benfeits

I don't think that these days you have to tell anyone of necessary purchases. You may not have had to even when you did ethelbags1; I think this is often done to help as you will be diminishing the capital while they are still calculating against the original amount. I wonder if changing your car would still hold true? Presumably in some areas transport is an absolute essential in order to have any hope of working. This really comes down to what we should provide through benefits. I imagine that going on holiday would still be seen as depriving yourself of income. That would not stop you going on holiday but the cost would not be deducted from the capital amount held on record.

I seem to remember that lists of what any family should expect to be able to have - rather than measuring income by a percentage of the mean income - used to be the way things were done but I may be wrong there.

many people are doing similar to the person in the OP, I hear often of people reporting that their relationship has broken down and getting a council house then the other partner joins them, A relative of mine was getting housing benefit and inherited the price of half a house, this was quietly stashed away and never declared.

I always thought that the DWP checked to see if you were spending wisely, many years ago my late husband was made redundant and we were unable to claim due to the amount of money he got. We were told to use the money up for normal living expenses but we had to show receipts for large amounts. I showed a receipt for a new cooker as my old one had blown up and burnt the wall and they said it was ok to buy a cooker but just not to go on holiday or buy a car etc, we kept garage receipts too and that was ok but it was demeaning to have to show what we had spent, eventually our money was down to whatever was the limit many years ago and we got benefit for a while just before I was widowed.

I think 'fiddling' is a sign of the times.

the point is - she is not living on her state pension she has housing benefit, pension credit, help with council tax, £23,00 in savings and £20,00 in cash hidden away

This story does not add up and it is possible that she has been spinning you a tale questor. If you believe what she has told you to be true then I am not sure why you are asking what you should be doing. Ana has summed it up. You either report her or choose not to.

Anyone receiving Pension Credit and/or Council Tax benefit will have £10,000 of savings disregarded. A nominal income will be calculated from anything over that and added to the actual income you have to calculated the benefit.

When your "friend" made her claim she must declare all income and all savings, cash or banked, etc., and sign to say she has done so. If she has knowingly not done so she is committing fraud. She also has to let the DWP and the council know of any changes to her circumstances. This must have happened with the council when she moved and she will have had to show what she sold her house for - they will have known she owned it - and what she had to pay to cover her outstanding mortgage. If she had paid off other debts she would also have had to explain how much and to whom. They would want chapter and verse of the transaction and what it left her with.

If this lady has never worked then she would not have paid a full N.I. stamp in her own right and would not, therefore, be entitled to a full State Pension. In fact, her actual pension from the State would be in the region of £64.00 p.w. and any other money she receives would be in the form of benefits not pension. She would not get more pension than your husband who has worked all his life.

She has chosen to spend her own money rather than save it and this option is available to all.

I am a bit confused in my thinking on people living in subsidised rented accommodation if they can easily afford to be living in an owner occupied home or non-subsidised rental accommodation.

If people have lived in a place for years, invested in it, brought up a family there and the home has a lifetime of sentimental associations it is harder to justify an enforced move. However I can support realistic rent.

Do we worry if a very wealthy person chooses to buy a fairly ordinary house that someone with less money could have bought? or people like me?? DH and I have a family sized home . We could live in less space but choose to occupy this home rather than selling it to a 'family'.

Is it just the less well off who should not have choice?

I recall many years back a friend who could afford to buy a house but felt 'all property was theft' so wanted to continue to live in his relatively cheap to rent home. I argued then that he was using a home that someone less well off should have and that he should buy a place.

Any other views ???

Something I did not know till this week when I caught a bit of the programme on after Breakfast TV - you can live in a council house/flat and they buy a house and rent it out and still live in the Council place! In fact you can buy as many houses as you like and live on the rent as long as you still live in the Council place it is allowed!!! What is not allowed is to sublet the Council property.

The bottom line is this; your friend either; (1) disclosed all assets to DWP and is still entitled to some benefits or (2) has not disclosed all assets and is defrauding the state.
Also, for some strange reason the amount of benefits people receive is like Chinese whispers and gets more and more ridiculously distorted the more times it is passed on. I did once have a job applicant tell me, with all belief, that the Polish people who lived next door to her not only had a rent free flat, they also had a fully expensed car provided by DSS.

I know an ex friend who told the council that her Husband had thrown her out of their house. The council gave her a NEW council flat. They then sold the house and he moved in with her.

It seems to me that you have two options:

1. Shop her.

2. Deal with your bitterness and get on with your life.

The choice is yours - not sure what you want us to say! Life is often unfair.

Then I'm guessing that she is defrauding the State, and all of us!However I don't know how much savings a person is allowed to have and still make a claim.

the point is - she is not living on her state pension she has housing benefit, pension credit, help with council tax, £23,00 in savings and £20,00 in cash hidden away

Some people do blow all their cash, but it's always worth saving as you never know what will happen in life do you? she is having to live on her state pension now, which although better nowadays than it was, is not luxury, nor is it meant to be.I can see why you would be annoyed though.