past tennants debts at my address

LilMissEmmylou

this happened me in my old flat, i just opened the letters and rang the places to tell them he didnt live there anymore and they took my address of their lists

nickmack

LilMissEmmylou wrote: »

this happened me in my old flat, i just opened the letters and rang the places to tell them he didnt live there anymore and they took my address of their lists

I've had this happen a few times and on every occassion, a quick call confirming when I moved in has stopped any further communication.

olly300

Emmzi wrote: »

Pedant's corner - it is illegal to open someone else's mail, but prosecutions are very rare.

"The Postal Services Act 2000 is clear that an offence is created if anyone intentionally delays the post or intentionally opens a mail bag. The Act goes on to say: "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."

source: BBC news
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_3687000/3687109.stm

The actual act is here:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00026--f.htm#84

The laws in the UK use common sense and reasonableness so it would unlikely to be an offence if you opened someone's mail and informed the sender the addressee didn't live at the address as you are not causing either party a detriment, however if you dispose of (bin or shred ) mail not addressed to you without informing either the sender or addressee you could be committing an offence. As the same laws about interfering with mail apply to the RM and the general public, the RM would be prosecuted for opening letters when they cannot find the sender on the outside to return them.

viv0147

I am having a problem myself at the moment with mail for a previous tenant and they are all for bad debt, and from quite a few debt collection agencies I have put on the letters addressee no longer living at this address and re-posted them.
I have also sent emails to them, and yesterday I rang the post office and asked them only to deliver mail to my address that was addressed to me to which the reply was they are legally bound to deliver mail to the address on the envelope, maybe they are but it seems pretty stupid to me so now its into the bin they go.

olly300

If you are a tenant you can just give all the letters to your landlord or letting agent to get rid off. They will do all the "return to sender" business for you and it doesn't matter when you give the letters to them.

lisababy2002uk

i found when i moved into my last house that when i was trying to get the phone in my name and electric and gas that i struggled cause the last person left det it really does my head in cause i got pinazlied cause of the last person i wish people would just pay there dets cause us people who dont have any get the stress of trying to get something and beening turned away cause of some selfish person

kittycatface

viv0147 wrote: »

I am having a problem myself at the moment with mail for a previous tenant and they are all for bad debt, and from quite a few debt collection agencies I have put on the letters addressee no longer living at this address and re-posted them.
I have also sent emails to them, and yesterday I rang the post office and asked them only to deliver mail to my address that was addressed to me to which the reply was they are legally bound to deliver mail to the address on the envelope, maybe they are but it seems pretty stupid to me so now its into the bin they go.

thanks for this viv0147, my ex housemate has been phoning loads of debt companies at cost to him over someone else's debt, so i've told him to get in touch with the post office - one call and its all sorted!

Dukie_Boy

Hi
If it was me i'd send them all C.O.D to the solicter who done the
transaction for them he must know where to contact them.

Dukie Boy