What qualifies as a 'last known address'?

spurious_2

This isn't related to anything specifically, just some scenarios I found myself thinking about the other night and I'm curious as to what people think.

If a creditor is trying to make contact with you and doesn't know where you live, they will doubtlessly work through the record of addresses they hold for you and you're registered as living at on the electoral roll. If they have something they need to confirm they sent to you, or worse still a judgement or something to serve, how do they determine what address to send it to? Would it be the last address they held for you on their file? Or would they continue to go back through old addresses until they found someone who knew of your name or returned post (i.e. some activity)?

Following on from that, if you've written to a creditor to tell them categorically that you're no longer at an address and you're now at no fixed abode (travelling, for example), presumably they no longer have a 'last known address' because thanks to the notification, they know better. Does this then invalidate any judgement being served on an address, because they know you can prove not only that you weren't there but that you told them you weren't there?

Curse my mind for keeping me awake with such scenarios! What do people think?

spurious_2

Any thoughts on the above, anyone?

immoral_angeluk

uh...... thinking about it hurts my head!!!! lol! I can see your point but not sure how it would work sorry.. hopefully someone will be along soon who knows.

PixiePie

I don' know how much help this is, but I had this with Orange - I was homeless, and phoned them to cancel my contract and let them know I couldn't pay the last bill at that time (due to the whole being homeless and jobless thing). I asked the guy what I could do about my address as I didn't want debt collection agencies going to my old house, as it wasn't their debt and I wasn't there anymore, which confused everyone at the call centre it appeared (he asked his manager, who had to also go ask someone else and no-one seemed to know). In the end they had to leave the address on there, as apparently they need *some* address, I asked them to put a note on the account saying I didn't actually live there , whether they actually did or not (or are able to, no idea what their interfaces look like) is anyone's guess.

I imagine (although this is purely my thoughts and based on no more than the cotton wool I call a brain) that they can serve notice on your last known address as thats all they have if you cannot provide another one. Being homeless is no excuse to having debts apparently, you're still an evil evil person so the DCAs will come and hurl abuse at your cardboard box if they can find it (sorry, run in with the positively evil RMA again today. How I hate that little man).

wherediditallgo

I would think they go by the last address at which you could be contacted, either by post or phone. So, even if you tell them you're no longer living there, they'll go by that address unless & until they have been given another one. The address that you're no longer living at is the last one that they know you were at, so it's still your 'last known address'. I wouldn't have thought that a judgement could be invalidated simply because someone rang saying they no longer lived at the most recent address they had for you.

They have many ways of finding someone's address if they aren't given it. They may well still go through old files to see if they can locate you that. Mail can be redirected, but I bet DCAs have access to the Royal Mail system & can find out where mail gets redirected to. And if someone gets a post office box so as to collect their mail from the local post office, it's easy enough to find out who the box is registered to.