Previous owners still taking out credit

killzusall

Hi can anyone help please. Wasn't sure which board it should go on. The people who used to own the house we bought almost a year ago are still taking out credit (and then not paying it back). The solicitors we used to exchange with said they can't do anything. Am sending the post back in the mail - is there anything we can do please. Do I need to worry about it coming back on us?

monty-doggy

It's not really your problem, and I don't mean that in a nasty way.

How do you know they are not paying it back? Do you know it's illegal to open someone else's mail?

I'd write on the envelope not at this address and return it to the address on the back.

It shouldn't have any bearing on your credit score.

bryanb

monty-doggy wrote: »

Do you know it's illegal to open someone else's mail?.

Another new law then?

skylight

Its not illegal to open someone else's mail.

Keep returning it, unopened though because its not your problem, and mark it as moved etc.

It won't have any affect on your credit rating, those are personal and not address based.

[Deleted User]

Anyone can apply at any address, as long as it's not in your name it is of no concern to you. You could have bailiffs turn up at your door if the account ends up in collections but they have no right to entry and telling them that the old people left should be enough to keep them away.

monty-doggy wrote: »

How do you know they are not paying it back? Do you know it's illegal to open someone else's mail?

Not entirely true, it's illegal to tamper with mail in the delivery process (for example if a postman opened your mail or you broke into a post box) however if mail is delivered to your address and addressed to that address you're allowed to open it, even if it's not for you. You can get in trouble for opening clearly misdelivered post though, a letter addressed to 123 Fake Street delivered mistakenly to 234 Real Street opened by the resident of 234 Real Street would be an offence.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/26/section/84

Interfering with the mail: general.

(1)A person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, he—

(a)intentionally delays or opens a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post, or

(b)intentionally opens a mail-bag.

A person commits an offence if, intending to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him.

ElkyElky

I open all letters that come to my house, regardless of who it is addressed to.... unless of course it is a neighbour. Have I been convicted? Nope. Do I care? Not in the slightest.

If someone is using my address, I'd like to know why - probably the same as the OP.

olly300

Personally -
1. Get the new address of your vendors.
2. See which companies have sent the letters if you can't see from outside the envelope then open them.
3. If it's a company you have a personal link to contact them and tell them they have "accidentally" sent the vendors post to your house when they moved to [new address] when you moved in.

I guarantee if you do this eventually their defaults will be properly linked to them and within 12 months they will stop their new credit trick.

monty-doggy

bryanb wrote: »

Another new law then?

It's not a new law.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer_post_e/consumer_problems_with_post_e/consumer_problems_with_post_delivery_e/youre_receiving_someone_elses_mail.htm

Quote from CAB page

"Top tips
You should never open post that is not addressed to you, even if it has come through your letterbox. It is against the law to open, destroy, hide or delay any post that is addressed to someone else."


Seriously no need for the sarcasm, I was just pointing it out.

zappahey

This has been discussed ad nauseum and the information on that website is misleading and bordering on the plain wrong.

monty-doggy

People sometimes receive mail through their letterbox that is meant for someone else. This may be for someone who used to live at your address or it may have been delivered to you by mistake.

This page explains what you should do if you’re receiving someone else’s mail.

Top tips
You should never open post that is not addressed to you, even if it has come through your letterbox. It is against the law to open, destroy, hide or delay any post that is addressed to someone else.

What to do if you’re getting mail addressed to someone else

If you receive mail showing the correct address but in someone else’s name, they maybe used to live at your address.

If you know the address that the person has moved to, you can forward the mail to them. To do this, you should:

cross out the address on the front of the envelope with a pen
write on the front of the envelope: "NO LONGER AT THIS ADDRESS, PLEASE FORWARD" and then write their new address
place the letter back in the post box, which is free of charge
If you don't recognise the name or don't know the previous occupier’s address, you should:

score through the address with a pen
write on the front of the envelope: "NOT KNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS, RETURN TO SENDER"
place it back into a post box, which is free of charge
If there is no return address visible, Royal Mail has a returned letter centre in Belfast where they are allowed to open the mail in an attempt to identify the sender so they can return it. The returned letter centre can add these details to their database and the unwanted mail should stop. If they can't identify who the mail should be sent to, the item will be destroyed.

What to do if you’re getting mail that is addressed wrongly

If mail with a different address has been mistakenly put through your letter box, it has been misdelivered. This can sometimes happen where your address is very similar to another address.

You should:

mark the front of the letter: "MISDELIVERED" and write the address is was delivered to
place it back into a post box, which is free of charge
You can also report the problem to the Royal Mail on 08457 740 740 (Textfone 08456 000 606).

Next steps

monty-doggy

Well either way I was only answering the OP question. No need for sarcasm. If the CAB is wrong, that's not my fault, and I didn't pretend to invent a new law.

Wouldn't it have been nicer, and in the spirit of this site, to kindly point out that it might not be true?