Debt collectors looking for someone who lived in my flat before me?

Yasmin25_2

(sorry admin if this is in the wrong section, please feel free to move to where you feel appropriate)

Hi me and my boyfriend have lived in our flat for nearly 3 years and when we first moved (we rent from council) in we used to get a lot of mail that was intended for the last owner.

Well yesterday, I opened the mail and was on auto pilot and the envelope was faced down, I never read who it was from but when I opened one of the letters and read it, I realised it was a debt collection agency. Me or my partner have never been in debt so I soon clicked it must have been for the old tennent. It said he owes £1900 odd and that if he doesn't arrange a payment plan in the next 10 days, they will be forced to take legal action. This is the first time in about a year we have received anything intended for him.

I am worried that the bailiffs or someone are gonna show up at my door or break in and demand a repayment or take my stuff because they wont believe the tennent doesn't actually live here any more. Sorry if that sounds stupid but I don't know how debt collecting works tbh.

My boyfriend was going to email the company explaining that the person they are looking for hasn't lived here in three years and provide them with the local council housing office's details so they could verify but you aren't supposed to open anyone elses mail and he is worried he could get into bother for that because the envelope did say "only to be opened my addresser" or something like that.

What should we do? Should we just ignore it or should we contact the company? I really don't want people showing up at my door but I don't want to get into bother for accidentally opening the letter.

Thanks

donfanatico

Ignore it. They can't do anything, noone can come and break your door down unless you let them in. Well....they can but this is illegal.

spacey2012

Yasmin25 wrote: »

(

My boyfriend was going to email the company explaining that the person they are looking for hasn't lived here in three years

NO NO NO ! :eek:
What on earth is he doing ?
The debt collectors will see this as a hit and turn the heat right up.
We see no end of people here who have opened Hornets nests after reading letters not addressed to them and acting upon the information.


Credit is personal, the address means nothing, bin it and stop opening mail not addressed to you.
Any more write not known at this address and put it back in the postbox or just put it in the bin.
By replying you will guarantee debt collectors will be banging on the door all hours.

Please stop him before he makes a huge mistake.

thesaint

Get your boyfriend to call the company with the information he has.
Don't ignore it.

Forget about the letter opened in error. If asked, tell them your 3 year old nephew opened it.

You will get a lot of scaremongers in this thread. Ignore them, not the letters.

silverwhistle

Ignore them. Same problem here - kept returning letters to the senders and then gave up and they'll be going in the bin in future. Eventually out of curiousity I looked at one from a return address I'd seen many times before, before it went in the bin and it was for a large debt from the leccy board. Seeing as they know who is now registered for the property this is obviously a waste of time for all concerned..

The bailiffs can't do anything and if they do turn up just tell them you aren't who they're looking for and refer them to the housing association.

donfanatico

two posts with conflicting info - not good.

I agree that neither you nor your boyfriend should be doing anything at all other than bin the letters.

SerialRenter

Yes ignore them, it's nothing to do with the OP. Bailiffs can't do anything to them but send more letters. Nothing bad will happen because they can prove they're not the person wanted.
If a bailiff shows up, you don't have to, but you can show them some ID and they'll leave.

Chasing it's just a waste of time that as previously said, will just get more negative attention from them.

spacey2012

Well lets put it this way, they would not be very good debt collectors if they let people that owe them money pick up a phone and just say hi they dont live here any more.
They will work on the assumption, why would someone open a letter not addressed to them pick up a phone, waste time and effort other than to try and throw them off.
They like all debt collectors will assume that you are them, you are hiding and lying, why else open someone's elses letters ?

This is how they work and once they get any response, that is a bite on the line and they turn the heat up.

Yes they can be got rid off with considerable effort, but why bother and have them door stepping in the first place.

quidsy

Ignore. Nothing to do with you. If they turn up show your driving licence & send them on their way.

As for openeing the letter, regardless of the name as long as it has been correctly delivered to the address on the letter you can open it.

ihatemyhouse

ignore and let them waste there time and fuel coming to your house, they cant take any thing of yours,

pinkteapot

I really don't know where spacey's advice is coming from. We've called several companies and agencies over the last few years who have sent letters to the previous occupiers about their debts. We've told them the date we bought the house and they've accepted us at our word. All have stopped writing to our address after we called them.