New Home - Bailiffs

By Zoom7000
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Grand Master

Zoom7000

Posted
Posted

I have recently moved in to a new flat and I'm receiving loads of letters in previous tennants names. Recently, I have noticed that many of these letters are from Bailiffs and debt collection agencies. I have been returning these letters without opening them simply marking them as "Return to Sender - Person does not live at this address"

Am I doing the wrong thing? Should I be opening any future letters and calling the compaines up telling them that I do not know who these people are and that they do not live here.

What do I do if bailiffs turn up at my door? Can I simply show them my ID and tenancy agreement and say that there is no one of those names living here?

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Grand Master

leesmithg

Posted
Posted
I have recently moved in to a new flat and I'm receiving loads of letters in previous tennants names. Recently, I have noticed that many of these letters are from Bailiffs and debt collection agencies. I have been returning these letters without opening them simply marking them as "Return to Sender - Person does not live at this address"

Am I doing the wrong thing? Should I be opening any future letters and calling the compaines up telling them that I do not know who these people are and that they do not live here.

What do I do if bailiffs turn up at my door? Can I simply show them my ID and tenancy agreement and say that there is no one of those names living here?

Take all the letters without your name upon them, take them to your landlord and get them to deal with it.

If you purchased the property yourself, contact the debt collection agency, bailiffs and tell them the facts.

If they require proof, then send them a copy of your tenancy agreement or some other proof the property is yours.

They cannot enter your home unless you let them, they need a warrant to break in, the warrant must be for the tenant/owner.

The name(s) they are after are not yours so don't worry.

You can always though, when they do turn up, invite them in, make them some tea and show them you are not the other person(s), that will save expense on your part.

Veteran

macf13nd

Posted
Posted

indeed you can. you are doing exactly the right thing. If you wanted to be more concientious, then you could call your letting agent and ask if they can provide contact details for the previous tenants so they don't get burned too badly.

Under the Housing Act, your tenancy agreement will prove sufficient to absolve you of the responsibility of the debt associated with the premises.

Grand Master

Zoom7000

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I have spoken to my landloard. He told me to keep returning the letters and if anyone shows up, to call him. I have my tenancy agreement (mine and my wifes name) so I am not worried about that.

I was just worried about the warrant, can it not be a warrant to enter a "property" or will it definately be in the name of the person owing the debt?

Seems like right bloody crooks who used to live here, aparently there were 10 people at 1 time all at once, no one paid a bloody thing! I get literally 100s of letters every week, not just bills in previous tenants names! "Return to Sender" what I have been told to do by landlord and post office just seems to get ignored.

Grand Master

Zoom7000

Posted
  • Author
Posted
indeed you can. you are doing exactly the right thing. If you wanted to be more concientious, then you could call your letting agent and ask if they can provide contact details for the previous tenants so they don't get burned too badly.

Under the Housing Act, your tenancy agreement will prove sufficient to absolve you of the responsibility of the debt associated with the premises.

It's a private tenancy and there is no letting agent, I deal straight with the landlord, who just so happened to buy the property before I moved in. So he has no contact with any former tenants.

I just wanted to make sure I was covered in case any unwanted guests turned up!

Grand Master

leesmithg

Posted
Posted
I have spoken to my landloard. He told me to keep returning the letters and if anyone shows up, to call him. I have my tenancy agreement (mine and my wifes name) so I am not worried about that.

I was just worried about the warrant, can it not be a warrant to enter a "property" or will it definately be in the name of the person owing the debt?

Seems like right bloody crooks who used to live here, aparently there were 10 people at 1 time all at once, no one paid a bloody thing! I get literally 100s of letters every week, not just bills in previous tenants names! "Return to Sender" what I have been told to do by landlord and post office just seems to get ignored.

Look it's the responsibility of the landlord to deal with problems before you took the tenancy.

Tell him/her to deal with the bailiffs and debt collection agency.

Goto the c.a.b. they will tell you the same.

I had this problem 9 year ago when I lived in Sydenham, the s*its that live their before ran up catalogue, loans, no tv licence all those things and as soon as I started sorting out 2 or 3 of the 40 odd word went around and I stopped getting letters.

Grand Master

_bobcat_ Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
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There were probably two people living there using a bunch of fake names. I know someone who apparently just can't pay bills and once her name is blacklisted she uses other names :no: The fool who lived here left a debt, but it was just the electricity company who we needed to call anyway.

