debts appeared in my name from nowhere throught the letter box

Dilfred

A rather weird one this, but hope you can help.
I have recently moved into a house supplied by the council for me. Housing relocation and have been receiving letters addressed to the occupier for some bills. I rightfully/wrongly ignored them as they are not my debts.

However, I am now getting letters from a debt collector addressed directtly to me asking for payment of these bills. They are starting to threaten baliffs etc.

What should I do? I have not spoken to them yet as I am a little afraid to incase they try to make me pay for these bills even if they are not mine. I don't know anything about who/what lived at this house before me to defend myself any further.

What options do I have?

RobertoMoir

Dilfred wrote: »

A rather weird one this, but hope you can help.
I have recently moved into a house supplied by the council for me. Housing relocation and have been receiving letters addressed to the occupier for some bills. I rightfully/wrongly ignored them as they are not my debts.

However, I am now getting letters from a debt collector addressed directtly to me asking for payment of these bills. They are starting to threaten baliffs etc.

What should I do? I have not spoken to them yet as I am a little afraid to incase they try to make me pay for these bills even if they are not mine. I don't know anything about who/what lived at this house before me to defend myself any further.

What options do I have?

You don't have to defend yourself. They have to prove you owe this money.

Ignore the rubbish about bailiffs, that's just idle threats. Anyone they send around to your house at the moment will be no more than a debt collector and they have no right to be on your property once you tell them to go away, let alone do anything else.

There's a template letter kicking around these boards to write to people about debts about which you have no knowledge. I suggest finding that and using it.

Just to be clear - you could continue to ignore this tripe and if they're foolish enough to try and take you to court for someone else's debt you can make them look pretty stupid at that point. It isn't your problem, they can't make you pay for debts that are not yours. However, it is probably sensible to write to them as I suggested above. But lets be clear about this - you are doing them a favour by taking that attitude and you don't have to prove that you do not owe the debt, or that you are who you say you are or anything else, if they think you owe them something they have to prove that.

McKneff

No one can make you pay bills that are not yours.

Addressed directly to you - Is it your name they are putting on the envelopes
as opposed to 'the occupier'.

Have you opened any of them that are addressed to you.

Dilfred

Some were addressed originally as "the occupier" however recently they have started to arrive with my name on the front in full.

is it worth me checking my "credit rating" too? will they have black marked it?

RobertoMoir

I don't see how they could do anything to your credit record. It probably wouldn't hurt to check though if that helps you feel better.