Opening previous house owners mail

lexilex

I have recently bought my first property. The property was repossessed in early 2013, bought by the man who sold the property to us.

I accidentally opened a letter a couple of weeks ago (and then found out the people who were repossessed coincidentally have the same surname as me so easily done) and this was about an unpaid credit card bill. Baring in mind they moved out over a year ago and there has been another owner of the house in between I have no idea why credit cards are still registered to this address. I got in touch with the company and hoped that would be an end to it.

I accidentally opened another letter today (again, just addressed to Miss so-and-so and mistook this for a letter to myself) and this is a final demand for another credit card.

I am just wondering what I should do here. Am I best to just stick the letters back in the postbox with 'not at this address' or should I open them and call these companies myself? I know it's illegal to open other peoples post, but I am very concerned some big, scary men are going to turn up at my door making demands.

Thanks

[Deleted User]

It is not illegal to open another persons mail, if it correctly arrives at your address you're welcome to open and read it, nothing illegal about it. The myth came about because it's illegal to obstruct the mail process, if a post man were to open someone else's mail that would be illegal as would climbing into a post box to read others mail, but opening mail delivered correctly to your house? Totally legal.

Postal Services Act 2000

“A person commits an offence if he, without reasonable excuse, intentionally delays or opens a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post, or 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.”

benjus

The actual law is: "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"

I'd just return them unopened to the sender. If they keep coming, try writing a letter explaining that the person no longer lives there, enclosing the unopened letter.

Annabee

It's true that credit files attach to a person, not an address. However possibly the OP has a bit more to be concerned about in this case, because of the unfortunate coincidence of sharing the same surname as those former owners of the house, who are apparently in debt. As we know, Credit Reference Agencies do sometimes make mistakes and may mistakenly assume you are the same person?

OP, I would check your credit file if I were you. Tells you how somewhere on this site, I think.

Edit, found relevant section:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/credit-rating-credit-score

DRP

I'd be opening mail that you suspect is of the credit card demand sort, then contacting the company. Especially as you share a surname it would be a disaster if there was some kind of cross-over confusion somewhere along the line (unlikely i know).

MoneyMate

I would personally have a free credit check done just in case , see what could affect you in the future.

jjlandlord

So many 'accidents'...

BitterAndTwisted

If you choose to contact the card issuer do it by letter. Phoning will have no effect whatsoever.

It might not be long before the debt is sold on to a Debt Collection Agency and then you'll have them on your doorstep. Keep some ID handy so you can prove you're not the Miss XXXX that they're seeking.

SRT81

jjlandlord wrote: »

So many 'accidents'...

Easily done if she has the same surname as the previous owners.

BitterAndTwisted

If I knew a previous owner had been repo'd and mail was still coming to the property after such along time I'd be opening it, too. And it wouldn't be by accident. I'd want to know what debt-collectors to be expecting on the doorstep so I could be prepared for them when they show up. That's a "when" and not an "if"..

Old_Git

I accidentally opened mail for the previous owner off my house .It was in a plain brown envelope .It turned out it was a mag for !!!!!! videos and only £50 each .Well I thought it must be important to the previous owner .;)
I didnt have a forwarding address but I knew where he worked .So I left the now open envelope in the the security office at his work .