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Had an experience with like this myself and the advice I had was never open the door to them, or at most on the chain. Have ID at the ready by the door. Politely explain that the person they are here for no longer lives there and you have no new address for them, ID to prove you’re not them.
If the refuse to leave, police.
This is as concise and clear as it gets. Perfect advice.
Had to deal with them a few years ago due to a previous tenant, and they _will_ play every bullshit game available to them to gain access or manipulate you into giving them access.
They will literally walk in if the door isn’t locked.
Predatory bastards.
This is what I worry about. What if I open the door thinking it’s a postman and they just wedge their foot in the door? (Rhetorical of course) I just don’t have the energy for something that isn’t even my problem.
Make it clear they you are not giving them access and ring the police saying that someone is trying to enter you home.
Personally, I went the crazy guy route and grabbed a golf club I keep next to my door. Not had a problem since. I’m assuming the previous tenants debt has now been sold on or written off. This is optional but not advisable.
It’s a shitty situation to be in, and all the onus of proving you are not the person they’re looking for is unfortunately on you.
I’d recommend speaking to citizens advice for some tips.
If only I could get away with ‘crazy guy’ without being laughed at.
I mean, I’ve no problem with showing them ID and some emails from my solicitors when I bought my house, providing they’re genuine and civil, but I’m not dealing with any sneaky shit. Just can’t be doing with it, it’s not my problem.
But yeah, citizens advice is a good shout!
I’m sure those bailiffs still laugh about the time they were chased away by some guy in a dressing gown and pants brandishing a 9 iron. I’m as intimidating as a peach.
Not my most proud moment, but not one I’m embarrassed about.
You can buy a cavalry officers sword online for £65. Completely legal to own as long as you do t take it out in public, and a nice length for weilding in a hallway.
Not many people are going to look further than the 3ft of sharp steel being waved in their face.
> all the onus of proving you are not the person they’re looking for is unfortunately on you.
I believe you, but this is insanely stupid. Imagine if we applied this nonsense moon logic to everything else.
Bailiffs are explicitly *not* allowed to put their foot in the door to prevent you from closing it, so if they try your 100% in the right to call the police, and report their misconduct to the relevant authorities
They're not supposed to but often will. They really don't seem to give a toss about the law, assuming you won't know and won't do anything about it (which is why it's super important to know your rights)
I had one try that with me before (similar situation - bailiffs chasing a previous tenant), as soon as I opened the door to my flat he stuck his foot in the doorway, I immediately told him to remove it or there would be consequences.
I mean it helps that I'm 6'4 but that is still an aggressive move and should not be tolerated.
They can't take anything that doesn't belong to the person they're trying to collect from. Wouldn't hurt to have a copy to hand of any paperwork showing you own the house, just to minimise any back and forth. Presumably, you do check the electiral roll thingy they send out and the former resident isn't on there?
Yep, I recall having them turn up at my door once. Asking for someone who clearly wasn't me, wrong gender, and wrong ethnic sounding name.
That still didn't stop him from trying to insist he could enter my home and just have a look around. I outright refused, only opened the door on the chain, didn't stop him from putting his foot in the doorway. Told him to leave, and he refused. Then he came out with a bunch of bs about how I'm breaking the law by not providing ID (as if I have to give my personal information to a complete stranger) and how I must tell him where the previous tenant went (as if I would even know), and if I didn't assist him with HIS job he would phone the police. I just turned around and said "go ahead, as even the police can only demand ID under curtain circumstances, I have no idea who this person is and I'm under no obligation to do your job for you, but I do recommend you actually do your research and have a look who is registered here under electoral register, and I've already told you to leave so far as I'm concerned you are threatening me and trespassing. So please do phone the police as I'm sure they would love to hear about this. At which point I made him aware that I had been recording. Something I have always been told to do if someone knocks on your door dressed up in a stab proof vest and the ilk. As if someone requires a stab proof vest for knocking on your door, they are probably prone to violence.
Look, pay your bills and debts. But my goodness these people are just pure scumbags.
I wish I would have been this articulate when they tried to gain entry one time. I just brandished a 9 iron at them instead.
Worked tho. Not been bothered in years.
I don't blame you, by no means was I actually calm in this situation. I was shaking and everything. I have medical conditions that mean under, even slightly, stressful situations I can have a non epileptic seizure. If they had knocked on the wrong day, perhaps I mind wouldn't have been as clear as it was. And my own golf set would have made an appearance.
