Previous Tenant Debt

t1nt1n

First off sorry didnt know what forum to post this in!

I have moved into a house a few months ago and the previous tenant has lots of creditors chasing her. Most of these are payday loans, credit cards and utilities. I know DCA's cannot do anything. But there are a few debts like parking enforcement, DVLA Tax payment bounced and some other debts that are with Bailiffs (NOT Debt Collectors)

They have turned up a few times and we have shown ID and Tenancy and all has gone quiet for a week or so and then they come back. I keep explaining that the person no longer lives here.

This is starting to worry my partner as she hates being alone with our Children in the house when they turn up. Also I am frankly tired of them keep turning up and trying to "prove" my innocence. Also I am fed up of trying to get hold of companies to explain myself over and over.

Also the worrying thing is it looks like the previous is still using our address to apply for things, and also her car insurance is still at this address (it was renewed in October and we have just had notice of cancellation was sent to this address for non-payment of DD.

Any ideas of how I can stop this happening?

Cheers

ValHaller

No experience of this, but if it was happening to me, I would consider making a Statutory Declaration that I and my family were legal occuppiers of the property and that X, the debtor no longer lives at the property, there is no property belonging to X at the property and neither do you have an address for her.

The original I would keep handy by the door and I would just send a copy to whomever, every time something came through the post. Whether it would be effective I am not sure.

t1nt1n

How do I go about doing this? Is it just a case of writing a letter? Or is it a bit more in-depth?

ValHaller

You'll have to google for more info.

Gordon_Hose

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statutory_declaration

MrMedina

Hi,
The advice given above is sound, it will however, take some time to work through to all creditors - it will work in the end.

MrMedina

Sorry , one final thing - Ensure when you send or hand a copy of the statutory letter - you write the name of the Baliff Company AND the creditor on the notice - They are then required under the Data Protection Act to amend their records. As I say, it will take time.

ValHaller

Thanks Mr M. I sort of reckon this is likely to be successful with bailiffs but not so much so with Debt Collectors. It doesn't matter much, because Debt Collectors have no authority at the doorstep.

KILL_BILL

just shut the door - and put a no cold callers letter on your front door

terra_ferma

KILL_BILL wrote: »

just shut the door - and put a no cold callers letter on your front door

Cold callers? Bailiffs are no cold callers, they have legal powers to enforce a debt, and seize goods, this is very poor advice.

RobertoMoir

terra_ferma wrote: »

Cold callers? Bailiffs are no cold callers, they have legal powers to enforce a debt, and seize goods, this is very poor advice.

Bailiffs only have the power to seize goods from the actual debtor though, so if they just rocked up and enforced someone else's debt against the current occupant of an address then things would not end well for that bailiff. As such, and read my sig if you're wondering why you should trust me on this, only a very stupid bailiff would do that.

The advice isn't as poor as you seem to think... though I would suggest it might be easier for the OP to speak to them and say "sorry, that ain't me". After all, the bailiff 'profession' does have a few stupid people in it, the same as all others.