Terms & Conditions

[Anonymous]

We have a claimant who lives in a caravan. We have been advised by DWP that a non dep is claiming at the same address ( the non dep is the claimant’s daughter).

However, the clamaint states that her daughter isn’t living with her. Her mail goes to the caravan, she uses the caravan’s facilities, i.e shower, loo etc.However, she sleeps in another caravan adjacent to the one our claimant lives in.

CTAX are aware of this but are not going to have the second caravan banded as it is just a bedroom, not connected to gas, electric etc.They are counting the second caravan as an extension of the first.

So, are we right in assuming that the daughter, to all intents and purposes is the claimant’s non dep and part of her household? I think we are but as the claimant is insisting she isn’t I’d like a second opinion as I think it could “get nasty”.
Thanks

[markp]

Is the caravan classed as a separate dwelling? If it is you may have a problem but if it isn’t then surely it’s part of the claimant’s home.

I once had a case where the property was being demolished and replaced and so the claimant (the landlord’s mother) was moved to a caravan in the garden and the landlord asked CT to register it as a dwelling! To cap it all, CT did raise a charge on the caravan. Don’t ask me why they did not move mother in with them as they only lived next door but……….

Therefore it will, in my humble opinion, depend on whether your CT staff register the caravan as a separate dwelling.

Do I know what I'm doing? The jury's out on that........................

[Author]

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