Getting letters from bailiff for previous owners

BitterAndTwisted

Phoning debt-collectors or creditors is unlikely to have any affect as the previous occupants could be making those calls to put them off the scent. Just WRITE back (enclosing a photo-copy of their correspondence) informing them that the property has now been sold and you are the new occupant. If you have a forwarding address for the vendor or one for their conveyancing solicitor who handled the sale, supply it.

Keep a copy of your own ID close to the front door for when any debt-collectors/bailiffs show up. As they surely will eventually. This could go on for some time.

ognum

Keep a copy of you completion letter on the purchase close to your front door.

These people are likely to turn up at your door, when this happened to my daughter showing them this information was the only way she got them to leave.

Debt collectors are constantly lied to so just telling them you have recently bought the house will not work they will continue to hassle you.

System

Stormy_Petrel wrote: »

They lied to you. You can sign up with whichever energy supplier you want.

Initially they would have to sign with the existing supplier once that's done depending on what they actually sign up to they can move to who ever they want.

t0rt0ise

In theory a new supplier can take over the supply and arrange things for you, while in practice that often goes wrong so it really is best to inform the current supplier first and give meter readings.

Ms_Chocaholic

I'd ignore any future correspondence and if the bailiffs do turn up give them the details of the vendors solicitors who dealt with the sale. At least it gets them off your back.

bouicca21

I had bailiffs and debt collector's letters at my dodgy landlord rental. Bailiffs accepted I wasn't the person they were after; the letters stopped after a while. Then of course there was the repossession notice - but that's a whole other story.

kinger101

davidmcn wrote: »

If it's addressed to your house you don't even need a reasonable excuse.

Well, the letter is to the addressee (person), not the address (location), so this doesn't follow. I.e., if it has someone's name on that isn't yours, you'd better have a good reason for opening it. Copied from CAB:

Is it against the law to open someone else’s mail?

Opening someone else’s mail is allowed in certain circumstances under the Postal Services Act 2000. It is only an offence if you open someone else’s mail ‘without reasonable excuse’ or if you ‘intend to act to another’s detriment'. For example, if you are receiving bank statements/cards in someone else’s name then you should act on that immediately. You should tell the sender, either by returning it marked “not known at this address” or by opening the mail and calling any number provided within. The “reasonable excuse” for opening such items would then be that you were helping to prevent fraud against the companies involved.

xylophone

Did the previous owner use a solicitor in the purchase?

If so, is it possible to send the letters to him for the attention of his client?

You might add a covering letter on the lines of "I would be grateful if you could pass this correspondence to your client Mr X and ask him to advise the senders of his change of address."

teddysmum

I would give the previous occupant's solicitor's details to the bailiffs (assuming the occupier/debtor was the vendor) and tell them that you will consider any further communications (beyond an acknowledgement) to be harassment and will take legal action accordingly.

SeduLOUs

Do not ring the debt collectors. I made the same mistake when we got a bailiff note for previous occupiers at our old address. Once my number was on file and vaguely associated with the debt I started getting approximately 50 phone calls per day despite apparently speaking to several managers who promised my number would be removed from the account. I had to change my number.