Help, problems with previous owners.

lunar

I am really hoping someone can help me with problems relating to the previous owners of our house.


We bought the house in May from a couple who had just got divorced, the sale of the house was ordered by the court. When we moved in we only had a forwarding address for the wife so we re-directed all her mail as it arrived.


She did not want to have anything to do with her ex husband and we don't have a forwarding address for him. We kept his mail for about a month after we moved in, in case he came to collect it. He never showed up and we didn't have any way to contact him so I marked all the post as 'not at this address, return to sender'. This is what we have been doing ever since.


Three weeks ago I got a knock at the door from bailiffs demanding to be let in to seize goods. I didn't let them in, they wouldn't believe this man had moved and would only leave when I started to dial 999 on my mobile, one even had his foot wedged in the door. I was absolutely terrified being at home alone with my baby.


Yesterday more mail arrived for this man, I know I shouldn't have but I opened 3 of the letters. One was from a debt collection agency saying that he had 7 days to pay or they would send in the bailiff's and the other 2 were saying that bailiff's have been instructed to come to the house and can seize goods within the next week.


So now I am sat here on a sunny day with all my windows and curtains closed and even missed a recorded delivery parcel as I didn't know who was at the door. Can anyone advise me what to do to stop them coming, if I phone the numbers on the letters will I just get told off for opening the mail? Do I really have to put up with them coming to my home and threatening me?


Thank you to anyone who is still reading and for any help you can give me.

PasturesNew

In the past I've opened such letters and phoned the company, then never had another letter.

The best thing you can do is grab yourself an information/proof pack that you are who you say you are and you bought the house. e.g. passport and letter from solicitor/mortgage company showing the date. Then give them that to see and pass them the wife's address.

tek-monkey

An old flatmate ran up debts at our place, after the first bailiff appeared he advised me to open all future post and let the people know he wasn't there. Had several letters but no more bailiffs.

I_know_my_ABC_and_my_CMYK

Could you not send the guys mail c/o the solicitor they used for completion on the house?

Pete111

Contact the bailiffs/collection agency direct and explain the situation.

I had several demands from collection agencies that came through for the previous owner of a house I bought a while back - one phone call to clarify they no longer lived at my place and nothing more came through.

You need to sort this horrible sitiation out so I recommend you get on the phone to them asap.

If you bought in May the land registry will show the house was sold then by now also

princeofpounds

Normally bailiffs are totally ok. You should be able to show them something to demonstrate that you are not the person they are looking for and they walk away. Usually speaking to the office suffices.

You did the right thing not letting them in, as they can then force entry subsequently.

What that one did was unacceptable. You should complain to his company and then to the SIA.

iscrimger

You're really not allowed to open someone else's mail regardless if they have moved or not.

If a person no longer lives at an address you either forward to their new address or return the letter to the sender... simply write 'No longer at this address' or return the letter to your postman.

You could also use the 'Return to Senders' address and contact them. I've done this in the past, google the company name or address and find a contact number and explain the person no longer lives here and they keep sending letters. They might ask you a few questions about if you know where they are or how to reach them. They may ask you to open the letter to get a reference number or similar.

You should never open someone else's mail (it is a criminal offence) and some proof you now own the property and they no longer do should be enough to get rid of the bailiff.

bryanb

iscrimger wrote: »

You're really not allowed to open someone else's mail regardless if they have moved or not.

If a person no longer lives at an address you either forward to their new address or return the letter to the sender... simply write 'No longer at this address' or return the letter to your postman.

You could also use the 'Return to Senders' address and contact them. I've done this in the past, google the company name or address and find a contact number and explain the person no longer lives here and they keep sending letters. They might ask you a few questions about if you know where they are or how to reach them. They may ask you to open the letter to get a reference number or similar.

You should never open someone else's mail (it is a criminal offence) and some proof you now own the property and they no longer do should be enough to get rid of the bailiff.

Not true actually, mail is delivered to an address, not an individual.

pinkshoes

Just phone up the companies, tell them the house was sold back in May, and give them the address of his ex wife! Perhaps she'll know where he is...

jenhug

we had this problem, I was only 19 when we bought our first house, 2 large suited men turned up at my front door! Luckily my other half was bigger so their size didn't worry me, but I just showed them my driving licence and gave them the solicitors details.

I also forwarded on all the letters to the solicitor because I was told they charge for forwarding on mail!

ognum

I agree phone the companies, explain the situation and also give the number of the EA who sold the house and the solicitor you used for the conveyance.