Blacklisted Property :s

Rainbow_Butterfly

I am asking this on behalf of friends of mine. They moved into their property a couple of months ago to find that the previous tenants (who had moved out about 6 months previous) had ran up a large bill with British Gas which was still unpaid.

They have letters from the litigation department of debt collectors saying that the property has been blacklisted, and they have confirmed this with the people who own the house.

Now I know that officially, legally this is not supposed to be able to happen. However I have also found things saying the likes of 'If your property has been blacklisted, please contact trading standards/ Financial ombudsman' etc etc.


So surely, although illegal, it does still happen?

They have had huge problems since moving in, even though they have a good credit history previously. They had a credit card application approved just before they moved house, which has since been un-approved when they informed them of the change of address. BT also made them pay a big deposit to have a line put in, and they have been unable to renew mobile phone contracts that they have had for years.

I have advised to make sure that their names are correct on the electoral roll, and to check their experian/equifax/call credit files incase they are showing on there as financially linked to the old tenants.

They have spoken to the litigation dept, and said they live there, but have been told it will take up to 3 months for the blacklisting to be lifted.

Is there anything else that can be done?

Rainbow_Butterfly

bump.. any ideas? xx

Rainbow_Butterfly

bumpity bump

Walshyboy84

I had a very similar problem with both my recent properties!

The landlord should pay those bills even if they're not on the name. That's what deposits are for. At least that is what I like to think!

If it's going to take three months, then it's best to wait three months. Get the friends to then chase it up weekly and get updates. The debt SHOULDN'T be linked to them however when going through things like Experian when I used to do loans, things like that can crop up.

Hold tight and let things pass over is my advice. If credit is needed, then it's best for the friend to talk to their bank in person and explain this and they might be able to help!

I'm sure people will have more legal advice than just this but this was based on previous experience for me!

kte

I read your post with interest Rainbow Butterfly...We've also had lots of problems since moving into our flat - large scary debt collectors knocking on the door...baliffs turning up...yesterday another set of letters from the courts looking for the previous tenant and again saying debt collectors will be sent...all because of the antics of the previous (crazy!) tenant who was there before us.

Also had companies I had previously ordered from cancel orders when I asked for my new postage address to be used.

Does anyone know how likely these things are to affect us in the future? How can I find out for sure if the property has been blacklisted and what do I do?

Thanks...

Rainbow_Butterfly

Kte, unless anyone else can offer additional help, the only thing I can suggest is what I have advised my friends to do. Make sure your name is on the electoral roll at the property, and make sure the old tenants are taken off, and also get a copy from each of the credit reference companies of your credit report, and just check there is nothing untoward on there, and you are not showing as financially linked to anybody you shouldnt be.
In the event of bailiffs/ debt collectors calling, do not let them into the property, and maybe have a photocopy of your tenancy agreement, showing when you took over the property to throw at them out of the window. You could also post a copy of this to the courts if required. xx

longforthesun

When I bought my current house the previous owner had not paid their Gas bill to British Gas. I wanted to use my previuos supplier for Gas and Elec but they were told by British Gas they would not allow them to take over as their was an unpaid bill and in effect I was forced to use BG as my supplier. I called British Gas and told them they could not do this as it was not me who had run up this bill. They were not for letting this go but I got tough with them and they eventually admited they could not hold me responsible or black list my property and that it was their responsibility to locate the previous owner (if i had had a forwarding address i would have given BG it) DO you have a contract that shows the date you took over the property? This should be all the proof BG need and you should only be billed from that period onwards. Have the problem is that BG staff have no idea what they should be doing.

kte

Thanks Rainbow Butterfly...wish your friends luck with their problem too...

misslindy

I had some bad tenants in my house. When my new tenant moved in and tried to buy something on credit she had to pay £15 to get a credit report off Experian and even though she had a good credit rating the company said they could not deliver to that address as it had £33000 of debt on it. Is this legal ? Does anyone know what she can do about this ? She got the goods from a catalogue instead but why should she have to?

bathgatebuyer

Definitely a strange one as there is (officially) no blacklist as such. I would have, therefore, thought this to be a breach of the Data Protection Act. Of course, energy supppliers can choose to supply who and wherever they like, but I would have thought that they would need to be able to justify a refusal fairly and not on the basis of someone's elses misdemeanours.

Complain to Energywatch.