Advice required: previous owners debt?

Craig1981 · 12 August 2018 at 10:29AM

Willing2Learn wrote: »

As far as the OP is concerned, their fear of potentially having debt collectors turn up at their door, or having incorrect data recorded on their credit file, may well constitute a reasonable excuse.

your credit file is under your name, not your address

Willing2Learn · 12 August 2018 at 10:36AM

Craig1981 wrote: »

but in this case, the OP knows who the addressee is, and knowing the £16k debt in their name could be classed as a detriment to the recipient.

There has to be intention to act to a person's detriment. (as per sub-section #3)

Craig1981 · 12 August 2018 at 11:22AM

Willing2Learn wrote: »

There has to be intention to act to a person's detriment. (as per sub-section #3)

we could debate this for days...:)

IMHO, there is more to the story...

elsien · 12 August 2018 at 11:31AM

At one point I was regularly getting mail for people I'd never heard of. I equally regularly opened it because it was people who'd never lived here setting up mobile contracts etc at this address.
If anyone wants to prosecute me for interfering with mail I would be quite happy to have that debate in court. If people choose to fraudulently use my address to send their post to I have no compunction about checking to see exactly what it is.

D_M_E · 12 August 2018 at 12:52PM

What would happen if one of the companies involved took them to court, got a CCJ then went for a charging order on your property without bothering to check if they actually still live in and own the property?

You would never know until you came to sell and sorting it could be a nightmare.

Your best course of action would be to return everything to sender marked "not known at this address, moved out 2 years ago" and not hand it over to them every now and then - if they call and ask for any mail just tell them there's been nothing.

Keep some form of identification with you to show any debt collectors who may - and they eventually will - call seeking them and point them to where they should be going.

Also consider signing up for Land Registry alerts at https://propertyalert.landregistry.gov.uk

Shakin_Steve · 12 August 2018 at 1:24PM

I open all mail that comes through my letterbox. If my name is not on the letter and I consider it a bit suspect, I ring the company who sent it so as to leave them in no doubt that the addressee does not live here. I also record the call, without telling them.

So, let me see...opening mail not addressed to me, and recording calls without telling the other party. I might have to go to jail.

Sncjw · 12 August 2018 at 2:05PM

If the debt collectors turn up at your door show them your Id. They will ask for proof of id so they know it!!!8217;s not you. Maybe even tell them where the people live as they will state the name of the person they are looking for.

-taff · 12 August 2018 at 3:42PM

Well, for those debating the legality or otherwise of openeing mail for someone else...The OP stated qute clearly that they opened the mail because it only showed their address, not the previous owners name on the letter.

So you're all arguing about something which is not applicable in this case.

OP, personally, I'd just phone the bank, let them know the intended recipients don't live ther anymore, and there's no reason why you can't give them their current address. I would, just because they're obviously being incredibly un-neighbourly, and have no worries about deflecting anything by keeping their old address on their bank records etc.

And don't panic, it's their name on the debt not yours.

financegeek · 12 August 2018 at 5:10PM

i'd be tempted to write / return the letter to the company sent it originally, ensuring the new address was also enclosed with my response.

I would imagine the company will then do their own research and see that the address you've given is correct and (hopefully) stop writing to your property

PoorCharleyBear · 13 August 2018 at 1:23AM

Send letters back with forwarding address details, or call the loan company.
we rented our house out to a neighbour's son many years ago (7ish). Just recently we have been getting a lot of speeding offences I'm guessing by the envelope. I sent them all back and wrote a spiel on 'not lived here since xxxx and lives with parents at ' address across the road'. Received about 5 and now they have stopped.
(And neighbours have stopped talking to us!!!)

Advice required: previous owners debt?

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