Friend using my address chased by debt company.

tadpoleuk

I gave my friend permission to have her mail sent to my house when she had a messy breakup last year. I have asked her many times since then to change her address with her work, the tax office etc. I have had a few letters lately that I googled the return address on and they were debt agencies.
I opened one today and sure enough they were passing my address on to debt collectors. I know I shouldn't have opened it but I am glad I did.

I have called the company and explained she has never lived here and they said they would stop sending letters to this address.

So is that it? Will I have baliffs on the door? Will this affect our credit rating? My boyfriend is going to go mad. I tried to help a friend and now feel sick. Please tell me what to do.

arc2014

The best thing to do is start sending all the letters back marked "Not at this address". If they don't get the message then get in touch with them like you have done. If anyone turns up at the door, simply say she doesn't live there & do not let them in, they cannot force their way in. As long as you can prove your name and that you live there they cannot do anything other than pass on the message. Credit rating goes by name, not address so your rating won't be affected.

sourcrates

Hi,

Debts are associated with individuals, not addresses.

Although she may of given your address as her last known address, and you may get contact for her, from her creditors, it will have no effect at all on your credit file, or your ability to obtain credit.

It would depend how much trouble she is in as to weather bailiffs knock on your door or not, like everything in life, there is a process to follow before a bailiff can become involved, best advice is to not allow anyone access, they can enter through an unlocked door, but cant force entry, have your ID ready to show through a window, also prepare a letter to send to anyone it may concern advising of the situation.

Its very unlikely things will deteriorate to that point, but best to be prepared, just remember whatever happens, it will have no effect on you at all.

Mojisola

tadpoleuk wrote: »

I have asked her many times since then to change her address with her work, the tax office etc.

I have had a few letters lately that I googled the return address on and they were debt agencies.

I opened one today and sure enough they were passing my address on to debt collectors. I know I shouldn't have opened it but I am glad I did.

It's a myth that you're not allowed to open post that arrives at your address so don't worry about that.

tadpoleuk

Thank you all for your fast replies..They make me feel a bit better. I only opened one letter that said she owes £600. I would pay that to stop any trouble at my door to be honest. I will show this to my other half. He did warn me and now I feel used and stupid Urgh

Mojisola

tadpoleuk wrote: »

I only opened one letter that said she owes £600.

I would pay that to stop any trouble at my door to be honest.

Please don't do that!

If just returning the letters doesn't stop them coming, you could give the debt collectors any contact details you have for her.

foxgloves

Oh my days, don't pay off debts owed by someone else! We had a similar issue when we moved into this house. The previous occupant owed a LOT of money & the letters for her just kept on coming. I wrote on all of them 'Not known at this address' & popped them straight back in the post box. One of her bigger debts got passed to a debt collector agency & they started putting cards through my door, which said they 'needed to deliver a letter' to the person concerned. Once I phoned them & explained that the person did not live there, I did not have her new address (I only knew the county she had moved to) & was happy to provide evidence of my own ID, they didn't contact me again.
They are not your debts, you are not liable. Don't even THINK about paying the £600 to get the problem sorted out. It's not your debt & not your problem. In our case, the debt letters for the previous occupant continued to arrive for the next year or two, but they did get fewer & fewer, as I simply sent them all back to the senders & eventually they did get the message. You can't be liable for someone's debts anyway, let alone simply because you did her the favour of letting her use your address for post during a difficult time.

StopIt

tadpoleuk wrote: »

Thank you all for your fast replies..They make me feel a bit better. I only opened one letter that said she owes £600. I would pay that to stop any trouble at my door to be honest. I will show this to my other half. He did warn me and now I feel used and stupid Urgh

DO NOT PAY THIS.


It isn't yours to pay.


Simply return any further mail with "DOES NOT LIVE HERE" on the envelopes.


If they chase further, send evidence that they do not live here.


Whatever you do, do not pay.

tadpoleuk

Worry is giving way to anger I won't pay it.

sourcrates

tadpoleuk wrote: »

Worry is giving way to anger I won't pay it.

Apart from the common sense reason that the liability for the debts owed, is not yours, if you were to pay one of them, then you are admitting liability by doing so.

That could have very serious consequences for you, because if debt collectors think they have scored a "hit", the amount of correspondence will actually increase, never, ever admit liability for a debt that's not yours, certainly never pay one, you may just open the floodgates.

Theirs never, ever, only one debt.

RosaBernicia

Hi Tadpole

I had letters from bailiff companies and a couple of odd hand delivered ones for the previous tenants at one place I lived. I stuck all those with a return address back in the post marked 'Not At This Address, Return To Sender', and binned the hand delivered ones unopened. The letters stopped within a few weeks.

Please don't pay anything, it really isn't your problem. Also, please don't feel stupid - you were being kind, and you haven't done anything that has put you or others at risk. Though as for feeling used, I think you might want to reconsider calling her a friend.


Rosa xx