Dodgy Letters

Scale_Rule

Not quite sure where to put this.

Some time last year we received a court notice / summons for the son of a family that used to live at our house. We returned it stating when they sold the house and moved away, we heard no more.

I have had to send Council Tax demand notices to two separate bailiffs regarding his debts to prove we live at the property

We have had a couple of letters for him recently from Orange and EE regarding his contract, (I now open everything that comes with his name on as I don't trust him/the situation) and on Saturday a pre-approved letter from Vanquis arrived for a credit card with eye popping interest rates.

So the question is should / can I do anything about this? My concern is that he may be still trying to use the address in order to help him get credit. There is anecdotal evidence from neighbours that the whole family had financial issues and that is why the sold up.

Hooloovoo

Surely if he had ordered a credit card using your address, then the cards and PIN would also have appeared at your address.

Rather than opening his mail, I would just be ensuring everything was put back in the post marked "Not known as this address - return to sender".

GingerBob_3

Hooloovoo wrote: »

Surely if he had ordered a credit card using your address, then the cards and PIN would also have appeared at your address.

Rather than opening his mail, I would just be ensuring everything was put back in the post marked "Not known as this address - return to sender".

Exactly. Send all stuff back unopened. And if it's still happening after, say, two years, bin it all.

By the way, you don't have to prove anything to anyone about your ownership of the property. If anyone rolls up at your door demanding payments, or demanding anything, immediately order them off your property, ban them from ever returning, and if they won't go then call the police.

grumbler

Hooloovoo wrote: »

Surely if he had ordered a credit card using your address, then the cards and PIN would also have appeared at your address.

Rather than opening his mail, I would just be ensuring everything was put back in the post marked "Not known as this address - return to sender".

"Pre-approved" from Vanquis doesn't mean that he ordered/applied. I would just bin it.

Hooloovoo

grumbler wrote: »

"Pre-approved" from Vanquis doesn't mean that he ordered/applied. I would just bin it.

Good point. I missed that bit.

As above I would still post it "return to sender".

happilymarried2013

Its illegal to open other people post.
I used to get this problem a lot with rented houses. Return everything to sender I would, be safer that way.
Should anyone turn up, unless they have the correct name on the paper work refuse entry and phone the police.

julie03

It is NOT illegal to open post that has been correctly delivered. It is illegal to interfer with the post before delivery.

As post is delivered by address and not name , this has been delivered correctly.

If the OP commits fraud with the post that would be illegal

surrey_jim

If I were you I would also check the electoral role and ensure that the correct names are showing. If the previous residents are still on the electoral role it makes obtaining credit for them much eaisier.

If you know their forwading address is it possible to have all post automatically redirected. Save you the stress of seeing the bills daily etc.

Sinhanada

surrey_jim wrote: »

If you know their forwading address is it possible to have all post automatically redirected. Save you the stress of seeing the bills daily etc.

Unfotunately to apply for a redirect of post at the Post Office you need to have two utility bills in the name and also photographic ID. The best option really is to put "Not at this address - return to sender" and pop it back into the nearest post box

GingerBob_3

Sinhanada wrote: »

Unfotunately to apply for a redirect of post at the Post Office you need to have two utility bills in the name and also photographic ID. The best option really is to put "Not at this address - return to sender" and pop it back into the nearest post box

What about all those people who don't have photographic ID?

Anyway, in the case of the OP it's best just to send it back.

agrinnall

GingerBob wrote: »

What about all those people who don't have photographic ID?

I did mine online and didn't require any physical ID, so the poster you replied to is talking nonsense. And why would anyone want to pay to redirect somebody else's mail anyway? Either bin it or send it back, no stress whatsoever.