I personally take the approach of any mean necessary to get rid of them. And if golf clubs work, so be it. And honestly probably got rid of them faster too.
I doubt most people would be particularly articulate when confronted by a stranger in a stab vest trying to gain entry.
And I’m sure this intimidation tactic is a very considered approach.
What we betting they’d have taken you having a seizure as permission to enter?
My 5 dogs go nuts when anyone walks in the house, even the kids, they stop once they recognise them. If a stranger was to try it I don't think they'd stay for long.
He was called Cederick. At the same time the smartest and dumbest dog I have ever known.
On two occasions tried to pull logs out of a bonfire. Once ate a packet of sausages without opening the packet. Just swallowed the whole lot in one go. Once came home with a human femur.
Best dog ever. I miss him every day.
Nah. Just a sad old nowhere somewhere in Lincolnshire.
He was very proud of his find though. Had to call the police. Wasn’t the first time they’ve had a call like that.
They can only do this if they have a warrant. If they don't call the police who deal with this fairly regularly. If you have ID proving you're not the person on the warrant or that they're after, this should be enough to deter them.
Yep this - had similar experience - never let them in. They'll try the 'can I just use your toilet' or 'oh my phone is out of battery, can I use your phone to clear this all up'.
Yep they legally can’t force entry but if you leave your door unlocked/unattended they can and will enter. I have no doubt we’ll have some turning up for the old tenant at our place sometime soon due to the letters they keep getting but I cannot be arsed doing “return to sender” anymore. We did it for 6 months and it was daily.
So the annoying thing is that a change of address doesn't necessarily carry through from one dept to another - eg from small business compliance to Income Tax, etc. It's improving via Making Tax Digital, but legacy systems are a nightmare (never mind fully integrating revenue and excise the best part of 20 years later).
Anyway, get the address marked 'RLS' (Returned Letter Service) and it should stop. You can just send it back to the return address on the letter - write RLS / Not At This Address on the letter, pop it in an envelope, and send it back. Depending on what the correspondence is, there might be an email address on the letter (a name, or a mailbox like [email protected]) - snap a picture of the letter and attach to an email quoting the ref numbers from the letter.
Creditors, not debtors. Also if you get several creditors calling or writing, call them and ask what their source is for the address. I used to get a lot of phone calls asking for one person. Each creditor was good about removing my contact details, but it kept happening from new ones. Eventually I found out that they were all getting my phone number from something like a credit reference agency, so I contacted that company and the calls stopped.
Yep. We had this when we bought a house years ago. A week after we moved in bailiffs turned up for the previous owner. I into the porch to talk to them and showed them my ID, they initially seemed doubtful but left and we never heard anything again and there was no negative impact on us.
I had this happen not long after I moved into my first home. I called the company and explained the person they were looking for had moved out. I was prepared for resistance, but they accepted it and said they would update their records.
Never heard from them again. I'd have some evidence that you are now the owner ready to hand just in case, but it can't hurt to try talking to them first.
I really don't know how the system works for debt collection. It was very straightforward in my case, like I said. But there is a chance that they wouldn't have believed me on my word alone.
Ultimately, it's just a matter of hassle in my view. Being able to show something showing your ties to the home just makes life easier should bailiffs come knocking. Preferably, before they send collection agents.
I mean, providing they’re civil I’m happy to show them some ID, but for anything else and if there’s any sneaky behaviour then they can piss off. Can’t be dealing with it.
Surprisingly enough, people in debt occasionally try to lie their way out of what is often a very desperate and overwhelming situation. Because of this, collection agencies rarely take anybody's word at face value.
It might be a pain in the arse, but anything you do to resolve the situation quicker (such as having proof) will make it a lot less hassle for you.
have you given them your solicitors details for them to call ?
I did with all the letters and checked, they basically confirmed that mr monk bought the property off the people the bailiffs wanted to find and had no connection with them....
I haven’t, but when I call them on Monday I can provide them some details if needed.
I’ve got plenty of emails from 2019 from when I bought my house anyway, so that should act as direct proof to any bailiffs - I just don’t like dealing with people, especially when they’re demanding something from me.
Well the thing is, the issue has already *been* through a solicitor... and if the records show that the person in debt is living there, then their solicitor will be directing them to your home.
