A COUPLE have been ordered to pay more than £900 after falsely claiming they were landlord and tenant.

Folasade Ogidan, aged 27, also known as Folasade Dosumu, and Adedeji Dosumu, aged 31, of Dunlop Close, Dartford, made a claim for housing benefit on January 8, 2004.

The claim, which was for Ogidan's privately rented property, cited Dosumu as her landlord.

Two further claims were made last May stating the same information.

However, she had previously provided the council tax team with a copy of her marriage certificate to Dosumu on December 28, 2000.

Dosumu wrote a letter in July last year claiming Ogidan was in arrears of £1,300 as his tenant and he would have to eject her if she did not pay.

In an interview with fraud officers, he admitted Ogidan had never paid the full amount of rent to him, making the £1,300 an unreliable figure.

Both admitted being married but maintained they separated during the period Ogidan made the claim.

The couple appeared at Dartford Magistrates' Court on February 7.

Ogidan pleaded guilty to three offences of making a false statement in order to obtain housing benefit and was fined £255.

Dosumu pleaded guilty to three offences of knowingly allowing Ogidan to produce a false statement.

He was fined £495 and will have to pay prosecution costs of £181.