Help please - previous occupant debt

[gibbo_ap]

Me and my SO recently brought our first house. We have been getting loads of letters for the previous occupant and I assume her ex. I have been handing these into the estate agent as requested. But recently I've gotten sick of the amount of letters and opened them. They are all debt collectors!!! I immediately contacted the debt collectors to inform that they no longer lived here some simply removed the address the one today stated it was a recent loan ie last month!!!

 

How can I stop him getting loans at this address? Sorry I'm new to this house business and I knew you lots could help!

[synaesthesia]

1. unless addressed to "The Occupier" it's illegal to open mail not addressed directly to you at the property.

2. Think nothing of it - just write (or get a stamp if there's too much) "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS, RETURN TO SENDER" and re-post every letter. Within a couple of months it should die out.

3. If it is addressed to The Occupier, then you're well within your rights to contact the companies responsible - do so in writing only, stating that you will take legal action for harassment if they do not cease.

[witch]

That may not be enough as you could find that credit is hard to get as they have someone at that address as a bad risk. You need to write to the main credit check people, Experion, I think, and inform them that you now live there and are not responsible for any debts. I think there is another agency, too, you'd have to Google it

[markcuk]

Equifax - Free Credit Report, Credit Check and Identity Protection Services

 

Good luck bad debt can stay on the address. My parents went bankrupt when I was younger and I had to write a letter to the credit agencies so they would seprate my file from my parents on the address. I had to build my credit up over time with rubbish £200 limit credit cards

[Arthur]

I think there is another agency

National Hunter (the secret credit agency)?

[witch]

It's Experian and Equifax.

This is the info you need:

Credit Rating: How it works and how to improve it ...

 

There is a lot of info on moneysavingexpert.com that you could look at.

You can't afford to let this slide, you need to address the issue as soon as possible

[MK-2]

2. Think nothing of it - just write (or get a stamp if there's too much) "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS, RETURN TO SENDER" and re-post every letter. Within a couple of months it should die out.

 

not always as easy in practice. my dad received the same letter for about 6 months and kept returning saying not at this address. finally he opened a letter, which was debt collection threatening bailiffs. he rang and said not at this address and even then on the phone got told "yeah right, how do we know its not you, we might just send round a bailiff anyway"

his reply of "feel free if he'd like a f***ing baseball bat around his head" was well received i think (well i see it as don't threaten a man in his 70s with intimidation techniques like that.)

he got the landlord he was with at the time to write a letter stating he was not the person they wanted, and to stop harassing his tenant or he would take legal action.

 

some companies pass on debt collection to not very reputable collection companies who will try to do anything they can to get payment...they wont take a "not at this address" lightly.

 

not saying it will happen to everyone but just a warning

[synaesthesia]

Very good points above on contacting Experian etc - that is a must and I completely forgot about that! (I should know, really )

There are ruthless debt collection agencies around but there are laws they must abide to and I wouldn't let the above post worry you too much - I've had one really harrass me (and yes I was the debtor!) and as a result of their antics I got their licence revoked and the debt written off (I owed thousands to a number of companies yet this one was a matter of a couple of hundred pounds!) Plenty of warnings to them such as contacting the regulators involved will make them at least act like adults.

[Brucy]

I hope you have more luck than me, I'm being 'chased' by a debt collection agency (HFO Services - google them to see how popular they are) for a debt that someone in another county took out because we have the same name and DOB, currently in the middle of complaining to the Financial Ombudsmen.

[Achandler]

This happens at Univeristy addresses all the time, we use to just send them back "Return to Sender", we had one bailiff even turn up one day, we just proved we weren't the people they were looking for and they were actually very polite about it and apologised for taking our time. Not every debt collector or bailiff will be polite im sure but the one we dealt with was.

 

The problem is they just assume the person hasn't moved, and it is assumed guilt until they knwo otherwise. Like the TV licensing, you are assumed to have a TV and watch it and if you don't they get in contact with you (you dont even have to do anything to get nasty letters from them!)

