Post redirection - is the previous owner of our house still using our address?

Genghissian

When we purchased our current house in Nov 2019 the previous owners and their children were very slow to change addresses.  They paid for the minimum post redirection period but then we continued to receive DVLA, credit card and tax documents etc for at least 18 months.  Initially, we told them by phone or email and they came to collect. After some months when they had pointedly avoided all requests for a forwarding address we began to return all of these to sender.
We have just had a visit from a Valuation Officer.  The letter announcing the visit was addressed to our house but under the name of the previous owner. It never arrived here. 
Is it possible that the previous owner has a post redirection order in place about which we know nothing, which enables him or his children to continue to use our address?  
How can we find out?
What can we do about it?

HampshireH

If they have postal redirection set up to stop their mail coming to your address (good) and this valuation appointment was sent in their name then it would have been redirected to them.

You wouldn't need to know.

Question is probably more why was a valuation letter sent to them. It's more likely their records haven't been updated 

Brie

sorry to be so stupid but what's a valuation officer?  

eskbanker

Brie said:

sorry to be so stupid but what's a valuation officer?  

Presumably an employee of:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/valuation-office-agency/about

General_Grant

HampshireH said:

If they have postal redirection set up to stop their mail coming to your address (good) and this valuation appointment was sent in their name then it would have been redirected to them.

You wouldn't need to know.

Question is probably more why was a valuation letter sent to them. It's more likely their records haven't been updated 

I think the OP is concerned that their address would be linked to defaulting accounts.  But it wouldn't.
However, it could lead to bailiffs turning up seeking property.

If the OP wants to check about a redirection, they could try posting an envelope addressed to one of the former occupiers and see whether it arrives.  That would cost the price of a second class stamp and an envelope.  I don't know whether RM would be willing to say whether or not a re-direction arrangement was in place - but obviously couldn't give the new address.

Genghissian

The Valuation Officer visited with respect to building work undertaken in 2014 (she admitted they have a backlog) and following a change of ownership ie our purchase in 2019.  This is with a view to determining whether the house's value had increased and so whether it should be in a higher council tax band.  This indeed raises the question of :
1.  Why it was addressed to the previous owner when her visit was triggered by a change of ownership.
2.  Why she was unaware that the new building element was subject to business rates.

I do think that after 2 years and 9 months I do need to know and worry if the previous owner is still using our address.  We have already received a bailiff's letter addressed to his ex-wife's ex-business which we opened in error ("Ecological You": I thought it was a circular for laundry products!).  Really don't want county court judgements or whatever against the property.

Genghissian

General_Grant said:

If the OP wants to check about a redirection, they could try posting an envelope addressed to one of the former occupiers and see whether it arrives.  That would cost the price of a second class stamp and an envelope.  I don't know whether RM would be willing to say whether or not a re-direction arrangement was in place - but obviously couldn't give the new address.

Great idea - thank you.

Brie

CCJs don't go against a property as far as I'm aware but a person.  So even if someone who actually lives in a house get one it doesn't necessarily effect others living at the same address - unless there is a financial link somehow I think.

But nearly 5 years after moving into our current house we still very rarely get advertising bumpf through for the previous couple.  And I expect there will be the usual half dozen cards at Christmas.  I don't mind the bumpf - it can just go in the recycling but I think the cards are sad - someone, somewhere, is wondering why a somewhat elderly couple aren't responding to their cards.  And fyi - our previous place we were still getting bank statements for the previous people there even after 10 years.  

Standingstrong

If the OP wants to check about a redirection, they could try posting an envelope addressed to one of the former occupiers and see whether it arrives.  That would cost the price of a second class stamp and an envelope.  I don't know whether RM would be willing to say whether or not a re-direction arrangement was in place - but obviously couldn't give the new property.

CCJS don’t go against a house. What you mean is a CHARGE ORDER. please search up what a charge order means on a property.

you need to do a trace on where the previous owner lives and contact them to redirect there mail  

mjm3346

"Your Redirection can run for up to four years from the original start date. You won't be able to renew beyond this length of time."

So they could still redirect for just over another year

macman

Genghissian said:

The Valuation Officer visited with respect to building work undertaken in 2014 (she admitted they have a backlog) and following a change of ownership ie our purchase in 2019.  This is with a view to determining whether the house's value had increased and so whether it should be in a higher council tax band.  This indeed raises the question of :
1.  Why it was addressed to the previous owner when her visit was triggered by a change of ownership.
2.  Why she was unaware that the new building element was subject to business rates.

I do think that after 2 years and 9 months I do need to know and worry if the previous owner is still using our address.  We have already received a bailiff's letter addressed to his ex-wife's ex-business which we opened in error ("Ecological You": I thought it was a circular for laundry products!).  Really don't want county court judgements or whatever against the property.

Did you ask the VO to explain these anomalies?
As others have stated, CCJ's are made against people, not addresses, so there is no link to the property.
And a charging order wouldn't work, because the name of the person it was applied for against is no longer registered as the owner of the property.
Bailiffs don't usually announce their visits in advance by letter. Do you mean a debt collector? if so, you can just ignore it, as they have zero powers of entry.