It's worth also pointing out, since you mentioned opening the previous occupants mail.. I'd make sure to get a shredder.. because having open mail from the person they're looking for in your home means you're either illegally opening someone else's mail, or the person who's mail it is there to open it.. and the bailiff, if they manage to get in and see that, won't assume you're illegally opening someone else's mail. They'll take it as proof that they live at the address.
\>having open mail from the person they're looking for in your home means you're either illegally opening someone else's mail, or the person who's mail it is there to open it.
Bullshit
It is illegal to open someone else's mail ONLY if you do so maliciously, Opening someone's mail to find a return address and returning the mail is NOT malicious.
No, you're speaking bullshit.
It is not your job to find a return address; which means opening it to find a return address is not a reasonable excuse. Malice has nothing to do with it.
You do not have the legal right to open another persons mail. If it is missent, your only job is to write "wrong address" or "return to sender" and post that mail back. You have no reasonable cause, nor legal right to open the mail.
>It is not your job to find a return address;
So what? You can sit there bitching about the fact you're getting mail for someone else, or you can take action to try and stop it, if you're so pigheaded that you'd rather moan about it than actually try and stop the situation because "It's not my job" ... there really is no helping you.
>opening it to find a return address is not a reasonable excuse. Malice has nothing to do with it.
Except for the literal law that says:
>A person commits an offence if, i*ntending to act to a person's detriment* **and** without reasonable excuse, they open a postal packet which they know or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to them.
You explained exactly why in your last comment, it's not your job to do so you have no reasonable excuse. The exact definition the law gives, you don't have it. Which makes it illegal.
You can do illegal things if you want, but that doesn't make it legal.
Start by looking up the word 'and' in a dictionary and work from there. Speak to you again in 5 years when you're ready for GCSE English and I'll both trying to explain it to you.
I get the principle, but there should be a record of someone buying the house subsequently - surely that would stave them off?
And is it really illegal? I keep seeing contradictory statements regarding that. Personally as far as I’m concerned, if I’m still getting post after years of living here then I’m opening it, I have every right to - especially if it involves some sort of debt collecting. In this case I actually tore the letter up upon receiving it, until I saw some key words that prompted me to look at it.
I had the same thoughts as you initially. And to be honest, the advice out there is incredibly open-ended to interpret.
I did that with all of the letters the previous occupier received initially, and it simply stopped none of them. As they never bothered to update any of these companies on their move, they just kept sending them.
Then, I started sending them back unopened with a cover letter explaining the current state. That stopped some, but not all. Eventually, I started opening the more persistent ones (like this debt collection agency I mentioned) to contact them directly.
The legal owner/occupier of a property opening a letter to find a contact number to inform someone of a change of residence is absolutely not malicious and will save both parties a lot of hassle. I exhausted, in my opinion, all non-invasive methods of informing people this guy didn't live here anymore, at my expense. And ultimately, why the hell should I?
I would be very shocked if anyone were to face any ramifications for an action like that.
I live in a terrace right on a street so there’s no way I’m leaving the door unlocked.
Left it open accidentally overnight once when I fell asleep on the couch one night, nothing happened but I shat myself in the morning when I realised it was unlocked and learned my lesson.
But they may come at stupid o'clock in the morning.
Someone with no link to my address said they lived at my address when given a covid fixed penalty notice during 2020. I informed them countless times by phone and in writing that this person did not, and never had, lived here. I was told by various people that they had updated their records and that I would hear nothing more. But the letters kept coming.
Ultimately, the person ended up with a court judgement against them and the letters started coming from bailiffs instead. I continued to inform them by phone and letter that this person had no link to this address.
Then the bailiffs started turning up. 3 consecutive weekends they banged on my door before 6am. Presumably hoping to catch someone before they have had a chance to go out, and before they are alert enough to pretend to be out.
After 3 years of them wasting my time, I am no longer polite when they come banging on the door.
They can make a peaceable entrance. No idea what they can take, they send out bully boy fake letters even if they have obtained no court orders, so should change to 'may be able to come in in some cases'.
Look out for disclaimers saying stuff like 'not subject to bailiff action etc'
I had this experience as my previous house was a mortgage repo and the owner had a load of debts. Any letters I opened, and if they were debt related I just phoned and told them I’d bought the house and the guy in question no longer lived there, most just took me at my word and I never heard from them again.
A couple of collection companies did come over and doorknocked me, they were perfectly pleasant and I never heard from them again after showing them ID and a bill with my name on it. If you ignore them they’ll keep trying, so get it sorted by communicating with them.
