Apparently Im to have one. I have racked my brains but Ive no idea what I have done wrong. They have had my bank statements, my partners bank statements, proof of my benefit, my partners wage slips for god knows how many weeks etc. and it took them ages to work out our claim for part housing benefit as my partner lost his job just before we moved, appealed and was reinstated. They were informed of this though, in writing, and saw all his wage slips before and after. It took them from September to December to work out our claim, and they kept coming back to me for more information, which I supplied when I was asked for it. I am sure I havent acted fraudulently, but it is entirely possible I have made a mistake on the form as I have been under so much stresss lately.

Has anyone been through this process?

Constructive replies only please! If youre just going to be nasty, please dont post as I have enough to worry about.

Not a housing benefit but a council tax investigation.They said it is an ongoing thing and everyone will eventually be checked.I had 9 letters and a home visit and ended being granted a 51p benefit.Is it all worth it?This must have cost the council £100's in admin fees,in my opinion it is just self perpetuating their own jobs.You have been honest as I was so don't worry about it.
Good Luck.

Had 2 Council Tax Benefit investigations in the last 9 months, I work 16 hrs per week for a charity - no overtime. Worked there for the last 7 years, I'm awarded a couple of quid a month council tax credit - that kicked in 2 years ago with my WTC award, I'm still under investigation, why cant they get the real villans?

On my 2 days off work Im just about the only parent taking their youngest into school, no other parents show up, but my child pays for school dinners the vast majority dont; yet they're supposed to be unemployed to get free school dinners! Just wonder what their parents are up to!

Last week i had a pre-arranged home visit from the Benefits Agency. Caused me some worry over the New Year as i got the letter on New Years Eve!
Please try not to worry. It was just routine and I had no problems. What I did find alarming was, when I was asked to produce my passport the guy told me how many people have no proof of identity!
So, don't worry!

If you are worried - try and talk to a Citizens Advice Bureau (Sharrow & Pitsmoor are the two nearest to the City Centre or a lcoal Advice Centre (there's almost 40 in Sheffield) who can give free independent advice.

If you are worried - try and talk to a Citizens Advice Bureau (Sharrow & Pitsmoor are the two nearest to the City Centre or a lcoal Advice Centre (there's almost 40 in Sheffield) who can give free independent advice.

I think I will do this!

I can only assume Ive overlooked something or made a mistake, or some of the stuff I took into photocopy hasnt been passed on to whoever.

Thank you all for your replies.

BTW its not the normal check they do when they come to the house and ask to see your bank statements etc., everyone gets those I think, Ive had a couple over the last 2/3 years. I have to go into Howden House and I will be interviewed under caution, so they obviously think Ive done something wrong, but they dont say what.

Try not to worry, it will probably turn out to be their mistake not yours. But i know i would feel the same, good luck.

I had a strange experience when claiming job seekers. I didn't even want housing benefit as had paid rent up front. I had stated I lived with two male friends and they came roud to check that our house had three bedrooms and I wasn't cohabiting with either of them. I assume if I had been they would have seen me as a dependent and not eligible. I realise that there are people who are out to get what they can from the system but I think its really unfair when they pick on innocent people
I hope it all works out for you!!

I have to go into Howden House and I will be interviewed under caution, so they obviously think Ive done something wrong, but they dont say what.

In those circumstances you realy should have someone with you at the interview. Have a word with a CAB advisor.

In these situations their carelessness with documentation can too easily turn into your criminal intent.

they r doin same wiv us its cos ya partner works they do more regular checks

when i was on the dole we used to get council tax and housing benefits
the council used to pop round a lot to see our wage slips, etc etc
its routine

An investigation does not necessarily mean that they think there's anything wrong; they just pick so many cases and check them out to make sure there isn't.

In theory they should get round to everyone at least once a year, but I don't think that's practical given the budget they have to work with.

they r doin same wiv us its cos ya partner works they do more regular checks

Thats awful isnt it!!!

As if they havent had enough of his wage slips. I thought they were papering their office with them!

If its just a check why have they given me the interview under caution letter?

when i was on the dole we used to get council tax and housing benefits
the council used to pop round a lot to see our wage slips, etc etc
its routine

This doesn't sound like an ordinary investigation like that though if they are being interviewed under caution, my advice is take someone with you, see CAB for advice on who to take, maybe they can recommend someone.

