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

Wise_old_owl

If someone runs up debt they should be held to account for it... otherwise they will never learn to be responsible for their actions.

dotchas

I definitely would (and I have done) ,why should anyone get away with not taking responsiblity for their debts.
If a friend of yours was owed money by a third party ,would you tell your friend if you know where he could find the third party?
Or if you were owed money from someone ,would you expect a friend to tell you where they could be found?

System

I think the original dilemma said would you give the previous tenants new address to the bailiffs? I wouldn't do that but I would certainly send mail on to the old tenant if I knew the address. I think the people who are saying they would politely send the bailliffs away are a little naive though - relatives of mine came home to their new house to find the bailiffs had removed the contents of their garage to pay off debts from the previous owners - it took a long battle to convince the company that the debts were someone else's, and get their stuff back.:(

jgriggle

Wise_old_owl wrote: »

If someone runs up debt they should be held to account for it... otherwise they will never learn to be responsible for their actions.

I agree with the first part, but to do it in order to teach them to be more responsible means you are appointing yourself as their moral guardian when it's really none of your business.

When we moved into our house we kept getting letters for the old tenant, which I marked 'return to sender'. They kept coming so I eventually opened one, and it was from a debt collection agency. I rang them and told them the tenant had gone. The woman wanted to know my full name and date of birth! I told her it was none of her business, and that all she needed to know was that the tenant was no longer there. She told me she needed the info to update her records. One false name and DOB later and the letters stopped.

It's important to note that Court Bailiffs and Debt Collectors are entirely different. Debt Collectors are private businesses who buy bad debts from companies at a hugely reduced rate, and then intimidate the debtors to try and get the full amount back. They usually operate right on the edge of the law. They are right down there with wheel clampers in my book.

pennypinchUK

1. I wouldn't know the content of the letters, as I wouldn't open them;
2. As a landlord, I return all post for previous tenants marked "Gone Away", whether they're official letters or Christmas cards, etc.
3. Again, as a landlord, if the debt collection company manage to contact me (either by phone, post or in person I'll refer them to the managing agent. I've rarely had the forwarding address of the old tenant anyway, so this isn't a cop out.
4. If by some chance I did have the forwarding address I'd have no problem passing on the details to the debt collection company. It's for the tenant to resolve, not me. I once had a debt collection company try to force entry to my tenanted property. Thankfully it was an industrial strength door and they couldn't get in. Aside from suing their pants off for the damage caused I really don't see why I should be involved. Not passing on details is merely complicit with the tenant who had run up the debt - why cover up for someone who has run off without meeting their obligations?

hannahl987

I certainly would pass on any details that I had.

I work in a collections department and spend most of my time looking for people who have "done a runner" so to speak. By the time we manage to track down the debtor they are past the point of no return and the account goes away for further action.

If we their correct details to start with or people gave us any information they had, it would help us get to them quicker and give us more of a chance to get some kind of payment arrangement set up. People try to run away from their debt or bury their head in the sand to avoid the fact that they are struggling. If they got in touch with us soon we could do more to assist.

apprentice

Bailiffs and debt collectors made my father's and my life hell when we were completely innocent after being tied to someone financially.

They are bullies in suits and use some extremely dodgy and callous tactics to trace people. I am certain my late father had his stroke due to the stress caused by these people.

I will NEVER co-operate with them and send all mail back RETURN TO SENDER.

amy_love

First I would return letters to sender and after a while I would forward the letters.

Of course they need to pay off the debt, and they've left me with the problem while running away from it! Moving house is not a chance to leave debts behind.

astevens4

2 comments here for me:

1) Court Bailiffs Can enter and distrain (remove) goods so long as they dont damage anything getting entry (so having a locksmith open the door, or getting in via an unlocked window etc . . . are all perfectly legal) so DONT just ignore these letters - send them back with a letter stating the situation by recorded delivery.

2) In my case i bought a house from a couple who we were originally purchasing from but hadnt told their mortgage company and neither had their awful conveyancer, so it was reposessed and they declared bankrupt 3 days before the exchange & completion date. 6 weeks later we bought it off the mortgage company for LESS than we were intending to buy it for from the couple.
We got TONS of mail for them demanding money and these companies ignore the ones returned "not at this address" and we have taken to returning them with a copy of the land registry and details of the bankruptcy date, court and number to prove it - and all bar the local council (council tax) have gone away.

Tony

Marsie

To those querying whether posters have opened mail addressed to others, in my case they usually came on bright red postcards, presumably to shame and/or induce action.

And yes, I did give them the address for the person with the debts. Probably even worse in some people's eyes, he is my brother, who I love dearly and gave the opportunity to do it himself! :rotfl:

Again, I am an owner occupier, and I'm darned if I'm going to field phone calls from debt collectors on his behalf - he can sort out his own mess.

M.