Unknown bank account registered at my address?

ryecowley

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but anyone have any ideas on this?

Wife and I moved into our current house in March 2025, last week we received a letter which was addressed correctly (as in it was our address) but not in either of our names, nor was it the surname of the previous owners who had lived there since the 90's

Without opening it I could just about see it was one of those "The interest rate on your savings account is changing" letters, unfortunately I couldn't see what bank it was for in order to contact them

we did the usual "not at this address across" the front of it and put it back in the post but now I'm quite concerned that there is at least one bank account in this individuals name associated with our address, without opening the letter (obviously illegal) I don't know what bank to contact about this, what to do?

elsien

It’s not illegal to open the letter if you have a reasonable cause and you’re not using it to the detriment of someone else. And let’s be honest, even if it was who was going to notice or care if you are just checking information due to concern about fraud. 

if you get any more, I’d open  them and take it from there. it could just be a simple number mistyping error by someone somewhere with regards to the house number. 

it will not have any impact on you financially because any credit records are associated with people not places. 

Keep_pedalling

You are allowed to open anything addressed to your home regardless of the name on the envelope. If any more turn up open it and contact the sender. I did this and it turned out it was for a guarantor for a loan, I just called the company and that was the last I heard about it. Hopefully my call stopped someone getting a fraudulent loan as well.

Ergates

ryecowley said:

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but anyone have any ideas on this?

Wife and I moved into our current house in March 2025, last week we received a letter which was addressed correctly (as in it was our address) but not in either of our names, nor was it the surname of the previous owners who had lived there since the 90's

Without opening it I could just about see it was one of those "The interest rate on your savings account is changing" letters, unfortunately I couldn't see what bank it was for in order to contact them

we did the usual "not at this address across" the front of it and put it back in the post but now I'm quite concerned that there is at least one bank account in this individuals name associated with our address, without opening the letter (obviously illegal) I don't know what bank to contact about this, what to do?

Fundamentally:  Not your problem.  You've sent it back, it's not them to update their records.  If they don't - still not your problem (other than the occasional bit of mail).  If you're concerned about things like debts getting linked to your address - this doesn't happen, debts are linked to the person.

flaneurs_lobster

As @elsien says, no need to be concerned about fraud since not in your name. 

Wouldn't do any harm to get (free) copies of your credit reports just to check if there's anything there that you don't recognise.

TimeLord1

Sometimes old names linger on the electoral register. Contact your local council’s electoral registration office to ensure only you and your wife are listed as residents. This is the most common way "zombie" names stay attached to an address.

If in doubt or you believe it's suspicious activity, open it; it can cause a big headache if someone is attempting fraud. Inform your local police if this is the case, covering yourself. 

You can always remove your details from the electoral roll.

Grumpy_chap

ryecowley said:

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but anyone have any ideas on this?

Wife and I moved into our current house in March 2025, last week we received a letter which was addressed correctly (as in it was our address) but not in either of our names, nor was it the surname of the previous owners who had lived there since the 90's

Without opening it I could just about see it was one of those "The interest rate on your savings account is changing" letters, unfortunately I couldn't see what bank it was for in order to contact them

we did the usual "not at this address across" the front of it and put it back in the post but now I'm quite concerned that there is at least one bank account in this individuals name associated with our address, without opening the letter (obviously illegal) I don't know what bank to contact about this, what to do?

It would not be illegal to open the letter, unless you are doing so with the intent of causing detriment to the named recipient.

Regardless, I think the "return to sender" action you took is the correct one and how I would continue to proceed in the future.

Credit records are associated with an individual and not an address.  It is more than likely just an honest mistake such as transposed digits in the house number...

ryecowley

thanks for the replies, will keep an eye out for any more and open them up if / when they arrive to get in touch with the relevant bank, as its obviously an old account and not someone trying to open up a new one I'm not hugely concerned but obviously would prefer to get it sorted

friolento

ryecowley said:

thanks for the replies, will keep an eye out for any more and open them up if / when they arrive to get in touch with the relevant bank, as its obviously an old account and not someone trying to open up a new one I'm not hugely concerned but obviously would prefer to get it sorted

Even if it were an application for a new account, using your address but not your name, it wouldn't / couldn't have any negative effect on your creditworthiness. As already said, debts are linked to a person, not to an address. So no need to worry in any way. I understand that it can be a nuisance to receive mail for an unknown stranger - resolve this by returning the post to the sender.

molerat

TimeLord1 said:

You can always remove your details from the electoral roll.

You cannot get your name removed from the electoral register unless exceptional circumstances exist.  You can get your name removed from the open register which is available to buy for marketing purposes but the full register is available for public inspection.

flaneurs_lobster

TimeLord1 said:

Sometimes old names linger on the electoral register.

I get a form every year from the Electoral Registration Office of my Local Authority (like every residential household in the UK) where I declare who lives there and is entitled to vote. 

This is used to update the Electoral Register. How can an old name "linger"?