[Heebeejeebee]

This happened to me. I moved into a house and for years (about 6 or 7) the previous occupant, who had left with loads of debts, carried on taking loans out under my address but her name. When the letters arrived I just wrote 'No longer at this address' and posted them back to sender. I even had debt collectors turn up at the door but they were very good and as soon as I could prove that I was a different person (utility bill, drivers licence etc.) they went away. After this I went to the police because I was worried about what would happen if I wasn't there to give them this info. I was worried that they might break in and just take my goods. The police said that it would be illegal for them to do so.

 

All I really did was send the letters back and eventually they stopped. I assumed she'd been round all of the lenders and they got wise to her. Either that or she found a new address to forge.

 

Don't do anything rash and remember you're not supposed to open mail that's not addressed to you.

 

Cheers

 

HBJB

[X-13]

I had/have the same problem.

 

The old tennants ran up a lot of debt, then dissappeared off to Spain. Some of the companies remove the address, some say they will but then don't.

 

As for not opening letters... I would do it anyway. There's nothing worse than getting home from work to find your door kicked in and your stuff missing because of bailiffs. Yes, I know they're not allowed to do it. Doesn't always stop them though. They just claim it was open. [This happened to a friend of mine.]

[Brpilot99]

Firstly any black marks with the credit agencies are registered in the persons name first and not against the address they are living at ... the address will appear on the default or CCJ but its secondary to the name. If its the same name .. for example a family member than you can do a statement of dissassociation to one of the agencies and they will then pass it to all of the others. (It happened to me!!). As stated before dont open any letters to persons unknown .. just send them back with Not at this address on them. If there is no return address then stick them in a pile somewhere. You will probably get a visit at some time and all you have to do is point the person at the voters roll and or show your passport and they will go away and that should be the end of that ... This also happened to me ... the letters were for a person 6 doors away but a typo got my number into the system...

[jinnantonnixx]

1. unless addressed to "The Occupier" it's illegal to open mail not addressed directly to you at the property.

 

Not so. It's only an offence to interfere with mail in transit. Technically, it's Her Majesty's property until it hits your doormat.

 

Bailiffs can't just turn up; they have to have a court order. Debt collectors are another matter, but they have no powers of entry.

 

I had something similar, I spoke to the debt owners (debts are bought by companies) and heard no more. You don't have to, but it's probably better to speak to the debt chasers rather than just sending the letters back.

Edited November 9, 2011 by jinnantonnixx

[X-13]

Things would be a lot better if people/countries could only spend what they have...

[Oaktech]

Indeed... I've never been in debt (other than servicing a standing couple of hundred on a credit card which i figure is good for credit rating anyway) but i've had all sorts of letters for a 'Miss East' who in fact lives at 20 nameofmyroad COURT (a set of flats) whereas i live at 20 nameofmyroad. She seems to be working her way round all the credit cards and catalogues and it would appear that as the post code is the same as mine she can get away with not putting her full address down (20, BH*****). I only found out where she actually lived when the postman misdelivered a correctly addressed letter, but i've had large men in cheap suits turn up on my doorstep looking for her and not being very polite on more than one ocassion. So far it has not affected my ability to get credit (i have a mortgage, one credit card with my bank and one store card), but i'm pretty sick of it. Sending the letters back to sender does not seem to help, and neither does delivering her letters to her property (she's never been in when i've delivered) I've contacted the above credit agencies and they say they know it's not me. Not a lot i can do now, i think!

[jinnantonnixx]

...but i've had large men in cheap suits turn up on my doorstep looking for her and not being very polite on more than one ocassion.

 

If you feel threatened, calmly phone the police in front of them.

Edited November 9, 2011 by witch

[X-13]

More on Bailiffs.

