Debt collector letters posted to our house for someone we've never heard of

MartyCH85

Hi there, 

I'm not entirely sure if I'm in the right forum. So I apologise if this shouldn't be here.

We've started receiving letters from Opos debt collectors, sent to our address but in the name of someone we've never heard of. We bought this house last year, and based on the information we have from the previous owners, this person on the letters hasn't lived here in at least the last 18 years (and has quite possibly never lived here).

What kind of problems can it cause for us to have someone else's debt attached to our property. And if it turns out that someone has been fraudulently using our address to attain credit, what can we do about it?

Many thanks

emmajones1976

Debt isnt attached to a property. Send them back not known at address.

[Deleted User]

The debt isn't attached to your property, so no problems. It's attached to the individual. Just return the post, 'not at this address'.

Thrugelmir

Keep returning the mail. Might take a while for it to desist though. 

Jenni_D

Whenever I've had similar I've marked the envelope as Never Known At This Address

Only once have I opened such letters, when I could see that it was from a bank and repeated letters arrived. I did so and called the bank (which happened to also be my bank) to let them know in case it was a fraud attempt.

Manxman_in_exile

Personally - having first opened the letter(s) - I would return them with a covering letter explaining that you have lived at the address for n years and that you have never heard of the person they are chasing.  You can add that having discussed it with the previous owners you can say that the person in question has not lived there in at least the last 18 years.

Tell them to stop sending* him letters at your address.  I would not just leave it at returning them marked "Not known... " or even "Never known... " as I think it just invites them to continue sending letters.


*I'm not sure if you can back that up further by saying you will complain about harrassment if they do not desist?  I think I've read elsewhere on this forum that that approach might work, but it's not something I know about.

Thrugelmir

Manxman_in_exile said:

Tell them to stop sending* him letters at your address.  I would not just leave it at returning them marked "Not known... " or even "Never known... " as I think it just invites them to continue sending letters.

Letters will be an automated process. Administration wheels grind slowly. 

Manxman_in_exile

All the more reason to explicitly tell them now to stop sending them.  There's really no point in just returning and marking "Not Known"

[Edit: why is there a line break after "now" that I haven't put in?  I've noticed that happening a lot lately.  It makes me look as if I've got eight fat fingers... ]

Having made that first edit the break has now disappeared

Vegastare

Manxman_in_exile said:

All the more reason to explicitly tell them now to stop sending them.  There's really no point in just returning and marking "Not Known"

Yes tell them

My MIL received three letters from HMP - in her 80's to say the least she was horrified, correct address but just first name.  Not known at this address did nothing, just got two more.
In the end - I actually phoned the prison and explained the upset it was causing her, they were very good and asked if the letter could be sent back, and addressed to a certain department, she never got another one.

pulliptears

I get this a lot, my house was a short term rental before I bought it and I've counted about 20 different names now.

In the beginning I returned to sender, but some were more persistent so I opened them to assess.  I had a confirmation for a new O2 account to a guy who'd not lived here for ten years, contacted O2 directly over that one.  Others I've sent back with covering letters which has stopped it.

I know debt isn't linked to addresses, but being a bit more proactive when the bailiff letters arrive is probably preferable to being rudely awoken by them hammering on the door at 7am.

Manxman_in_exile

pulliptears said:

...I know debt isn't linked to addresses, but being a bit more proactive when the bailiff letters arrive is probably preferable to being rudely awoken by them hammering on the door at 7am.

Exactly...