Elizabeth13 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I'm wondering why on Earth someone would claim to have another person living at an address, when there is no one else? Why would you claim another person is living at an address falsely? What benefit could this person have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgharston Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I'm wondering why on Earth someone would claim to have another person living at an address, when there is no one else? Why would you claim another person is living at an address falsely?Accident? Unless a person who moves house explicitly tells the election office, they have no way of knowing they don't live there any more until the new occupant tells them, or they are not on the annual update in the autumn(*). Before the monthly updates came in about ten years ago I remember the old Park Ward having about 30% non-existent people one year as loads of tower blocks were demolished. If it's not an accident, it could be that that is truely the other person's main residence. For instance, a couple who each have their own property may chose to put both their names at one address if that's where the two of them spend the majority of their lives. (*)If somebody dies in Sheffield the Election Office has an agreement with the Coroner's Office that they tell them so dead people don't hang on in the register. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*_ash_* Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I'm wondering why on Earth someone would claim to have another person living at an address, when there is no one else? Why would you claim another person is living at an address falsely? What benefit could this person have? House insurance purposes? For example, if you worked abroad 6 months in the year, your house insurance could become invalid if no one else is living there. If you've got electoral role evidence that someone is living there, it might get someone out of it [the invalidation aspect]. That is a guess though. But seems viable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth13 Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 I know someone is the only adult living in a property, but now mysteriously another adult has appeared as being a resident - but there is no other adult in the property. It all seems a bit weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaffa1 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Maybe it's to stop the bedroom tax. An imaginary person sleeping in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altus Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I know someone is the only adult living in a property, but now mysteriously another adult has appeared as being a resident - but there is no other adult in the property. It all seems a bit weird. It's possible somebody has got themselves put on the electoral register for fraudulent purposes - credit reference agencies check electoral roles and somebody might be pretending to live there so they can get credit. If this is the case, it may cause trouble for you friend in the future. It could also simply be that someone has informed the council they've moved and somewhere in the process a mistake has been made and the wrong details updated. Also, if your friend pays council tax they'll lose the single person's discount if the council think there are multiple people living there. I'd advise your friend query it with the council and get it corrected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Shaw Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Maybe telephone the 'non-urgent' police hotline 101, if you do suspect fraud (e.g. HB, personation, insurance scam, etc)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth13 Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 Oh, it's not a friend altus. They've been pretty specific with the name, including a middle name initial. Doesn't seem that accidental to me. I just can't work out why someone would pretend another person is living there. It's not council owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalman Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I wonder if we're not hearing the whole story here - like why you are looking up the electoral roll entry for somebody else in the first place. An ex maybe? And how can you be so sure that this person isn't actually living there? Certainly there would seem to be no advantage at all in claiming it if you live on your own because you'd lose your council tax discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth13 Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 No, a lot more simple and innocent than that. I was looking up my local nearby neighbours houses, as a lovely lady used to live there and could not remember her name. It was then I noticed someone that doesn't exist apparently now living in this neighbouring house. I couldn't, and still don't understand why someone would claim this. Hence my question. Doesn't sound like anyone really knows either. Just a bit strange situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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