Evicted tenant still getting final demands after 2 months

Pigsinspace

Hi

I evicted my tenant 2 months ago using a section 8 for non payment of rent,
Since then I have been visited by bailiffs on 2 occasions looking for my ex tenant
He has bills and demands of over £4k.......
I know it might be illegal but I have opened his bills to inform the utilities companies as I do not want bailiffs here again. confronting my wife.

I have informed the utilities companies that he would not re direct mail or give a forwarding address, so what am I supposed to do?
Do I ignore them and wait for Bailiffs to show up? Do I return them as NOT KNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS ?
I am sure many people in debt do that so it will not shake off bailiffs?

Any advice please am I doing the right or wrong thing?
Any thing else I can do?
I know its not my debt BUT it is all coming to my house...I work and I dont want my wife confronted by Bailiffs.

Thanks

BitterAndTwisted

It's not illegal to open mail addressed to another person if it's been delivered to the right property as long as you don't plan to do anything to the addressee's detriment.

In your position I would WRITE to the parties sending final demands (and enclosing a copy of their correspondence) stating that the person has been evicted and you don't have a forwarding address for them. Keep some documentation to hand in case debt-collectors arrive on the doorstep to prove you are not the person they are seeking. Eventually the mail will stop coming. Lots of companies say they will appoint bailiffs but they rarely do, and should they do so they will have to have issued a court order and sent it to your address before they can.

I suspect that the people visiting your home are debt-collectors appointed by the creditors rather than actual bailiffs, but I expect you know best.

Pigsinspace

Hi Thanks

Yes you are correct were debt collecters...( same thing to me!!)

I just dont want any nasty ones here when im at work.

The ones who visited were ok and understanding.

Im glad Im not breaking the law opening the mail.

BitterAndTwisted

Most debt-collectors, especially those appointed by utility companies, are used to visiting properties where the debtors have gone AWOL and are not going to strong-arm or threaten anyone they find answering the door, especially if they can prove the occupants are not who they are seeking.

Just concentrate on writing to the companies and they should stop sending the debt-collectors round eventually.

docmaggiemay

When I bought my house 3 years ago, the previous owner owed thousands and had several CCJs against him - it was a big pain as it kept delaying the purchase as the court kept putting orders on the house and everytime we tried to complete, the solicitor found others had been added so had keep changing the contracts to add clauses to ensure we wouldn't be liable for the debt. It took ages. We also couldn't get any of the utilities transferred to our name without proof of completion of the purchase and all sorts. Big hassle.

He then vanished without leaving any forwarding address, and shortly after we moved in, the bailiffs started arriving. They were proper bailiffs, not just debt collectors, and I found it all quite stressful. However they were all perfectly pleasant when we told them he had gone and we were the new owners although they did ask for some ID. We must have had about 10 different ones visiting. Warning - never owe council tax, the councils bailiffs are the most persistent!

Even now, 3 years on, we still get letters turning up. We just return them as not known at this address.