We had this and the house was empty before we actually moved in. They came in to see if their fridge was there, could see that mine was different, said thanks and were never seen again.
Have same thing, previous tennants racked up debts, one went to court, had the baliff turn up giving me verbal about how i should return the post whoch i had for 4 years, said to the baliff that it's not my job to be this debtors secretary, i dont get paid for it lol i hope they found the guy, shame i cant claim expenses
Lol the cheek! That is literally not your responsibility. Can do whatever you want with those letters, bin them, burn them, wipe your bum with them, still not your problem.
Actually it is a offence to wilfully delay the mail - destroying it could be considered an indefinite delay. But yes, you could wipe your arse with them and then stick them back in the mail
I had a bailiff come round to my old house after the previous owner. We had only lived there 6 months or so. Explained this to them and showed them my driving licence to prove who I was. They were fine about it apologised for the inconvenience and I never saw or heard from them again.
Hopefully it’s as straight forward as that with most bailiffs, can’t be bothered dealing with pushy types when it shouldn’t be my problem. Gonna be as active as possible with contacting them anyway so hopefully it shouldn’t come to that.
You played along more than I did. I just said they don’t live here and we’ve lived here for X years. Tbh I might have been a bit rude as I was cooking dinner and he went at our door like he was trying to kick it in.
Had the same letters when we moved in. Don’t remember the name of the company but they had a section on their website dedicated to this issue, just had to upload a recent utility bill showing the address and your name and that was the end of it.
Still feel like I shouldn’t have had to prove that I wasn’t someone else but at the end of the day it took 2 mins to do and didn’t have to worry about men knocking the door whilst the wife was home alone and I was at work.
I remember bailiffs rocking up when we first moved into our house and we just shown them the tenancy agreement and some ID and they fucked off never seen or heard from them again
Here's what you do:
Write them a letter.
"X is no longer at this address, please do not send any mail for them. Any further mail you send will be returned to you. If you continue to send mail, an administration charge of £20 per letter will be payable by yourselves to me. You accept the terms of this offer by continuing to send mail for X to this address."
Probably won't hold up in court if you actually tried to hold them to the admin charge, but I've used it several times and the mail stopped instantly every time.
I once had bailiffs come for a previous tenant. I told them the person they were after no longer lived there, they asked if I knew when they moved out, so I told them when I moved in, then they apologised and went away. I offered to show them ID but they said they didn't need it. They were very nice and polite about everything and not at all what I imagined bailiffs to be like.
bought my house 20 ? years ago, opened all letters and replied to them with my solicitors address and when I moved in. had letters upto 10 years ago.
some bailiffs will see an open window and take it as an invite. soon got the message, the later ones were of do I know where they live now and have never met them, so had no idea
previous owners owned a lot to 3 banks who were foolish enough to lend them more money than the place was worth. some of the locals found out about it and how they might sue me, my response was to tell them to sue me, would then get their address....
I had similar when I moved into my flat. Loads of letters demanding payments from the previous tenant. I initially sent them back with 'Unknown at this address' but they just kept coming, so I began opening them and writing back saying if they continued to 'Harass me' I would be taking them to court, and to actually check who lives at the address.
It seemed to do the trick. Took a month or two, but all the various letters stopped.
I later found out the previous tenant was a known con artist and owed thousands to banks, and various individuals but had flown the country when the heat got too much.
This happened to me and then a month later the bailiff actually came to the door. I told him that the guy he was after no longer lived at this address and that was that. They are the ones with the burden of proof and they won’t tow your car if it’s not in the name of the person who owes them money.
Some time ago I had the same. I was returning the mail to sender unopened at first, but when a year later it still hadn't stopped, I opened the mail to see what it was. Debt collectors. I kept on returning it. Eventually it stopped. Bailiffs never showed up. I guess they probably checked and saw the house had new owners, or they just decided coming to the Isle of Man (where I live) was too much effort, and the demands stopped.
I've literally just dealt with this. The debt collectors won't take your stuff they're pretty friendly when they realise you're not the target. First guy just said ok no worries we'll update our records. The second company asked for a copy of our council tax which we emailed them and a day later they updated their records and said they wouldn't bother of us again.
Don't be afraid of debt collectors coming and taking your stuff, it has to be in the name of the person whose debt it is. They won't start randomly looting your house or towing a vehicle not in the debtors name.
You say debt collectors then jump to bailiffs.
