Housing benefit compliance officer

[seanamarts]

Hi guys, long time no see.

 

I've a bit of an issue and don't know where I stand on this and hope someone can give a little insight on what i should do.

 

A few weeks ago my partner moved out. He was my full time carer and claimed carers allowence.

I notified housing and DWP as you should albeit about 10 days after he moved out. Which I hold my hands up to, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind at the time. ( I had just found out my landlord, who was also my friend had suddenly passed away)

So also have the worry about my housing situation. Another issue I may need help with.

 

It was all very amicable and we are still very close, we just made the decision that we just couldn't live together any longer.

 

Now I know that I couldn't discuss the carers allowence with that department because he claimed it so they cannot discuss with me. However this was over looked on his part and it wasnt deliberate either.

 

I received an e-mail from housing benefit that they couldn't take him off my claim until I gave them an address where he was living.

1. I felt that it really wasn't my place to tell people where he was living and 2 to be honest I wasn't exactly sure where he was living. All I know is that he is staying with a couple of friends and sofa surfing until he finds something more permanent.

 

I did state this to HB and they came back with he is still claiming carers allowance still at my address. I told them I would deal with it.

 

I did ask him to deal with it which he said he would but just genuinely forgot. However only a couple of days later I got a visit by 2 compliance officers demanding to come into my home.

It was 10am and had not long woken up and still groggy from my pain meds so i refused to let them in. Again he demanded to come into my home and again i refused.

 

I'm very hard of hearing and registered deaf and disabled. I hadn't had time to put in my hearing aids (my dogs let me know there's someone at the door)

So I really couldn't understand why he wanted to come into my home. He wasn't exactly being very friendly. He just shoved his ID in my face and wanted to come in.

I felt incredibly intimidated and very anxious at this point as I still had no idea what he wanted.

 

I asked if he had a warrant and he said yes this is my warrant and showed me his ID again. :???:

 

I again refused to let him in and told him I didn't understand what hevwas wanting from me and he just said that my partner was still claiming as living here. Which I said he wasn't and he said he is claiming carers from my address.

At this point I'm really getting very anxious and couldn't hear what he was saying so I told him I'm very hard of hearing and didn't understand what hevwas going on about and if he needed to talk to my partner then he should wait until he signed on to contact him as to why he was claiming it still.

 

As soon as I said that he turned and started to leave saying something which I couldnt hear.

 

I asked him if he still needed to come in and he said no

 

I then got in touch with my partner to ask if he had contacted carers allowance and he had totally forgotten. So I got him round to do it online as he couldn't get through on the phone.

 

My issue here is, can these men demand to come into my home knowing I'm a vulnerable female on my own?

 

I had already explained via e-mail the situation.

 

I'm registered deaf and disabled with Essex county council. Surely they would of known that and should of at least made an appointment, which states in their customer code of of practice.

 

I have made a complaint, however, now worried I'm going to be sanctioned.

 

It's bad enough that I'm worried sick about not knowing whether I need to move or not which they were aware of but now this.

 

Any advice would be really great guys thank you

Edited May 22, 2017 by seanamarts
Spelling

[Shoelover]

The CA is between him & the DWP. You have done your bit.

 

The compliance officers do not have a right of entry nor any warrant. They can ask nicely to come in but you can say no.

 

They can not sanction you - unless the query is on your claim and they need info from you.

[seanamarts]

The CA is between him & the DWP. You have done your bit.

 

The compliance officers do not have a right of entry nor any warrant. They can ask nicely to come in but you can say no.

 

They can not sanction you - unless the query is on your claim and they need info from you.

 

Thank you for this. I didnt think they could. He seemed like such a bully and wasnt sure of my rights here.

 

These people love to be intimidating.

[Shoelover]

Thank you for this. I didnt think they could. He seemed like such a bully and wasnt sure of my rights here.

 

These people love to be intimidating.

 

Not all of them..

 

I would just say sometimes visits are unotified but that's no excuse for rudeness or bullying

[citizenB]

It might well be worth a complaint to the department - let them know that as a vulnerable female you felt quite frightened.

 

 

Aside from above, I hope all is well with you Seanamart