Living together - definition

chris_h

chris_h

chris_h

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Joined
12 May 2014
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173
Hi


I have had an argument at work with the boss who is believes himself to be right, where as I firmly believe he is not (many can relate, right?)


We were discussing household bubbles and our private lives surrounding this. I told him myself and my partner see a friend who lives alone, and we have classified ourselves as a household bubble as per the government rules issued December 2nd.


My boss claims I am not forming a bubble as I do not live with my partner, as we have two separate houses - therefore this bubble is in fact 3 houses in his opinion.


I live with my partner, however we move between my house and hers, about 50/50 share. We are together every night, and we have not been alone in our separate respected houses since August. We even share a bank account!


Who do you believe to be correct? Am I right to believe that I do live together with her, or, does the fact I own my own house and we share which house we live in mean we do not?
 
Technically you aren't a household with 2 different homes I guess, the rules on that would be more vague.

But I can't see you are doing any harm as long as other people aren't coming in to either of your two houses.
 
You're right. A bubble is formed between people, not properties.

I've got a friend in the same situation (although they haven't formed a bubble with a 3rd person). They've been together a few years (so not a new relationship) and basically he owns a house in the city that he works in, and she rents a house in a city that she lives in (about 30-40 mins away). As he works from home a lot, they tend to stay at hers during the week, and go back to his at the weekend. They would be classed as living together.
 
I think technically your boss is right, if you've got two separate addresses then essentially you've already formed a bubble between the pair of you. Though I guess this is a pretty minor rule break in the grand scheme of things.
 
The rule is for households, not houses. If you owned 2 houses together, then would he still count that as 2 separate households?

Either way, it's none of your boss's business. If he's got an issue with it then tell him to report you and watch what comes of it (i.e. nothing), otherwise he should stfu.
 
Haggisman said:
The rule is for households, not houses. If you owned 2 houses together, then would he still count that as 2 separate households?
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They don’t though so how does that question help?

I would say that technically a bubble exists between OP and their partner. The frequency in which they see each other has absolutely no bearing on whether they’re in a bubble or not. They both have their own addresses which they are sharing with each other - that’s what a bubble is.

Their friend can be in a bubble with either of them but not both.
 
I think your Boss is entitled to his opinion, and on some technical level I'm sure there is a grey area there, however I'd agree with yourself in so far as as long as the addresses are 'local' to each other then (like benefit fraud) it's quite easy to establish you are acting as a single unit..

As mentioned the spirit of the rules are against people flitting between their main home and holiday home, so both addresses being local would be the most important aspect in this case, as is your friends address, the guidance is that "it is best if this is with a household who live locally" so not a hard rule, but the qualifier shows the spirit of the rule is to minimise the spread from area to area so it's the right thing to do.
 
Haggisman said:
The rule is for households, not houses. If you owned 2 houses together, then would he still count that as 2 separate households?
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No that would be different - if they had say a house together (main address) + a second home then they're already one household. If the second home is in another area then they shouldn't be traveling to it etc.. They're a single household (with a holiday/second home) then.

But it sounds like they have two different houses/are two different households... i.e. OP owns a house, is on electoral roll there, pays council tax and bills there etc.. and his girlfriend has her house, is on the electoral roll there, pays council tax and bills there.....

I mean do they both claim the single person discount for council tax at each of the addresses?

If two people have different main addresses then surely they're two different households, if they want to live together at each other's houses during lockdown then they've formed a bubble (this is part of what a bubble was for, to allow two people dating to see each other), if they've already formed a bubble together then technically they can't add a third person/household.

In the grand scheme of things there are of course larger bubbles and this is a minor thing but the boss would seem to be correct here.
 
billysielu said:
This
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Read the OP.


We were discussing household bubbles and our private lives surrounding this. I told him myself and my partner see a friend who lives alone, and we have classified ourselves as a household bubble as per the government rules issued December 2nd.


My boss claims I am not forming a bubble as I do not live with my partner, as we have two separate houses - therefore this bubble is in fact 3 houses in his opinion.
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It was a discussion ffs. One that has now been extended to this forum.
 
Haggisman said:
Either way, it's none of your boss's business. If he's got an issue with it then tell him to report you and watch what comes of it (i.e. nothing), otherwise he should stfu.
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Maybe it's just me but I read it that they were having a discussion with their boss (some people actually get on well enough with people at work to have conversations with them) and have a difference of opinion, not that the boss has interjected himself into a situation that doesn't concern him and started throwing ****s about the place.
 
Kenai said:
Maybe it's just me but I read it that they were having a discussion with their boss (some people actually get on well enough with people at work to have conversations with them) and have a difference of opinion, not that the boss has interjected himself into a situation that doesn't concern him and started throwing ****s about the place.
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That's how I read it too.
 
His boss is definitely right, it's two household with OPs business partner. It's kinda sus even if it was girlfriend/wife. Possibly some fraud at play.

I just hope hes not being abused into it like the other guy from his business partner, seems rife in the pandemic
 
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The definitive answer is that there is no "correct answer". I think the law is sufficiently ambiguous that it needs some case law to give anything definite.
 
In that situation it seems logical and reasonable to continue doing what you are doing. I wouldn't worry about technically who's right/wrong. We have bigger fish to fry, like my local supermarket where twice I have seen people outside confronting security about why they have to wear a mask. I mean jeez
 
Kenai said:
Maybe it's just me but I read it that they were having a discussion with their boss (some people actually get on well enough with people at work to have conversations with them) and have a difference of opinion, not that the boss has interjected himself into a situation that doesn't concern him and started throwing ****s about the place.
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Sure, I realise that, but it really is just a difference of opinion/perception. Someone mentioned above "in the spirit of the rules" well, surely that works both ways. If you're in a long term relationship with someone and spend 99% of your time together, but happen to have different addresses, is that really any different "in the spirit of the rules" from having the same usual address and a second home together? Someone mentioned above that it depends on the locality - 2 houses in the same town? fine, at other ends of the country? nope! I agree with that
 
Haggisman said:
Sure, I realise that, but it really is just a difference of opinion/perception. Someone mentioned above "in the spirit of the rules" well, surely that works both ways. If you're in a long term relationship with someone and spend 99% of your time together, but happen to have different addresses, is that really any different "in the spirit of the rules" from having the same usual address and a second home together? Someone mentioned above that it depends on the locality - 2 houses in the same town? fine, at other ends of the country? nope! I agree with that
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What about two different neighbouring counties?
 
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