'the rules are still open for interpretation' ....surely the rules are already laid down in black and white and it is simply a matter of these firms being unable to conform to them? WD

I seem to be the only one taking the "don't throw the granny under the bus" approach. I honestly think that if you present the case as a fraud by the granny then your friend will definitely lose the roof over his head. The DWP will treat the situation as out and out fraud and will ignore any legitimate defence your friend and his granny could bring to retain the payments. Read the following link from the DWP: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/rr2-a-guide-to-housing-benefit/housing-benefit/ You'll see that it confirms the points I made earlier about "close relations" and the other requirements for a

I'm certain others will have input, but it's the weekend and late, so you may have to wait a little while for assistance. From memory, I think that grandparents are not considered a "close relative" and therefore are eligible to rent their property to their grandchild on housing benefit. It will still need to be on a commercial basis (i.e. at the market rate) and there will have to be a legally binding rental agreement in place too. Assuming both of these criteria are met, I would ask the bank to confirm when the mortgage was settled (or transferred in favour of) the grandparents and/or disclose whatever paperwork is available from the s

If they are declining the claim then they already know they're declining it so a letter should (In my opinion) take no longer than seven days. Feel free to quote this to them. "12. Creating extra paperwork Requiring a consumer who wishes to claim on an insurance policy to produce documents which could not reasonably be considered relevant as to whether the claim was valid, or failing systematically to respond to pertinent correspondence, in order to dissuade a consumer from exercising his/her contractual rights." oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/business_leaflets/cpregs/oft979.pdf Unless you get someone with a bit o