tenant requires proof of ownership for SWA

One of my tenants is applying for Supplemantary Welfare Allowance using form SWA 1. He has been requested to provide something to prove that I own the property. I called the Health board to confirm this. I was told that people were signing leases who did not own properties in order for people to illegally claim the allowance. So they now require something from me. e.g letter from the mortgage company, house insurance documentation, etc., to prove that I am the owner of the house. I am not very happy about giving something of this nature to my tenent but I also do not want to prevent my tenent getting the claim approved. Have any other landlords been asked to do this, and if you did, what documentation did you use.

I was asked for a solicitors letter verifying I owned a property a few years back. Like yourself, I didn't want to do this due to the time & cost involved. Call the welfare officer & said that this wasn't required the last time Luckily she remembered the last tenant (for good reasons!!) so I didn't have to supply it.

So if it's been rented to a SW tenant before you may be OK, or you may be able to forward the letter from the mortgage company direct to the officer & bypass the tenant.

I was asked for the same a few years back. Just used one of the correspondence letters from solicitor at the time. Sent it directly to SW though!

Ownership of property is in the public domain (land registry etc) so i dont see any problem in showing someone that i own a property

As Sam H suggested, if you don't want to give the letter/documentation to the tenant, you could post it directly to the Community Welfare Officer at the health centre.

Tell the CWO to call the PRTB to check.
Make the PRTB do some work for their money.

minion said:

Tell the CWO to call the PRTB to check.
Make the PRTB do some work for their money.

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This cannot be done. The PRTB can only speak to the owner. I've noticed the health board /CWO have been asking for more proof recently as I had to write a letter to them for a tenant.

Bronte said:

This cannot be done. The PRTB can only speak to the owner. I've noticed the health board /CWO have been asking for more proof recently as I had to write a letter to them for a tenant.

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Dont they put a database online with every landlords name and address on it.
Sounds to me like they speak to the whole world.

The data base has a list of rented properties but it does not list the names of the landlords nor is the list in my personal opinion reliable.

Bronte said:

The data base has a list of rented properties but it does not list the names of the landlords nor is the list in my personal opinion reliable.

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Tje neighbour of one of my tenants got my name and address last year and called to my house.
They wanted to complain to me that the tenant had a cat.

Iasked them where they got my home address and they said they got it from the PRTB. They are definitely giving out info.

I don't doubt you but I find it strange that they would give out this information over the phone. When I've rung them to deal with a property I've had to prove who I am before they will discuss my tenancy with them so I fail to understand how they gave your home address to a complete stranger.