Grand Master

Panacik

Posted
Posted

Just be carefull and make sure you make it known that you live there and not anyone with the other persons name.

I have had this happen in two places i moved in to and on both occasions i had a confrontation with baliffs and police over the matter.

The first time, the police and baliff turned up telling me they where going to take our stuff. I showed them my passport and tenancy agreement and the police told him (to his annoyance) that they had no right to take my stuff and they had to stop contacting me as i was not the person they where after. After that the letters etc stopped.

The current place im in, i was getting letters for someone else and eventually opened on when i saw big red letters on the inside saying warning. Inside was a unprofessional letter saying my home was at risk and that they tried to call but no one was in etc.

They came around at 1 in the afternoon... when most people are at work!? So that was no surprise.

I called the number on the card and got through to "Jason", who i explained that i was not the person on the letter and that i dont want any more letters or him entering the house.

He said i needed to provide proof, which i sent a copy of my tenancy agreement to him, thinking he would stop. Then about 3 weeks ago he and a friend knocked on the door. I answered and he just walked in and said he had a right to take belongings up to the value of ?2000 for MY debts.

I explained that i was not the person and showed him passports etc and he said, i could pay ?200 now and they would right it off, otherwise they would start taking stuff. I explained it was not my debt and i dont know the person they where after, so i was not paying anything and he started to get in my face.

Funny, when i called the police he suddenly reversed what he was saying and started appologising saying he made a mistake and was confused about what i had told him.

Some of these people can be professional, whereas some are just thugs. The bottom line is though, just to be carefull and do everything you can to ensure they know its not your debt.

Rising Star

tazzeh

Posted
Posted

I've had this happen to me on my current rental property. We kept getting letters from two debt companies and an electric company with MASSIVE debts being run up. Being nosey, we did open the letters and this was quite a surprise. All we did was phone the debt collectors, quoted the reference on it, and sent a photocopy of our tenancy agreement, which meant that we only just moved in. They were understanding so they stopped sending it after a few months. Same with the electric company.

Sometimes all they need is just proof that you've moved in on the date AFTER the debt was built up, and possibly proof of your own ID.

Luckily no one ever came around, but this time, it seems we saved them the hassle of doing so. Don't be afraid to call them, the blame is not and never will be on you.

Grand Master

Angelic Marge

Posted
Posted

Same thing happened to us when we moved into this house, there was a return address stamped on the envelopes that were coming so we wrote them a letter back explaining the other person had moved out. We received a reply a few days later with an apology and a thank you, we never heard from them again.

Grand Master

Fred Derf Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
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Should I be opening any future letters and calling the compaines up telling them that I do not know who these people are and that they do not live here.

Opening the letters would be a privacy violation. Informing your landlord and/or returning the mail should be sufficient to stop the problem.

Mentor

Roadrunna

Posted
Posted

Sounds like the family who lived at my previous address before we moved in. They emigrated (apparently to Spain as we eventually received a couple of bills from there) and left us with a load of people wanting payment or return of items which had been loaned. ?24,000 worth in the end and the wife had various surnames as well probably her maiden name and all her ex-husbands.

We sorted it out in the end but I was constantly amazed by the number of companies which sent letters addressed to them entitled "Bad Credit Rating? We can give you a loan to help clear your debts!". Stupid... and those went in the bin.

Grand Master

Zoom7000

Posted
  • Author
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I spoke to a friend in Royal Mail who told me the "Return to Sender" system was flawed and doesn't really work. Essentially it stems from people "taking the mick" and sending legitimate replies using RTS. So, the letters end up as "dead letters" in a post office sorting centre corner somewhere. Also, I read somewhere that the opening of letters was only illegal during the stage of transit.

I actually got a letter from DVLA today which said, "If undelivered, please do not return to sender" yes you have read correctly, do not, and in bold too. I opened it and it was a letter thanking the addressee for informing the DVLA he was no longer in possesion of his car. Funny he didn't tell them that he'd moved house! Muppet!

They told me to return the letter with a cover letter stating I no longer live there anymore. Unfortunately I can't get my landlord to budge on the matter, he just said keep RTS-ing and if I get any unwanted guests, to call him.

Thing is, it's all good that bailiffs can't force entry and such, but I dunno what debts these fools had. It states on the Directgov website that if the debt is owed to HMRC they can break in...

