MONEY MORAL DILEMMA: Would you give debt collectors someone's address?

Muffcat

Just a thought - how did the present occupiers know what was in the letters? Were the contents identified on the envelopes? I don't think it can ever be right to open anyone else's post, however suspicious you may be about the contents but, no, I would definitely not pass on anyone's new address. Just return the envelopes "No longer at this address" and hope the post office sorts it out.

starbump

RuthnJasper wrote: »

No, I wouldn't. It's absolutely none of my business. I would write "moved away" on letters and return them to sender. Any bailiffs that turned up would be politely sent on their way again and they can take up the matter with the police/landlord/whoever.

I wouldn't wish to get caught up in anyone else's mess.

Agree. I would write "not known at this address" and put the letters back in the postbox. Anyone calling in person for a previous occupant would be told (politely) not to return or simply not have the door answered. It is not my business and it's not my problem. I have no wish to become a third party.

However, I do think that bailiffs have a job to do and that debtors should be compelled to repay their debts (or go bankrupt). It's just not my job.

budgetbabe_2

Yes i would because after all they have run up the debts at what is now YOUR address and this could stop you getting credit even if you have an excellent credit rating.

Tigsteroonie

I wish I had this house's previous owner's address to forward all these blinkin' letters onto. One year after moving in, and we're STILL getting the debtors letters. That's a year of returning them to sender, marked "gone away". The companies don't seem to get the point.

So yes, if I had a previous tenant/owner's new address. I would pass it onto debt collectors, simply to stop me being harassed by them.

Cliddy

Yes I would pass on the address. It's their problem to sort their debt, not leave problems behind them. I am coming from a owner occupier perspective though. I don't want their debt on my address ! Not sure how it effects rentals and whether they would care or not. Wonder why question was biased towards rental ?

jamespir

i think i would because they could keep coming back otherwise

vocalcoach

First point: The previous tenants haven't left a forwarding address, and apparently the landlord doesn't know it? We have to assume that they know they are leaving debts behind, so it seems they have left you to pick up after them.
Or to be more charitable, they know nothing about it, and forwarding the letters would give them a chance to sort it out.

Second point: by not forwarding to their address, you are shielding them from the result of their actions. You are also relying on the debt company to think outside the box and remove you from their database. You might also be adding problems to your credit rating by not taking action.

I would definitely forward the letters to the address you've discovered, marked "no longer at this address, try ***". Then if the letters do get returned, at least the debt collection companies have more information.

We had this at our previous house, one of our near neighbours applying for things at our address over a period of a couple of years, despite taking the post round and asking them to not to do it. In the end we opened the repeat red letters and informed the company by phone of the correct address. Not our job to police or protect, just to correct bad information.

Tartanmax

Absolutely not.

I've been getting letters for the previous tenant where i now live on a weekly basis (i've been here a year) from various companies and i've just added a " Not known at this address" and posted them back, not that it's made much difference!

I have no idea of the previous tenants circumstances of why or if she did indeed leave a load of debt , It could be for anything and i certainly don't want to be responsible for adding any further worry to this poor woman.

Things happen in life which sometimes you just can't control and baliffs / debt collection agencies aren't exactly known for their understanding!

awehla

I probably wouldn't want to get involved (what if the previous tennants came back and beat me up?) so I'd just forward the letters on by crossing out my address and writing theirs on it and sticking the letters back in the post box.

Natcurvygirl

I agree that everyone needs to be personally responsible for their own actions but i also agree that i do not have the right to judge other people for their actions regarding debts , ive been a tennant for many years and had to either readdress mail or mark it gone away or unknown at this address as appropriate for previous tennants . However I once spent over a year re addressing hundreds of letters to my landlord who had previously occupied the house i was renting from them and then i started getting very suspicious of the kind of mail that was being delivered regularly (My landlords wife assured me she'd informed everyone important of their change of address !) as it was from their mortgage company the tax office , benefits agency and the dvla etc .Plus i had a number of callers from various companies looking for them ! So i actually opened some letters from the mortgage company only to discover the landlord was 18 months in arrears on his mortgage payments and that the mortgagees didnt know he had rented the property to me! Plus i'd been paying my rent on time every month for that time period!So i am very glad i opened those letter s as i then had to find somewhere else to live very quickly so my daughter and i wouldnt be made homeless through no fault of ours, all of which was at considerable cost to me both financially and emotionally . Need less to say I didnt give my former landlord my forwarding address only a strongly worded but polite letter telling them why i had quit their property!