[januttall]

Phone the companies and Inform them that you have bought the property on (DATE) and no such person lives there. i know companies that will not subject you to dept recovery if you were not ther person that genorated it but only if you inform them. like with the pay for use meters (Electric & Gas) you shuld allways ring to make shure your not paying extra for some one elses dept after buying a property. but as synaesthesia says you shuld try not to open mail sent to anyone but you.

[MK-2]

but as synaesthesia says you shuld try not to open mail sent to anyone but you.

 

That's always easier said than done. What about letters that have no return address, and just state "URGENT" on the front. Who do you return to? If said company then sends out 3 of these letters a month, how do you let them know you are not the person?

[NikChillin]

Indeed... I've never been in debt (other than servicing a standing couple of hundred on a credit card which i figure is good for credit rating anyway) but i've had all sorts of letters for a 'Miss East' who in fact lives at 20 nameofmyroad COURT (a set of flats) whereas i live at 20 nameofmyroad. She seems to be working her way round all the credit cards and catalogues and it would appear that as the post code is the same as mine she can get away with not putting her full address down (20, BH*****). I only found out where she actually lived when the postman misdelivered a correctly addressed letter, but i've had large men in cheap suits turn up on my doorstep looking for her and not being very polite on more than one ocassion. So far it has not affected my ability to get credit (i have a mortgage, one credit card with my bank and one store card), but i'm pretty sick of it. Sending the letters back to sender does not seem to help, and neither does delivering her letters to her property (she's never been in when i've delivered) I've contacted the above credit agencies and they say they know it's not me. Not a lot i can do now, i think!

 

Might be worth looking at changing your house number to a name?

Edited November 9, 2011 by NikChillin
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[sonofsanta]

We occasionally get this still after 2 years of owning our property, and get lots of letters from phone companies, loan companies, HMRC... all to previous donkey. Unfortunately anytime any of them ring up it seems to be my mother in law in the house who answers it, but the first time I manage to get them on the phone I am going to go ballistic at whatever supervisor is unlucky enough to get me, because we are constantly requesting details be taken off databases and getting nowhere.

 

FWIW though, majority of bailiffs are professionals and are just doing a job and should be reasonable and polite so long as you are as well.

 

Things would be a lot better if people/countries could only spend what they have...

Good luck ever owning a house with that approach Infact, even excluding mortgages, good luck getting a house with that approach - I had a dog of a time the first time I applied for a mortgage because I was invisible to the credit agencies. Having a credit card or two and just spending on them within your means is a good idea - personally I just use my credit card for paying for fuel, and occasionally bigger things (car service) where I already have the money in savings.

[jinnantonnixx]

 

FWIW though, majority of bailiffs are professionals and are just doing a job and should be reasonable and polite so long as you are as well.

 

Quite so. They don't want to waste their own time barking up the wrong tree.

[MK-2]

Good luck ever owning a house with that approach Infact, even excluding mortgages, good luck getting a house with that approach - I had a dog of a time the first time I applied for a mortgage because I was invisible to the credit agencies. Having a credit card or two and just spending on them within your means is a good idea - personally I just use my credit card for paying for fuel, and occasionally bigger things (car service) where I already have the money in savings.

 

Agreed, although it is a total ridiculous notion. You're pretty much saying "look, I regularly take out loans for things I might not always be able to pay for in full, please give me £100k loan".

It's also totally messed up. My wife had a previous mortgage on her own, car loan, credit cards paid regularly, etc. I had very little in terms of credit, yet when we went to buy a wardrobe and pay on credit, she was refused and i was accepted, and they couldn't even see a reason why. So you spend on credit cards to boost your limit, then still get blown out the water for doing it. no-win situation really

[Sirbendy]

I'm still getting mail for past owners of our place. I've already exploded at EON and STW about their bloody stupid billing systems that allow multiple occupiers at one address without flagging a "WTF?" check. Most mail I bin, some I will open if they look urgent/bad enough..like EON/STW threatening final action on debts.