Good luck :thumbsup:

be carefull, I was overpaid (for about three months)and I nor they realised the mistake, obviously they picked up on it at some point and took my statement undere caution asked a lot of very tricky and misleading questions and eventually blamed me and forced me to pay everything back and intrest on top. was not a happy chappie as I didn't come up with the figure they did.
I have noticed there not so keen when they overcharge thou.

If it's an interview under caution then it is a suspect interview. Personally i'd be reluctant to attend an IUC without legal representation but unless you are under arrest then this is unlikely to be free.

If you do attend, make sure you ask for 'disclosure' and if you feel they don't then tell you enough information about why you are being interviewed and the evidence they have against you, then consider answering all their questions with 'no comment'.

Very worried now. Getting advice from the local drop in advice centre next week as they do CLS funded work. Is it advisable to ask beforehand what th e allegation is? It says on the letter I can do this.

Just go along and say no comment to every question, bit like what the solicitor gets paid a fortune to tell you what to say, when you get nicked.

Yes and what they tell you is known as 'disclosure'. I know it is worrying, but unless you have committed intentional deception (ie. you've known you've got more than you should have) then you've nothing to worry about.

If there is anything specific you want to know about how interviews under caution work then feel free to PM me.

Very worried now. Getting advice from the local drop in advice centre next week as they do CLS funded work. Is it advisable to ask beforehand what th e allegation is? It says on the letter I can do this.

If it says on the letter you can, it's always best to be armed with as much information as possible, and to be able to give this to anyone you might seek advice from. Good luck I hope it all works out ok :thumbsup:

Just go along and say no comment to every question, bit like what the solicitor gets paid a fortune to tell you what to say, when you get nicked.


If you do this without good reason then the "it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned" bit of the caution is relevant. If you later come back with a decent excuse that you didn't mention when asked about during interview it could cause problems if it ends up in court.

Its not a usual thing and im afraid from my own personal experience that this IS serious.
Take someone with you, they WILL try and stick it to you if you go unprepared.
I would personaly ask them if you can record the interview yourself for 'recal purposes' as you have a poor memory. This way you know exactly what was said and by who. You also need to think really hard about what they could want. Think if anything you have done no matter how small or innocent could have put you in this possition. Usual they try and turn a technicality into a conviction.
Good luck and try not to worry too much:thumbsup:

Thank you all for your replies.

BTW its not the normal check they do when they come to the house and ask to see your bank statements etc. ...I have to go into Howden House and I will be interviewed under caution, so they obviously think Ive done something wrong, but they dont say what.

I know a good few people who are on benefits (of various sorts). The general consensus of opinion amongst those of them that I have spoken to is that if these people intend to interview you under caution then they may be on a bit of a fishing expedition, although it is more than likely that they have some underlying reason for doing so. It may be that they have been tipped off that you are commiting fraud, in which case they will try to catch you out in the interview. If you have done nothing wrong then it could be the case that someone has maliciously given them false information about you just to cause you grief.

Whatever the circumstances you would be wise to treat this exactly the same as a police interview and take a solicitor along with you. The main thing to remember, as with a police interview, is to only ever answer the question that is asked and never the one that isn't asked.

This is quite simple. Imagine that you are putting your coat on and someone asks if you are going out. The answer to the question is 'yes'. You don't say 'yes, I'm just going to the chip shop'. That would be imparting information that you haven't been asked for and in a formal taped interview under caution, revealing somethging in this manner that hasn't been asked for could put you in very deep s**t. Remember that these people are not your friends and if they want to know something it is their job to ask the right questions. It isn't your job to put your head in a noose to help them out.

Best of luck with the interview and I sincerely hope that you beat them at whatever it is that they are up to. :bigsmile:

I haven't worked in benefits, but having worked with tenants I know that people who have changes in circumstances, ie in work/out of work seem to have more problems getting housing/council tax benefits sorted out than those who are permanently on income support or jsa. I think investigator makes a lot of sense and I'd take up his offer to pm him. Hope things work out ok.

Edited: spelling mistake