospital and the few weeks i was getting better. i will admit to this as i had no choice he had to stay in my home as i have children with him that need looking after. but what im worried about is that they think im living with him in a relationship which is soo untrue and when hes stayed here he has bunked up in my childrens room and theres no eotional or pysical relationship its purley for help with the children as one of the children is disabled and needs help that i cannot manage with. over the years he has shared homes with friends he no longer has contant with or sleeping with parents / sleeping rought and a 6 month flat tenancy i cannot prove he hasnt been with me will thay asumme he has lived with me all the years? i dont know what to do

Does he have his post, etc. registered to you or elsewhere?

Hello there. I don't know how much money is involved, but prison is not common for benefit fraud.

If you have time, please read around the forum. This crops up all the time and if you read how other people have had the same problem and come through it, you should feel better and have some idea how to deal with this. In some cases, telling the truth is all it takes.

My best, HB

is it just 7 weeks your being investigated for? if so a definite no! wouldn't have run up much of an overpayment I would have thought, or is it longer?

Welcome to the site.

From what you say you have some very good mitigating circumstances.

They will undoubtedly be looking at the information they have been given,and are likely to go into this with a fairly good idea.

Just be open and co-operate.

There is a big difference between those who deliberately commit benefit fraud and those who have broken some rules because their circumstances were a factor.

You should not lose sleep or worry about the possibility of Prison-this is something that is only given in extreme cases or repeat offenders where there are large amounts involved.

You do not appear to come over as someone who was out to deliberately defraud.

The fact that you came here to ask for advice demonstrates that you have concerns.

No one can say exactly that penalties will be imposed,but that answering questions honestly,and being able to satisfy them of what you tell here,it will certainly help with any action they may feel is needed.

If you can prove he doesn't live with you then that will help alot. If he can get statements from the people he has stayed with and a copy of the tenancy agreement he had then that's enough to prove he wasn't living with you at those times. Also if he writes a statement confirming he isn't living with you and giving the addresses of the places he was staying will help x

i asked him has he used my address and he said yes he has used my address he never changed his bank details because it was apprently more secure but i never had any statements come here so i never knew . things he has used it for are contract phone i was totally un aware of this and job appliacations ;-( .. i have alway known that debt letters for his old debt from back when were were married have come here but i alway just chucked them away as he wasnt here i have phoned the companys few times to say he moved on but they continue to send them so i just chucked them away

i cannot get any statements from people he was living with as they have all moved on now ;-( no mail to prove he was living there nothin ;-(over the years i have let him bunk up here with the kids when hes been desperate as ive felt sorry for him and hes the father of my kids but i dont know what i can do to prove we were not living as a married couple as from anyone looking on the outside it would look like we were at times but behind closed doors we deffo was no married couple its all a show for the kids i thought i was doing right my kids trying to keep him close to them now im going to be penaliseed ;-(