Help please, dealing with debt from previous tenants....

Prinzessilein

Hi...hope I'm in the roght forum for this. (I'm usually found in the Benefits/Disability/Freebie forums...or is that fora?)

Anyway....I was wondering in anyone can help me dealing with debts that are not my own?

I moved into a nice little flat about 18 months ago, and whilst living on benefits, I manage just about to cope.

I don't own a credit card and never have. I don't have store cards. I don't have much in the way of direct debits...no pay-for-view TV, not even a landline telephone......Basically I am not in debt!

However, not a week seems to go by without letters turning up for what I presume are previous occupants. Sometimes letters - and a quick Google of the address on the back of the envelope tells me that they are debt recovery letters. Sometimes I get postcards asking me to phone people - again about debt.

I send everything back marked 'not known at this address' but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

On three occassions I have had strangers turn up at the door - and when I didn't immediately answer one guy came and banged on the window. They demanded to know if Mr **** was living here and refused to say who they were.

Now, I am a single woman who lives alone. I am disabled. This sort of thing scares me stupid!

Please, how can I convince these companies that the previous occupants have moved on?

I have payed for a credit report - money I can ill afford - which basically says where I have lived over the past years and that there is no debt attached at any of these addresses; and sent that with the returned letters...but still the letters keep coming.

Any advice?

BitterAndTwisted

Debts are attached to people and not addresses so you can't be held responsible for them. But that does not mean that these debt-collection folk won't stop sending their letters or people to your door.

People have been known to send mail back "not known at this address" when they are still living there so returning mail will likely have no effect. The best way to stop them bothering you is to open the mail and write back telling them that the person they seek is no longer resident (if they ever were) and enclose a copies of your tenancy agreement together with a current Council Tax statement as proof. If anyone calls at the property have a copy of your tenancy agreement to hand for the same reason. Not answering the door to them will not keep them away.

happy_bunny_2

sorry to hear you are having a hard time with this.

Depends who the companies are. We used to get similar from one company for a previous tenant, who must have got the return to sender message as we haven't had anything since (this was for 5k of unpaid credit card debt as I opened one).

As BitterAndTwisted says, maybe best to just write to them. If they refuse to believe you, there are template letters on here you can send but they will be breaking OFT guidelines if they hassle you.

If anyone comes round and intimidates you, call the police.

Also write to the personal calling companies who left the card and tell them if they call again you will report them to the OFT and call the police.

fatbelly

I'm slightly nervous about the above advice. If there's any way that by giving them YOUR name and address, they could locate YOUR phone number, I wouldn't do it.

You are not dealing with 'nice' customer service departments - you are dealing with pond life that suspect you are the debtor under a different name, particularly if you're opening letters addressed to the debtor.

Letters can be binned or 'returned to sender'. Phone calls from dcas are a pain in the @rse.

beaujolais-nouveau

fatbelly wrote: »

I'm slightly nervous about the above advice. If there's any way that by giving them YOUR name and address, they could locate YOUR phone number, I wouldn't do it.

You are not dealing with 'nice' customer service departments - you are dealing with pond life that suspect you are the debtor under a different name, particularly if you're opening letters addressed to the debtor.

Letters can be binned or 'returned to sender'. Phone calls from dcas are a pain in the @rse.

I disagree. From time to time, letters arrive here for people who have never lived here but who have given my address when they took out a mobile phone contract. Every time I have telephoned the number on the letterhead of the collections company and tell them that, the reaction is always weary and unsurprised, and I don't hear from them again.

jaytee28

Came across this thread searching the forum as I am in a similar position. The previous tenant of my flat in is debt to an Electricity company. I know this as I was told it by one of their call centre people when I registered with them at the address three months ago, at the time they asked me if I knew of her new address and I said no. Since then I have received several "red-letters" from them addressed to her. Not sure if I should open one and contact them, my friends tell me to bin them and leave well alone. I've thought of "returning to sender" but am discouraged of doing that from the comment above. Having said that I live in a high rise tower and the last thing I want is a debt collector banging at my door. Really not sure which option is best.

RAS

jaytee

In order to take legal action against the old tenant the leccie company have to send a number of documents to her last known address. It is called serving notice.

So stop worrying about it. They know you are the current tenant and are not after you.

BlushingRose

I had a similar problem at my old flat. The previous tenants had done a 'moonlit flit' and left debts behione which various collectors were interesting in collecting from *me*. I got copies of my tenancy agreement and either posted them with the return to senders, or rang them up, got a name and sent the agreement off to them. They were usually ok with this and left me alone.

jaytee28

RAS wrote: »

jaytee

In order to take legal action against the old tenant the leccie company have to send a number of documents to her last known address. It is called serving notice.

So stop worrying about it. They know you are the current tenant and are not after you.

Thank You RAS. Appreciate the fast reply and has reassured me

vax2002

Pin a simple notice on the door:
LEGAL NOTICE IS SERVED
Mr/MRS BLAH DE BLAH
IS NO LONGER THE TENANCY OF THIS ADDRESS
ANY CALLERS IGNORING THIS NOTICE
WILL BE DEEMED TO BE DISTURBING THE PEACE + USING BEHAVIOUR LIKELY TO CAUSE ALARM AND DISTRESS
THE POLICE WILL BE CALLED.
LEGAL NOTICE ENDS:

fatbelly

beaujolais-nouveau wrote: »

From time to time, letters arrive here for people who have never lived here but who have given my address when they took out a mobile phone contract. Every time I have telephoned the number on the letterhead of the collections company and tell them that, the reaction is always weary and unsurprised, and I don't hear from them again.

They don't record your phone number, assume you're lying and then phone you fifteen times a day then?