Fathers debt

Marcel290676

Hi,
I hope somebody can help as I have the following problem.

My father left the country in 2003 to start a new life in Europe. However when he left he various debts, mainly with credit cards, to the tune of around £30.000.

Over the last six months I have started to recieve various letters, from various companies, including Link Financial and Lowell. All these letters are addressed to my father but have my home address on them.

My father has never lived at my address, nor have I seen him since he left the country.

My question is this, Am I liable for his debt? Do I have to pay for his mistakes?

Some of these companies are going to extreme lengths to get there money, contacting neighbours, leaving notes on pieces of paper.

I have told these companies that my father has never lived at my address.
I hope someone can help me in this matter.
Thanking you in advance

dunclane

I would suggest returning letters marked "unknown at this address" and have a "notice of [FONT=&quot]disassociation[/FONT] lodged at Experian, Equifax and Callcredit.

pogofish

Marcel290676 wrote: »

My father has never lived at my address, nor have I seen him since he left the country.

I have told these companies that my father has never lived at my address.
I hope someone can help me in this matter.
Thanking you in advance

Return the letters, unopened with "not known at this address" written on them. They will get the message eventually.

Better not to engage with them at all & if they do bother to send someone round, get their details (do not reveal anything of yourself) & see a solicitor or call the police if they get threatening.

This worked pretty well when I had someone hijack my address to get credit etc a while back. The bank also proved pretty helpful about getting credit agancy issues etc sorted.

retiredlady

Marcel290676 wrote: »

Hi,
I hope somebody can help as I have the following problem.

My father left the country in 2003 to start a new life in Europe. However when he left he various debts, mainly with credit cards, to the tune of around £30.000.

Over the last six months I have started to recieve various letters, from various companies, including Link Financial and Lowell. All these letters are addressed to my father but have my home address on them.

My father has never lived at my address, nor have I seen him since he left the country.

My question is this, Am I liable for his debt? Do I have to pay for his mistakes?

Some of these companies are going to extreme lengths to get there money, contacting neighbours, leaving notes on pieces of paper.

I have told these companies that my father has never lived at my address.
I hope someone can help me in this matter.
Thanking you in advance

You are NOT liable for your fathers debts and who tells you that you are is not only lying they are also acting illegally. They are also acting illegally by contactin neighbours etc. I would suggest sending a recorded letter to the firms address telling them if they don't stop you will not only report them to the police, but you will take out a private prosecution for harrasement and a breach of your human rights (stopping you from enjoying your home by bothering you about debts that are not yours). Don't know if that actually has any basis in fact but it might make them back off a bit!:D

Voyager2002

The lenders have a right to be annoyed. They have evidently searched various databases and the relevant surname has popped up at your address. Perhaps they also have information that in the past you lived at an address where he lived. So they have concluded that he lives at your address, and since they have not had any replies to your letters they have begun to be aggressive.

In the first instance you need to let them know that he does NOT live at your address. Presumably the initials on the letters they send for him are different from your initials, so you need to point this out to them. That should stop them: if not, there are laws forbidding harassment, and the data protection act obliges them to keep records up to date and correct errors once these are pointed out to them.

olly300

retiredlady wrote: »

You are NOT liable for your fathers debts and who tells you that you are is not only lying they are also acting illegally.

This is true.

retiredlady wrote: »

They are also acting illegally by contactin neighbours etc. I would suggest sending a recorded letter to the firms address telling them if they don't stop you will not only report them to the police, but you will take out a private prosecution for harrasement and a breach of your human rights (stopping you from enjoying your home by bothering you about debts that are not yours). Don't know if that actually has any basis in fact but it might make them back off a bit!:D

This part is not.

Anyone can ask neighbours for information and neighbours will give it. This is not harassment or breach of your human rights.

However if after the OP disassociates themselves from their father, sends all letters 'Not Known Return To Sender', they inform the debt collecting companies that they are not their father (and can prove it) then the debt collecting companies still harass them then they can claim Harassment.