Bailiff demand for previous tenants

bouicca21

"Hello, Mr Debt Collector? I'm not Mr X. No, I won't tell you who I am or provide you with any ID - and, yes, I do expect you to take me at face value..."

Yeh, that should work just fine... Can't see any problem in that, can you?

Well when I was renting and bailiffs turned up at the door for the previous tenant, this is just what I did and they went away quite happily.

G_M

All this discussion about what rights the different catagories of bailiff/debt collector/etc have is a red hering.

As is the debate about how professional or otherwise different catagories might be.

Just politely explain, with some easily obtained proof, that you're not the debtor.

Sorted.

silvercar

G_M wrote: »

All this discussion about what rights the different catagories of bailiff/debt collector/etc have is a red hering.

As is the debate about how professional or otherwise different catagories might be.

Just politely explain, with some easily obtained proof, that you're not the debtor.

Sorted.

With no offer of coffee and cake?

We bought our house off people with financial issues. I treated the bailiffs as I found them. The rude collectors got short shrift, the more polite ones I treated with equal respect.

Sending them to the estate agent office who we had bought from worked quite well.

Mallotum_X

Had this when we bought our house 11 years ago. loads of letters. We did reply telling who ever was writing that the house had been recently sold, that they could verify this on the land registry and I gave them the solicitor name and address & estate agent of the people we bought from. This did stop the letters and contacts pretty much after just one reply to each.
I didn't give my name to any of them

D_M_E

Had this some time ago at one property I bought.

Started with a letter addressed to The Occupier - rang them up, found out it was a debt left by previous owner and that started loads of unwanted phone calls at all hours of the day - must have got my number from caller display or something.

Had to change phone number and doing that got me more letters which I just binned.

Eventually, after about another 18 months someone turned up at the door one evening trying to collect the debt.

Showed him my passport and driving licence and he went away and from that moment I heard nothing more.

teddysmum

Guest101 wrote: »

https://www.gov.uk/electoral-register/opt-out-of-the-open-register


Everyone’s name and address goes on the full version of the electoral register. The full version of the register is only used for:

• elections
• preventing and detecting crime
• checking applications for loans or credit

Yes some bailiffs do have rights, but in special cases, as this quote from the StepChange site (which is very helpful) says :


'Documentaries about bailiffs often focus on business debts or repossessions of homes or vehicles. This is because they have a legal right to break into property in these cases. For most types of debt, they don’t have a right to break in.'

Guest101

teddysmum wrote: »

Yes some bailiffs do have rights, but in special cases, as this quote from the StepChange site (which is very helpful) says :


'Documentaries about bailiffs often focus on business debts or repossessions of homes or vehicles. This is because they have a legal right to break into property in these cases. For most types of debt, they don’t have a right to break in.'

But they can make peaceful entry...

G_M

silvercar wrote: »

With no offer of coffee and cake?

Bailiffs? Think beer might be more their line. Keep a 6 pack by the door and give them a can each.....

needhouseadvice

Mallotum_X wrote: »

Had this when we bought our house 11 years ago. loads of letters. We did reply telling who ever was writing that the house had been recently sold, that they could verify this on the land registry and I gave them the solicitor name and address & estate agent of the people we bought from. This did stop the letters and contacts pretty much after just one reply to each.
I didn't give my name to any of them

This is a good idea. Might just give them EA's name and address. Thanks!

needhouseadvice

Also I can't believe someone managed to get away with not paying £6k in bills - that's years and years worth of debt!