Different types of benefit fraud

Working and Claiming

This usually involves claimants who are in receipt of Housing and/or Council Tax benefit on the basis that they are entitled to Job Seekers Allowance/Income Support but are in fact working.

Any cases that arise in these circumstances will usually involve a joint exercise between the Council and the Department of Works and Pensions.

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Non Disclosure of Property and/or Capital

This is where the claimant fails to declare either savings and/or capital or the ownership of another property and/or piece of land elsewhere.

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Non Disclosure of Income

This is where the claimant fails to declare all of their income knowing that the non-declaration will increase their benefit award.

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Non Disclosure of Partner (Living Together as Husband and Wife or Civil Partners)

This usually involves a claimant on Housing and/or Council Tax benefit that fails to declare the presence of a partner who is working, knowing that this would effect their entitlement.

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Non-Declaration of Non-dependents or sub-tenants

This is where the claimant fails to declare the presence of other adults in the property in order to preserve or increase their entitlement to benefit.

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False claims by Home owners

This is where the owner of a property falsely claims, stating that they are in fact paying rent for the property and inventing a fictitious landlord.

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Failing to declare a change of address

This is where a claimant fails to declare that he or she has moved but still continues to accept payments of Housing Benefit for their old address.

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False Address Fraud

This occurs when the claimant is claiming for an address at which they are not in fact living. This type of offence may occur with the consent of their landlord or other tenants.

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Landlord Fraud

This is where a landlord continues to receive benefit paid directly to him or herself for a period after which he or she is aware that the claimant has left their premises. Where the landlord has access to more than one property there is the potential to move tenants around without informing the Local Authority.

There are many other ways that Landlords and Agents can defraud the benefit system, particularly in areas where there are a large proportion of Multiple Occupation houses and Seasonal Workers, looking for short-term lets.

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