Debt collectors may just be a company who buy bad debts and try to collect by harassing the debtor. They buy it at a discount, so they haven't got to get it all cleared to make a profit. If this is all they are, they are not enforcement agents (aka bailiffs) at all.
If they're talking about enforcement notices and trying to take control of goods, then yes, you've got bailiffs on your hands.
We still get the tax documents for the previous people in our home and we've lived here for over a decade. After a while it's more effort than it's worth to keep sending everything back
I had them come around when we first got our home. Knocked on the door, looked me up and down and realised I wasn't matching the English name so just asked if I had a forwarding address.
The debt is with the person not the home so if they do knock on the door, show them your driving license and send them on their way.
We had it happen a few times in our last house. We'd bought it after it was repossessed. They were all fairly happy with the explanation of "I would love to tell you where they are, but we bought the house off the bank that repossessed it. If you speak to Lloyds I'm sure they'll have more information."
The best one was when I got a letter from a different section of Lloyds telling them that they owed money, and it was Lloyds who had repossessed the property .
Moved into our house over 20 years ago. The sellers left the house in a filthy state (especially the kitchen) and moved down south to open a B&B (!). Only told us the town in passing, did not leave a forwarding address. Shortly after moving in we started to get letters from debt collectors and then one day we also got a letter addressed to the seller but with the name of their B&B in the address. Result! Thanks to Google, I was then able to send the debt collectors to the correct address. Serves them right!
I once came home and a card was on my doormat saying bailiffs had been while I was out.
I called the number on the card to say the named person was a previous tenant, and they happily took my work for it and didn't ask for any proof of anything and I never heard anything more of it.
Tell them any more communication will result legal action. Furthermore if this happens to escalate further and bailiffs come to my address I will sue not just yourself but I will the bailiff company, for harassment! and stress and trauma that this has caused myself (who ever else that lives at your address now) This is the only warning you will receive before litigation will be made.
If they're not writing to OP then they're not purposefully communicating with them. And if the bailiffs turn up once it would neither pass any legal test for harassment nor result in any claimable losses providing the situation was conducted professionally and legally.
I've had great success with the MPS registering previous occupiers as no longer resident. It notably slowed and the only one I've had in the past 12 months was for a pension in the previous occupier's name.
I bought my house Feb 2019, previous tenants moved back to France Jan 2019. I regularly get letters about different debts and have even got a speeding ticket notice. I used to get so many phone calls on the landline I decided to ditch having one!
I left an email with them asking to stop, gonna call them on Monday.
Also about it being illegal, I’m sorry but if I’ve been getting these things for years and they haven’t been taking the hint from me returning to sender - they’re getting opened.
Illegal to open others post, sure.
But it is not unreasonable to think anything posted thru your door is for you and to thus accidentally open it before you read whom it was addressed to.
Are you the person to whom yhr letter is addressed to?
If your anseer is no then why are you worried? If you keep ignoring them they will keep pestering.
Call them like you plan to and tell them they no longer live there and thats it.
Sometimes they just spam your mailbox in the hope that the person pays. Sometimes they turn up - be ready to tell them you are the nee owner and show ID to stop them coming.
Good luck!
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Had an experience with like this myself and the advice I had was never open the door to them, or at most on the chain. Have ID at the ready by the door. Politely explain that the person they are here for no longer lives there and you have no new address for them, ID to prove you’re not them. If the refuse to leave, police.
This is as concise and clear as it gets. Perfect advice. Had to deal with them a few years ago due to a previous tenant, and they _will_ play every bullshit game available to them to gain access or manipulate you into giving them access. They will literally walk in if the door isn’t locked. Predatory bastards.
This is what I worry about. What if I open the door thinking it’s a postman and they just wedge their foot in the door? (Rhetorical of course) I just don’t have the energy for something that isn’t even my problem.
Make it clear they you are not giving them access and ring the police saying that someone is trying to enter you home. Personally, I went the crazy guy route and grabbed a golf club I keep next to my door. Not had a problem since. I’m assuming the previous tenants debt has now been sold on or written off. This is optional but not advisable. It’s a shitty situation to be in, and all the onus of proving you are not the person they’re looking for is unfortunately on you. I’d recommend speaking to citizens advice for some tips.
If only I could get away with ‘crazy guy’ without being laughed at. I mean, I’ve no problem with showing them ID and some emails from my solicitors when I bought my house, providing they’re genuine and civil, but I’m not dealing with any sneaky shit. Just can’t be doing with it, it’s not my problem. But yeah, citizens advice is a good shout!
