Removing old owners link to house

longwalks1

Just bought a house from a couple who struggled financially, and am worried their names, or their grown up childrens names may affect our new address in some way financially, or is that not possible?

Last thing I was is one of them applying for credit, or owing money and it marking against my new home

Any advice greatly received

Candyapple

Credit is taken out against the person, not the address so you won't be financially linked to them.

http://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/questions/askjames318.html

DivaMum

In our case, SSE tried to hold my husband and I responsible for a debt associated with our address. A huge electric bill apparently was left unpaid by previous tenants of our flat. We found out about the previous unpaid bill when a server came by our flat and left notification of intent to file for relief with the local court. We called everyone from the server to SSE supervisors to stop the action and we're lucky to be successful in stopping any actions.

Nasqueron

DivaMum wrote: »

In our case, SSE tried to hold my husband and I responsible for a debt associated with our address. A huge electric bill apparently was left unpaid by previous tenants of our flat. We found out about the previous unpaid bill when a server came by our flat and left notification of intent to file for relief with the local court. We called everyone from the server to SSE supervisors to stop the action and we're lucky to be successful in stopping any actions.

That will be down to neither you nor the old tenants updating the supplier that the address had changed hands - they were trying to get the occupants to pay the unpaid bill, they obviously were not aware that you were new occupiers and the debt was with the old one. Regardless, you would not have a damaged credit file as the negative factors would be filed on the credit record of the previous owner, it would not impact your own record in anyway and as you could prove it was not your debt, you would not have to pay any of it.