New home owner and strange mail.

Planner

Piggles12345 wrote: »

One (a legal representative) could argue that it is to the detriment of an individual to open their post without permission.

When I moved house and began to receive strange mail, I was advised by a solicitor not to open the mail, as this could cause problems for me (I don't know what sort of problems) given its illegality, and instead to just return to sender with a note saying 'not known at this address'.

I hope you didnt pay for that solicitor as there is no illegality, unless of course you where intending to act to the addresse detriment.

The act is clear that it means 'detriment', if it meant ' without the other persons permssion' then thats what it would say. So I dont consider a legal representative could argue that the simple act of opening a letter is 'detriment', because it clearly isnt.

Rick62

I take it Piggles failed his GCSE in English Comprehension!

kunekune

"intending to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse"

Perhaps it is to their detriment, perhaps it isn't. That isn't what has to be proved. What has to be proved is that the person who opened it (a) intended to act to the detriment of the addressee, (b) they had no reasonable excuse (which I think OP did here) and (c) knew or had good reason to suspect had been wrongly delivered. Without the fault element in (a) and (b), merely showing that (c) was satisfied is irrelevant.

OP has nothing to worry about.

lil'H

I had this once. Returned first few letters to no avail, only phoning them helped. Often the companies then sold it on to another debt company and it would all start again! Very strange that it's lots of different people!

A friend of mine brought a house and the owner refused to tell her the code for the alarm system. They had to get engeneers to disable it. She also wouldn't give a forwarding address in case they "commited identity fraud" so when a parcel arrived she opened it to see to to return it to, no address just a birthday card and a guuci watch. She was very pleased!!

poppysarah

Don't waste time opening it. Send it all back. Write "Unknown at this address" on them (Does anywhere do a stamp with this on? It'd make a great welcome to your new home present)

hethmar

Its likely the flat was a repo? It may be the people before came and went frequently just renting the property. Just do as above, ring the companies, tell them you have bought the place and to stop sending the letters to your address.

BTW, get yourself on the local electoral register ASAP as you can then prove who you are if bailiffs come knocking.

LauraF_3

When this happened to me i rang the debt collection company to let them know i had just moved in. They were quite grateful. I didn't want them knocking on my door, after all.

janey_uk

I had the same thing happen about 5 years ago in a rental flat. I phoned citizen's advice and they said it was perfectly ok to open the post, especially if I had no forwarding address. I did, it was debt collection and they were very nice about it.

The former tenant then registered a new mobile to our address months after leaving, so I contacted the mobile provider to report it as fraudulant and then his employer (as he foolishly didn't redirect his payslips). A short conversation with his HR manager later and strangely it all stopped pronto.

Ditzy_2

janey_uk wrote: »

I had the same thing happen about 5 years ago in a rental flat. I phoned citizen's advice and they said it was perfectly ok to open the post, especially if I had no forwarding address. I did, it was debt collection and they were very nice about it.

The former tenant then registered a new mobile to our address months after leaving, so I contacted the mobile provider to report it as fraudulant and then his employer (as he foolishly didn't redirect his payslips). A short conversation with his HR manager later and strangely it all stopped pronto.

There are some right numpties out there!!!!

Off topic - a bit! had a L/L open my post from an address I used to live at - managed to get him charged for it as I rented another property from him so he knew where I was. The police seemed keen to do so! Even had Victim Support ring me to offer support!!! I declined!!! :rotfl:

janey_uk

Ditzy wrote: »

There are some right numpties out there!!!!

Off topic - a bit! had a L/L open my post from an address I used to live at - managed to get him charged for it as I rented another property from him so he knew where I was. The police seemed keen to do so! Even had Victim Support ring me to offer support!!! I declined!!! :rotfl:

Good for you!! Take it you moved out soon after?