Prior occupant still using my address - what to do?

Kstar

Hi!

I was wondering if you guys had some advice for me.

Last autumn I started renting a flat with my partner. We soon noticed that we were receiving lots of mail for the prior occupant, who had not lived there for a good few months. We always returned it to sender, but still kept getting mail for him through our door. These seemed to be bills and were starting to come with big red letters. Eventually I felt I had to open one of the letters and it was a bailiff's notice threatening to come visit our house! Apparently this person owes a lot of money to different companies so I wrote to them saying this person no longer lives here.

We received fewer letters after this but are still getting some. I never opened them so I don't know whether they are good or bad. This all looks a bit fishy to me, but I got to know this person owns a flat in my street (but does not live there) which has been put up for sale. We got letters for this person from the estate agent who is selling the house (we didn't open them). I rung them up and apparently he had given our address like it was his, about a year after he had moved out!

What do you think about this and have you got any idea what we could do? I'm a bit worried we might get bailiff's to our door, without it being our business, because of this person.


- Kstar.

Thrugelmir

Kstar wrote: »

Hi!

I was wondering if you guys had some advice for me.

Last autumn I started renting a flat with my partner. We soon noticed that we were receiving lots of mail for the prior occupant, who had not lived there for a good few months. We always returned it to sender, but still kept getting mail for him through our door. These seemed to be bills and were starting to come with big red letters. Eventually I felt I had to open one of the letters and it was a bailiff's notice threatening to come visit our house! Apparently this person owes a lot of money to different companies so I wrote to them saying this person no longer lives here.

We received fewer letters after this but are still getting some. I never opened them so I don't know whether they are good or bad. This all looks a bit fishy to me, but I got to know this person owns a flat in my street (but does not live there) which has been put up for sale. We got letters for this person from the estate agent who is selling the house (we didn't open them). I rung them up and apparently he had given our address like it was his, about a year after he had moved out!

What do you think about this and have you got any idea what we could do? I'm a bit worried we might get bailiff's to our door, without it being our business, because of this person.


- Kstar.

Keep returning them to sender for a while longer.

Hermia

That happened to me when I moved into my present flat. I was still getting tons of mail for the previous tenant (it didn't reduce to a trickle like it usually does when someone moves out). The mail would suddenly disappear every two weeks from where I left it on the communal hall table (I later found out the previous tenant was getting someone to let her in so she could get the mail). After a while I got so suspicious that I started opening her mail (naughty, I know) and she was basically claiming that she was still living in my flat. She had even taken out a mortgage on another flat using my flat as her registered address. She had loads of debts etc. I started sending her mail back to sender and did actually contact a couple of companies in the instances where she was really taking the p***. They were very interested to hear what I said. The mail soon stopped arriving! I will definitely be checking my credit file though.

caljoemor

Call the companies that the letter arrives from let them know they will need the name of the person, dates that they moved out and the address.

They will then log it on to that persons account - you may still get letters but keep returning them. The companies should stop sending and the post office will also notice that they are dealing with returned mail for the named person so won't deliver and just send back.

Also check your credit file and make sure this person is not named on your file, they could be because credit applications will be noted under your address. You can disassociate yourself by contacting Experien.

POSSETTE

ignore all this crap you will hear about against the law to open someones mail...i do it if it comes to my house,and glad i did.I kept getting debt letters for someone,then i got the Bailiffs are coming letter..glad i opened it too. Sorted them out and gave them the address of my neighbour which is where it was meant to go! No more mail!
I would also write on the envelope when doing RTS with Not at This Address Unknown.Rather than just return.Or even,if you think there maybe a reply envelope in it,use that to send it back.They are charged twice then!

sarah_elton

I still get post for the previous owner of my flat three years on. It goes in the bin.

At first I had some bailiffs letters but I just phoned them up and explained and they stopped.

Don't worry - you won't get bailiffs at the door, and it will in no way affect your credit record. These days, credit is done by person not by address. The previous tenant probably thought different.

AdrianW2

Kstar wrote: »

What do you think about this and have you got any idea what we could do? I'm a bit worried we might get bailiff's to our door, without it being our business, because of this person.

Don't worry about the debt collectors (they won't be bailiffs). They can't do anything to you, just tell them to go away and if they come back report them to the police for harassment (you may have to coax the call taker a bit, but it is a crime under both Administration of Justice Act and Protection from Harassment Act).

As they are trespassers you are entitled to use reasonable force to remove them (make sure they aren't enforcing a warrant, just in case), if you fancy having some fun.

mlz1413

If you know this person lives down the road then I would open the letters ring or write to the companies involved and advise them of the new address (even if for sale).

If they have an address of somewhere owned by him they have more chance of contacting him.

I had the same at my home, the debt agencies tend to sell on debts so each company keeps using the address the debt was originally registered / last known so it can go on for years if you don't advise each company.

GDB2222

If you do get bailiffs at your door, just tell them to go away. They have no right to enter your property, and I am sure they won't want to once they find out that you are not the debtor. So, the only downside is that "the neighbours might see".

Kstar

Thank you very much for all your replies, they were very useful - it's good to hear what other people have experienced!

-Kstar

Kstar

Thank you very much for all your replies, they were very useful - it's good to hear what other people have experienced!

-Kstar