Old lodger has ran up debts & wont pay!

berlidders

Hi there

Can I ask some advice? I've been told so many different things, that I dont know what to do or to think??!!

I had a lodger in July 2008 for 6 months. She changed her bank details to my address (I own this property and have a mortgage on it). She was terrible at paying her rent and I asked her to leave. After she left she did not change her address with her bank and did not give me a forwarding address. The only address I have for her is an email address.

I have since had dozens and dozens of threatning letters from the bank because she refuses to pay her £4000 credit card debt. I emailed her about these letters but she never replied.

The debts have now been passed on to debt collection agencies and the letters still arrive in full force.

She emailed me this week to say she is living in Kenya (her native country) and has a voluntary job and earns no money. She says that she has advised the bank of this and that she in unable to pay her debts.

I have asked her to change her address and she says she will do this, but who knows if she actually will.

Tonight debt collectors called at the property and told me that the property will have a 'black mark' over it as a result of her bad debts and this could affect my own applications for credit.

Is this true? And how can I ammend this? I thought it was only the 'person' that ended up with bad credit?

Can anyone shed any light on what I can do to sort out this situation??!!

HTML200

As far as I know, credit files these days don't automatically link people by address, so her debt problems should have no impact on your credit rating. Suggest you send a letter to the bank explaining the situation and asking them to stop hassling you.

RAS

berlidders wrote: »

Tonight debt collectors called at the property and told me that the property will have a 'black mark' over it as a result of her bad debts and this could affect my own applications for credit.

Is this true? And how can I ammend this? I thought it was only the 'person' that ended up with bad credit?

Can anyone shed any light on what I can do to sort out this situation??!!

Hi

Lying barstewards.

If you have their details report them to the OFT for a start.

Credit ratings are based on the individual person's activies not the properrty, for exactly the sort of reason you have experienced.

There is no danger to your credit rating and there is no need to do anything.

You are not responsible for your lodger's debt and you need to advise anyone else turning up that you will report them for harassment.

Send the letters back to the DCA as "gone away, now in Kenya."

savingmummy

My mum had this issue and went to CAB.
She put £20 in their box and the man there called and sorted it all out with the debt collection agency. Since them my mum has had NO contact at all.

There is no danger to you or your address - debt collectors tell fibs to scare you into paying them

fatbelly

savingmummy wrote: »

My mum had this issue and went to CAB.
She put £20 in their box and the man there called and sorted it all out with the debt collection agency. Since them my mum has had NO contact at all.

Pleased you got a result but I just want to remind everyone that CAB is a FREE service - we're not allowed to charge.

savingmummy

CAB didnt charge!!!!
My mum paid voluntary as a big thank you!x

Emerald_Vixon

RAS wrote: »

Hi

Lying barstewards.

If you have their details report them to the OFT for a start.

Credit ratings are based on the individual person's activies not the properrty, for exactly the sort of reason you have experienced.

There is no danger to your credit rating and there is no need to do anything.

You are not responsible for your lodger's debt and you need to advise anyone else turning up that you will report them for harassment.

Send the letters back to the DCA as "gone away, now in Kenya."

Spot on, they are just trying to shake you up, i would check your credit file in a few weeks and then again in a few months just to check they have not made the lodger an "associated person" to you. you can unasociate them but you need to know about it to do it.

Dr.Shoe_2

Indeed.

Don't let them tell you that you're "jointly and severally liable" either. Living at the same address does not imply a partnership.

DarkConvict

As above, they cannot black mark you or your address. Defaults/missed payments are registered to an account, which are registed to a name and address, if either is wrong, it won't show. Don't be worried.

Furthermore do report these rogue debt collectors, just tell them she has not lived her for over 6 months, and you have forwarded on all relevant details to her. You don't have to do anything, and do feel free to close the door on them. Nothing to do with you. So don;t worry.

mrs:optimist_2

This really shouldn't affect you at all as far as I know! If I had a lodger who then moved out and post still arrived, then I would just put that post in the bin! Especially if you have no forwarding address.

We bought our home 4 years ago but it was rented out by the previous owner for many years. We get all sorts of post for several different people, we have no idea who they are! We just chuck them!

You could also write 'no longer at this address' and put them back in a post box. Have you been opening her letters? How do you know about the debt and what the letters are about? I thought opening someone else's post was an offence but maybe I have got the wrong end of the stick?

If debt collectors come to your door you don't even have to talk to them, but if you do then surely telling them that you have nothing to do with this person should be enough. If they are telling you the details of her debts then surely that's against the data protection act??

Sorry just got confused about how you know all the details, I just wouldn't get involved at all!

berlidders

Thank you all for replies. I have opened all of her post (which is an offence I know - but with her leaving the country I have been worried sick) and that is why I know all about her debts.

This lodger is a member of the church I attend and I have been desperate for her to tell the bank that she has moved to Kenya and to pass on a forwarding address. She refuses to do so.

My husband and I recently applied for a bank account and were refused. The reason given by the bank was that 'it could be the address' so as you can imagine, I'm concerned that when the debt collector told me that the address could infact be 'marked' as it is still registered as having someone living at this address with bad debt.

I am concerned that if she does not tell them she no longer lives here the CCJ which is now pending, will affect our finances, namely our mortgage which is due for renewal.

Does anyone know how to dis-associate myself from this lodger perhaps?

Thank you all so much for your replies, I am also going to visit my local CAB office and see how they can help me.

Gioia