use of my address by non-resident

haj_3

this year my husband and i decided to rent our 2 spare rooms to lodgers we had found on the internet. we had previously rented rooms to family but this had not worked out. our second lodger via the internet moved in sept- dec. he appeared presentable but he soon changed and presented some difficulties- which we were willing to discuss before renewing his agreement. he never had any post sent to our address. he left at the end of his 3 month agreement whilst we were on holiday- he left a letter but no forwarding address. since his departure we have received 2 letters from different debt collection agencies. as i have been made aware today it is illegal to open some one else's post- without reasonable excuse. my reasons which are excusable are that i do not want this persons debts registered at my address nor bailiffs arriving at my door demanding to know who i am! I have spoken to him face to face at his workplace asking him to rectify the matter. then today the second letter arrived and he was not at work so i contacted him him via a networking site. his response was ignorant to the problem and he told me to throw the letters in the bin. however, i prefer to contact the agencys direct to inform them that he does not live here.

Not only am i outraged at his behaviour which has caused me much angst, i am shocked that many people in uk are subjected to this and other types of fraudulent activity in their own homes.


Does anyone have any advice on how to manage this??

Many thanks, haj :-)

tiger

Return to sender will be enough.is not u r problem

sillyvixen

contact the agenceys and give them details of his leaving date - the cost of a phone call is better than having a baliff turn up when both your niebours are mowing their lawn on a nice spring evening - it has happened to me with a tennent who rented my house 5 years ago - since thn i have always opened his mail and contacted his creditors - you say you tried to contact him at work - as you have no contact address if you have internet contact with him tell him to sort it out or you will give his work place details to his creditors (i am sure he really does not want that)!

sillyvixen

tiger wrote: »

Return to sender will be enough.is not u r problem

no i did for 18 months and still had baliffs turn up for a tennent who left the property before it had changed hands twice!!

Dizzy_Ditzy

contact the companies concerned and give them his work address

markharding557

The dc's mail will be addressed to the person,not specifically your address.
you just need to tell them that he has left and that you are not that person.

missile

haj wrote: »

. as i have been made aware today it is illegal to open some one else's post- without reasonable excuse. )

Where did you get that advice?

AFIK, it is illegal to open mail in transit, but after it has been delivered to your address it is not illegal to open it?

However, this may not solve your problem. Debt collectors may not believe he has left / accept you don't know where and still harass you, until they find his new address.

<sebb>

missile wrote: »

Where did you get that advice?

AFIK, it is illegal to open mail in transit, but after it has been delivered to your address it is not illegal to open it?

Here is the relevant section from the Postal Services Act 2000
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2000/ukpga_20000026_en_8#pt5-pb1-l1g84

Interfering with the mail: general

(1) A person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, he—
(a) intentionally delays or opens a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post, or
(b) intentionally opens a mail-bag.
(2) Subsections (2) to (5) of section 83 apply to subsection (1) above as they apply to subsection (1) of that section.
(3) A person commits an offence if, intending to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him.
(4) Subsections (2) and (3) of section 83 (so far as they relate to the opening of postal packets) apply to subsection (3) above as they apply to subsection (1) of that section.
(5) A person who commits an offence under subsection (1) or (3) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both.

Dr.Shoe_2

Yes but you have a reasonable excuse in that you suspect that the addressee has committed a fraudulent act...

pingu2209

Personally i would phone the debt collectors up and give them all the contact details you have, work and network site.

Milliewilly

I have had this problem where the previous owners who emigrated to Spain(from 10 years ago) were using my address with the local Doctors to keep their foot in the door for tourist NHS treatment. I informed the doctors that they didn't live there.