flatmate in huge debt - debt collectors - will they take my stuff??

RAS

Sorry

it is www.bailiffadviceonline.co.uk

Can you take the link out of your message, so no-one else is misled?

StumpyPumpy

My comment was more intended to suggest that if your friends knew the grief they were causing you then they would do something to rectify the situation, perhaps I'm a bit old fashioned in that way. But as it appears they already do I'll keep the lecture on the suitability of friends for my kids to ignore

That said, leaving "Dad hat" on for a moment, I think you should reassess your housing arrangements. I don't want to pile extra worries onto you but it sounds to me very much like you are subletting off your friend(s) without any legal standing (rent book, TA etc.,). This maybe in breach of the Tenancy Agreement your friend(s) have with the original landlord. Whether or not your friends declare rent from you for tax, etc. is, on the whole, their lookout, but for you this could mean being evicted at very short notice and without any official recourse. It does not sound like a very stable environment to begin studying.

As far as being a student goes, there should be a Housing Officer whose sole responsibility is to find accommodation for the students each year. If you take this route, don't get put off by not knowing who you share with. I doubt you would end up in a worse position. Also, sharing with fellow students is a good way to get into the swing of being a student. I would suggest a call to your future uni and arrange a meeting with the Housing Officer as soon as possible. There will also be a Welfare Officer who you could also arrange a meeting with. They will do all they can to help you, you may not have started your course yet but as you will have been registered and accepted they will see you now. Forgetting (if you can) the short term bailiff issues, this could be the best longer term plan. If you don't want to hurt your friends' feelings then lines like "I need to be with other students to get the most out of the learning experience" are good to remember (worked on my parents anyway)

Finally, to find out whether you are on the electoral roll try searching on http://www.192.com/search/people.cfm (bit of a stalkers paradise, if you ask me... whoops, still got "Dad hat" on )

SP

Zebedee69

Hia!

Like Stumpy said you should go and see your housing officer and see what they can do. Explain whats happening and that your affraid in the house because of it etc etc and they should be able to sort something out.

As for your friends I dunno its a harsh one to call. Do they realise the stress ur under with these guys? I think its time to get into proper student accomodation and start drinking/bingeing/smoking/partying/running naked down street and of course the studying....... always the studying!

As for your credit file dont panic. They cant touch it as its not your debt, a cra file follows people not property so you can live in a house full of bankrupts, ccj's and defaulters and you can still grab that all important 0% offer to keep ur student debt costs low (-:

ex_bailiff

Be very carefull of some of the advise that has been given out, just because people have read or heard certain things and know what the law says, it doesn't mean they truely understand it. The laws of entry into your flat depends completely on what the debt is for as the bailiff has different powers for different debts. If rent arrears are part of the debt the bailiff can remove any goods they find on the premises regardless of who ownes them and yes padlocking your room will not help at all. To me the absolute best and safest solution to your problem is what some others have said and thats move out. All the while bailiffs are knocking on your door if its under another persons name they will not discuss the debt with you because of data protection however this could mean the debt is for rent leaving your stuff at risk and there is no real way of being sure. You are in a catch 22 situation so get the hell out of there.

Little_Miss_Road_Rage

I'm with the others on this u need to get out. And I'm sorry to be so blunt but with friends like yours you're better off on your own. Go to the Uni and get them to help u find accommodation and don't worry about who you share with cause they can't be much worse than your "friends". I think it's time for u to start looking after number 1 and forget about all these probs you've got a few years at uni ahead so u don't need other peoples worries. Get mixing with the other students and enjoy your time there. I'm sure you'll make new friends quickly as all first years are in the same boat.