Letters to unknown person - what to do?

somnus

We had the very same thing happen to us. I opened the letter and rang the debt collection company back to explain the situation. All sorted in 90 secs and haven't had anything since.

jjlandlord

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Although correct, that is exceedingly naive. Debt collectors and bailiffs may come. If you don't know about it and you are caught on the hop, it is very difficult to convince one of these who has come to the door that they believe to be correct that you are not the person they are looking for and that that person is not and has not ever been at the address.

Debt collectors are just random people without any power... I don't have to convince them I just have to tell them to f. off.

Happened to me once when I was renting: One "debt collector" (apparently they hire among those who failed the interview to be bouncer, not intellectual enough) came to my door and was less than polite. I did tell him to do just that and that the police will be informed.
Never came back

cafe-bisou

I still have debt letters arriving for people who lived here 4 years ago. I keep sending them back, but they still keep arriving.

I eventually phoned the company chasing the debt to tell them that the person doesn't live here. They said they couldn't stop the mail arriving as it was their legal obligation to keep sending it to the last known address until they traced the person. Whether that's rubbish, I don't know, but all you can do is send back the mail and hope they eventually get the message.

DVardysShadow

jjlandlord wrote: »

Debt collectors are just random people without any power... I don't have to convince them I just have to tell them to f. off.

Happened to me once when I was renting: One "debt collector" (apparently they hire among those who failed the interview to be bouncer, not intellectual enough) came to my door and was less than polite. I did tell him to do just that and that the police will be informed.
Never came back

Failing the interview for bouncer might mean that you can outwit them easily. But the real problem will be that they are likely to be impervious to logic and reason.

Agreed that, as they say on DFW, Debt Collectors have no more rights than the paper boy. But I would still open the letters and be prepared.

thegirlintheattic

Thanks for all the advice. I don't feel comfortable opening the letters but will call the companies on Monday and explain things and then send the letters back.

As for the electrol roll, can I just call and say take these people off? We both added ourselves on at non-canvass times so have never seen anything from the council listing the names but the people are listed on 192.com

jjlandlord

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Agreed that, as they say on DFW, Debt Collectors have no more rights than the paper boy.

My point was not about outwitting them but indeed that as they have no more rights than a paper boy, being "prepared" for a debt collector is no different than being "prepared" for anyone knocking on your door. Bailiffs are another species though.

Apologies for being argumentative, it's just that suggesting that it's all good to open others' mail manages to irk me every single time... Plus I just can't stand debt collectors

RobertoMoir

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Although correct, that is exceedingly naive. Debt collectors and bailiffs may come. If you don't know about it and you are caught on the hop, it is very difficult to convince one of these who has come to the door that they believe to be correct that you are not the person they are looking for and that that person is not and has not ever been at the address.

Except that debt collectors have no powers and can be told to clear off with impunity, and it is for bailiffs to prove you are the person they are looking for rather than for you to prove you are not.

DVardysShadow

jjlandlord wrote: »

... Apologies for being argumentative, it's just that suggesting that it's all good to open others' mail manages to irk me every single time... Plus I just can't stand debt collectors

If it comes through my door and it has my address on it, that is good enough for me. I have no moral issue whatsoever over inspecting anything coming through my door which could give me aggro.

theartfullodger

What mail is coming for the Landlord??? That would worry me more!!!

If he's not told - say - the mortgage people he's moved chances are he's on the fiddle. Likewise HMRC/taxman etcetc etc

KateLiana27

The reason I advised to just return them to sender and not open them is not because it is necessarily illegal - it's because it gets you involved. I was in the exact same position in a previous rented property and caused myself weeks of stress (and large phone bills) by opening the letters and then calling all the creditors/debt collection agencies in a panic to insist the previous tenant had left. It wasn't my problem, and it isn't yours, so don't make it so.

Incidentally, I eventually got a letter addressed to "the current resident", saying they knew the previous tenant had left but if I had any information on his whereabouts, could I please let them know. This was the right time for me to shop him (as it happened, I did know where he had moved to) and do my duty to society