If County Court bailiffs come to your home, you don't have to let them in.

They can't force their way in on their first visit, but they can enter through an open window, or an unlocked door. Forced entry includes pushing past you once you have opened the door to them or leaving their foot in the door to prevent you closing it. Such action would make the whole process illegal.

Bailiffs trying to recover money you owe to HMRC are allowed to break into your home, providing they have a magistrates' warrant.

Bailiffs recovering unpaid magistrates' court fines, however, do have the power to force entry.

Source - http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBen...ars/DG_10034289

Experienced

Shycho

Posted
Posted
They would probably ask me what the hell im on about... im in the uk... :p

As are West Ham.

Sounds like the family who lived at my previous address before we moved in. They emigrated (apparently to Spain as we eventually received a couple of bills from there) and left us with a load of people wanting payment or return of items which had been loaned. ?24,000 worth in the end and the wife had various surnames as well probably her maiden name and all her ex-husbands.

We sorted it out in the end but I was constantly amazed by the number of companies which sent letters addressed to them entitled "Bad Credit Rating? We can give you a loan to help clear your debts!". Stupid... and those went in the bin.

Sounds the same to what we had at our place the old bag with multiple names left 11k of debts and ran off to Portugal. Unfortunately for her she also had her disablitly benefits still being sent to our address, so we quickly got those cut off and found out where she lives.

Opening the letters would be a privacy violation. Informing your landlord and/or returning the mail should be sufficient to stop the problem.

What letters delivered through my front door? It's not my fault I thought they mis-spelt my name.

Grand Master

Zoom7000

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Got another Debt Collection letter today. I opened it up, final request for an ?814 bill to T-Mobile before starting court proceedings. How do you rack up ?814 on T-Mobile without getting cut off:blink:k:

Anyway, a quick call telling them I have no idea who the addressed person is and that I have no forwarding contact or any other info, and I got a "Thank you and we will ensure you don't get any more letters."

He did say they will try to find him elsewhere. Either way, that should be one problem sorted. I'm opening them all from now on, seems to work better than "Return to Sender"

Mentor

garethevans1986

Posted
Posted
You can always though, when they do turn up, invite them in, make them some tea and show them you are not the other person(s), that will save expense on your part.

Ummmm no because if you invite them in they can start taking stuff....

and as for opening letters.....its illegal for you to open somebody elses letters.

Mentor

Pikey

Posted
Posted

I got a letter just the other day from a 'credit' company looking for a previous tenant where I live .. apparently they are searching for him and it would be 'in his interest' if he could be traced! .. did I know his new address and if so, would I be good enough to let them know!! .. cheeky b*ggars ...

The odd part is that I have lived here for 8 years now ... I would have thought anybody chasing bad debts from him would have given up long ago ...

Grand Master

Panacik

Posted
Posted
I got a letter just the other day from a 'credit' company looking for a previous tenant where I live .. apparently they are searching for him and it would be 'in his interest' if he could be traced! .. did I know his new address and if so, would I be good enough to let them know!! .. cheeky b*ggars ...

The odd part is that I have lived here for 8 years now ... I would have thought anybody chasing bad debts from him would have given up long ago ...

It would "be in his interest"? Hows that? So he can pay back that money he so dearly wanted to pay back 8 years ago, plus the interest!? :laugh:

My sister had a woman knock on her door a few days after she moved in to her current house about 10 years ago. The woman asked is the previous owner (insert name here) was around. Obviously my sister told her the woman had moved to her old house as they had done a straight swap.

She said in these exact words, "Oh thats a shame! I dont suppose i could have her new address please. Its been years since i saw her and i would love to catch up!". So my sister gave her the address details and she wrote them down.

Then the woman gave my sister her card and said, "thanks for that. She owes a lot of money and we have been trying to track her for ages. Have a nice day".

Some are so sneeky.

Grand Master

leesmithg

Posted
Posted
Opening the letters would be a privacy violation. Informing your landlord and/or returning the mail should be sufficient to stop the problem.

Incorrect, maybe in your country.

The law states, once it has been delivered to your home via the letterbox you can open it.

Grand Master

Fred Derf Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
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Incorrect, maybe in your country.

The law states, once it has been delivered to your home via the letterbox you can open it.

I said that it was a privacy violation, I did not say that it was illegal to do so. Opening someone else's mail is a violation of their privacy whether it is illegal or not.

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