tenants have moved and we are getting loads of unpaid bills

sequence

Discussions about opening of someone else's mail should be banned on MSE

To the OP - don't worry about it too much, it's not your debt, you don't have to pay.

jjlandlord

st999 wrote: »

such as?

If it has my address on it I open it.

If it has someone else's address on it, if it is nearby I deliver it, or else hand it to the postie the next day.

Address is irrelevant. Name of recipient is. 'private', or 'confidential', or both on it is extremely relevant.
I am not a lawyer but I think privavcy and confidentiality laws should have something to say on the matter.

thequant

mynameisclare wrote: »

Not as rude as moving without telling your creditors.

I return most stuff to sender, but a couple from debt collection agencies I opened to get their phone numbers so I could tell them the person had moved away. If they know, they will make a "gone away" note on the person's credit file so you won't keep getting the letters.

How Naive you are! do you think a DCA is going to take any notice, I.e. stop pursuing the debt on the back of a phonecall claiming that the debtors have moved away ? Debtors use this trick all the time and DCA's know it.

Now here's a serious piece of advice, DO NOT under any circumstances phone up the DCA's. they will assume you are the debtor, will note your number in their files and then will start harassing you on the phone.

If you have any contact with any DCA, you must do it in writing, or you will create a lot of grief for yourself.

G_M

kitschkitty wrote: »

Why? If they don't personally owe you money why would you feel that way?

If the previous landlord doesn't have a forwarding address, it's not the new tenants place to provide them with any info - surely that IS breaking the law???

My post was hyperthetical:

If I was a previous landlord, owed money by a vanishing tenant, I'd be grateful to anyone who pointed me in their direction so I could serve the appropriate court papers on them.

I would feel that way (grateful) if I was......etc etc (and no, it is NOT breaking the law).

Same if I was a company owed money.

Many posters have mentioned 'privacy' but privacy is not an absolute right. Most Rights are conditional and/or balanced by Responsibilities. In this case the Responsibility to pay moneys owed.

Opening mail once it is delivered is not an offence, but may be morally questionable (ie invasion of privacy). But hiding from creditors is morally wrong (not even questionable) so in my view opening the mail and helping the creditors where possible is not just justified, but is to be commended.
As would be helping the police to locate a criminal.

jjlandlord

G_M wrote: »

Same if I was a company owed money.

Call me cynical, but companies, especially larger ones, are not capable of being grateful. They just pursue their interests, the first one being maximising profit.
If you help them for free, they might just try to get more help for free (reducing costs is always good, right)

G_M wrote: »

Opening mail once it is delivered is not an offence

Based on postal service-related laws. But I am not convinced that other statutes on privacy and confidentiality do not come into play.
In any case, certainly the risk of facing anything seems very low.

G_M wrote: »

in my view opening the mail and helping the creditors where possible is not just justified, but is to be commended.

To get a better chance on judgement day, perhaps. But in our world it'd call that being hopelessly naive... Unless you charge the creditors for the info of course

Experian_company_representative

If you keep returning the letters as advised, the senders should get the message and launch tracing investigations themselves. You shouldn't need to do this for them! And don't worry, credit checks and scores are based on people not addresses.

James Jones

mynameisclare

thequant wrote: »

How Naive you are! do you think a DCA is going to take any notice, I.e. stop pursuing the debt on the back of a phonecall claiming that the debtors have moved away ? Debtors use this trick all the time and DCA's know it.

Now here's a serious piece of advice, DO NOT under any circumstances phone up the DCA's. they will assume you are the debtor, will note your number in their files and then will start harassing you on the phone.

They haven't called me once, and the letters stopped immediately after I called. What ridiculous scaremongering.

The main reason I called was that the tenant in question never actually lived in my flat, but across the hall, and had apparently started giving out my address. I wanted to ask them where they got the information from, not really expecting them to tell me, but they did.

kitschkitty

Cor there's a lot of vitriol (and assumptions) in this thread. For all anyone knows the previous tenant could be dead, locked up or otherwise in no position to deal with the letters.

As a tentant, why would one feel any need to involve themselves in the affairs of someone they don't know, have any involment with, or responsibility to(or for)? The previous tenant and anyone sending them mail (whether chasing debts owed or not) have nothing to do with the new tenant. Classic busybody behaviour.

Out of politeness the thing to do is return to sender.
Out of ease the thing to do is bin them.
Out of nosiness the thing to do is to open the letters.
Out of officiousness you judge the former tenant and take it upon yourself to involve yourself in contacting the companies etc.