How to stop debt collector's letter?

river_kwai

I have bought a repossessed home for more than 2 years already and I am still receiving letters from many debt collection agencies. I have always crossed the letter with "Please return to sender, this person no longer lives here!" and send them back. But after 2 years I am still receving these letters. I am afraid that the bailiffs will turn up one day!

What can I do to stop this for good?

Doozergirl

Open the letters and call the people concerned. Sending them back has never worked for me either, they just keep coming. As soon as I have phoned to explain, the letters stop.

river_kwai

I seem to be receiving letters from many companies. I had received 4 this week and had just opened them, they are all from 4 different companies, god knows how many company I would have to ring before I have notified all of them? Is there a register that these company should check before sending out these letters? They should at least check whethere the address is still valid!!!

Doozergirl

People who owe money often send the letters back 'return to sender'.

SO they just keep on. You can register with the mail preference servive but that only stops unsolicited junk mail - it won't stop mail from companies with which the previous occupiers have had full dealings.

Or you continue to ignore and wait for someone to eventually turn up and show them you're not the person on the letter. Up to you but post for other people drives me insane!

river_kwai

Thanks Doozergirl, I have already rang all the 4 companies up, and would continue to do so until I have notified all of them.

It's a shame that I would have to do these as I was hoping it would stop after few months, but it has gone on for more than 2 years already. These companies are persistent.

Zazen999

I would send each letter back with a letter saying that you bought the repossessed house over 2 years ago, there is nothing you can do about the person whose home was repossessed, and suggest that they use other means to locate this person. If you had a forwarding address then you would have sent it to them by now.

110frankie

I had letters and callers for 18 months after buying a reposessed house.
It stopped eventually but I did answer all letters and took the time to explain to callers that I didn't know where they had gone.

Interestingly I was also refused a credit sale on that address at one point. However, the salesman happily sold it to my wife-to-be at her address, but with delivery to the house she was going to be living in when she married me in a few weeks time !

silvercar

First come the letters, then the baliffs!

As Doozergirl says, "gone away" means nothing to debt collectors. There is a register (I think its called GAIN) where debt collectors can register that debtors are no longer at a certain address. It can only be accessed by DCAs though, so short of persuading a creditor to register, there is little you can do.

Once the baliffs appear you can prove that you aren't the previous occupants (utility bill etc) and they will go away.

silvercar

For information:

GAIN is the Gone Away Information Network (GAIN). The network of organisations who are members of GAIN submit details of individuals who have moved home, leaving behind a credit account, such as a loan which is at least 30 days in arrears, without notifying the Lender of a forwarding address. The information submitted may include both the address the customer moved from and any address to where the customer has since been traced. Equifax holds records on behalf of the GAIN organisation and this information is only made available to companies who are members of GAIN.

SouthCoast

I have lived here for over three years, but keep getting debt collection telephone calls for somebody who has never lived here!

I ask for my number to be removed from their records, but they seem to ignore me.

Any ideas?

Millionaire

SouthCoast wrote: »

I have lived here for over three years, but keep getting debt collection telephone calls for somebody who has never lived here!

I ask for my number to be removed from their records, but they seem to ignore me.

Any ideas?

Change your number.