Solicitors chasing my tenant in debt

tightasagnats

I have a flat and I rent a room to someone who I know had debt problems in the past. Lately she's started spending again and I have expressed my concern when she tells me about it.

However, today I got a letter addressed to "occupier" from a solicitors looking for her, saying they know she's left my address recently and do I have a forwarding address.

I am not about to dob her in, but I do not want to get into any trouble myself given that she actually lives here and has not moved on. Where do I stand, legally, if this info has been requested of me?

I am aware that she needs help, and I will discuss the letter with her.
Thanks.

Storm

Don't know where you stand legally with this, but I wouldn't have thought you HAVE to pass on this information. At the end of the day they are asking you for information about her without proving they have any right to that information (as they can't discuss her affairs with you) so I would think you would be within your rights to refuse to comply.

As she's a friend I think speaking to her directly and asking her to contact the solicitors may be the best way forward - it might not be connected with debt anyway - she could have been left some money or anything!

going2die_rich

If the letter was not addressed to you nor was it sent through a signed for post whose to say you even got it? The royal mail does lose a lot of post after all.

Since it is not even addressed to you an just says occupier, how does anyone even know you didn't just bin it thinking it was junk before seeing what it was?

Don't think you need to worry about legal issues as long as you deny any knowledge of recieving or seeing any such letter.

I'd personnally get a new tenant, you don't want to be left with debt if this tenant does a runner when they find out people are looking for them.

Collect the rent you are owed then just throw them out.

You don't want someone elses balifs knocking on your door!

climbgirl

As long as you don't deny knowing where she is, you're ok. Just don't reply to the letter, you're not legally compelled to provide the information.

I'd certainly be sitting down with the tenant over this, you really don't want to get into the position where bailiffs are coming around. You don't want to get into this any deeper. From the sounds of it she's a friend of yours but I'd think twice about keeping her on as a tenant. Maybe even telling her that will be enough to make her do something about it!

tightasagnats

Thanks for your responses, I won't be throwing her out, she pays her rent and bills and is a friend. I'm no mug, so don't worry I think it was more the worry of what might happen - like baliffs etc. but that seems right about the letter, it was not addressed to me. I shall speak to her about it.

newlywed

I once got a letter like that... saying that I had moved out and did they know where I was living...

Turned out it was because the postman had delivered my storecard statement to a wrong house, and they returned it saying unknown at this address (presumably didn't even look at the address as their details were correct). So it was immediately passed to debt collection and they assumed I'd moved on. A quick phonecall put it all right.

Just wanted to give you the other side of how these letters sometimes happen, it's not always quite what you'd think

tightasagnats

Yes, quite possibly, but I do know she has been in quite a bit of trouble over debt in the past

in_over_my_head_2

If she's your friend then I'm sure she'll realise what an awful position she's put you in and sort it out...