Think my new house is blacklisted! Will this affect my credit rating?

keenan_2

Hello,

I've recently bought my first house and have discovered that the previous tenant has built up a serious amount of bad debt at the address. There's bailiff and final demand letters arriving every day as well as bailiffs calling to the door every week. Should I be worried? What can I do?

Many thanks,

P Keenan

Bobsworlduk

Houses can't be black listed, it is the owner / occupier that can be.

Billy

keenan_2

That's good to hear Billy, it's just I was told by someone that the postcode may be flagged for poor credit when a credit check etc is carried out. This isn't the case then?

Kind regards,

P Keenan

Phonix

We've had a similar problem at our address. It's a student house but there appears to have been two people living here in the past that are on the brink on bankruptcy. I've tried sorting some of it out but legally I'm not even supposed to open their letters.

John_M_Business

I believe that personal credit history takes precedence over locational issues. So if you have a good credit history, then this should not be a problem. However if you have a poor / non-existant history - where you live may be an issue.

hunny33

i had a similar problem, about 6 months after we moved in i had bailiffs on the doorstep! he told me to go to the council (county i think) they would require prove of when you moved in, then they sort the records of the address which sould help with the problem. he also said if you get the "heavytype" do not let them in and threaten to call the police. i hope that helps, worth a phone call as for the letters do you have a forwarding address for these people?
if not and the letters don't have addresses on the back open them then send them back with a letter saying that you are now the new residents and would appretiate they did not contact you again

garysletters

I think theres a web site called https://www.checkmyfile.co.uk .( This may not be the exact name, but someone i'm sure will corrct it if its wrong) and there you get to see your credit history, and if something is amiss you can make a note of it to be added to your file.

I called the royal mails main cust services number in a similar situation, and got permission (however little it means) to open unreturnable mail. I then called all the debt agencies and bailiffs and explained the situation. Give them the details of the previous residents solicitor if you dont know there whereabouts. This stopped 90% of the mail. (i still get the other 10% after 4 years, so they are obviously not too bothered about the debt??)

hobbesandco

I used to work at a bank several years ago and it used to be the case that post code and address could affect your credit rating (if anyone at the same address had CCJ's, missed payments, etc) and if you were living on a street where there were lots of fraudulent applications made, it would also affect your rating. With the recent laws passed, this should no longer be the case but it is always wise to check your credit rating with both Experian and Equifax. The person living at your address previously should not be on your credit rating but if for whatever reason he/she is, you can apply to have this person disassociated from you.