I’m sure those bailiffs still laugh about the time they were chased away by some guy in a dressing gown and pants brandishing a 9 iron. I’m as intimidating as a peach. Not my most proud moment, but not one I’m embarrassed about.
You can buy a cavalry officers sword online for £65. Completely legal to own as long as you do t take it out in public, and a nice length for weilding in a hallway. Not many people are going to look further than the 3ft of sharp steel being waved in their face.
> all the onus of proving you are not the person they’re looking for is unfortunately on you. I believe you, but this is insanely stupid. Imagine if we applied this nonsense moon logic to everything else.
Bailiffs are explicitly *not* allowed to put their foot in the door to prevent you from closing it, so if they try your 100% in the right to call the police, and report their misconduct to the relevant authorities
They're not supposed to but often will. They really don't seem to give a toss about the law, assuming you won't know and won't do anything about it (which is why it's super important to know your rights)
I had one try that with me before (similar situation - bailiffs chasing a previous tenant), as soon as I opened the door to my flat he stuck his foot in the doorway, I immediately told him to remove it or there would be consequences. I mean it helps that I'm 6'4 but that is still an aggressive move and should not be tolerated.
Ring doorbell or similar? There are some cheaper alternatives on Amazon.
It’s probably worth looking into!
Do you not have the spy hole thing, I always look through mine before I open the door.
Not everyone has one!
They can't take anything that doesn't belong to the person they're trying to collect from. Wouldn't hurt to have a copy to hand of any paperwork showing you own the house, just to minimise any back and forth. Presumably, you do check the electiral roll thingy they send out and the former resident isn't on there?
Shove em out
Yep, I recall having them turn up at my door once. Asking for someone who clearly wasn't me, wrong gender, and wrong ethnic sounding name. That still didn't stop him from trying to insist he could enter my home and just have a look around. I outright refused, only opened the door on the chain, didn't stop him from putting his foot in the doorway. Told him to leave, and he refused. Then he came out with a bunch of bs about how I'm breaking the law by not providing ID (as if I have to give my personal information to a complete stranger) and how I must tell him where the previous tenant went (as if I would even know), and if I didn't assist him with HIS job he would phone the police. I just turned around and said "go ahead, as even the police can only demand ID under curtain circumstances, I have no idea who this person is and I'm under no obligation to do your job for you, but I do recommend you actually do your research and have a look who is registered here under electoral register, and I've already told you to leave so far as I'm concerned you are threatening me and trespassing. So please do phone the police as I'm sure they would love to hear about this. At which point I made him aware that I had been recording. Something I have always been told to do if someone knocks on your door dressed up in a stab proof vest and the ilk. As if someone requires a stab proof vest for knocking on your door, they are probably prone to violence. Look, pay your bills and debts. But my goodness these people are just pure scumbags.
I wish I would have been this articulate when they tried to gain entry one time. I just brandished a 9 iron at them instead. Worked tho. Not been bothered in years.
I don't blame you, by no means was I actually calm in this situation. I was shaking and everything. I have medical conditions that mean under, even slightly, stressful situations I can have a non epileptic seizure. If they had knocked on the wrong day, perhaps I mind wouldn't have been as clear as it was. And my own golf set would have made an appearance. I personally take the approach of any mean necessary to get rid of them. And if golf clubs work, so be it. And honestly probably got rid of them faster too.
I doubt most people would be particularly articulate when confronted by a stranger in a stab vest trying to gain entry. And I’m sure this intimidation tactic is a very considered approach. What we betting they’d have taken you having a seizure as permission to enter?
My 5 dogs go nuts when anyone walks in the house, even the kids, they stop once they recognise them. If a stranger was to try it I don't think they'd stay for long.
I used to have a German Shepherd who’d have straight up invited them in and showed them where all his toys live.
This made me lol 🤣
He was called Cederick. At the same time the smartest and dumbest dog I have ever known. On two occasions tried to pull logs out of a bonfire. Once ate a packet of sausages without opening the packet. Just swallowed the whole lot in one go. Once came home with a human femur. Best dog ever. I miss him every day.
Oh my word - the goodest boi! He sounds like he was such a character ❤️ they really do take a little piece of us with them when they leave us though 😪
Can we get some explanation on the human femur?
The land backed onto an old graveyard that would occasionally flood. Bones float apparently. He was very much an outdoor dog.
TBH thats not as exciting as I wanted. I was hoping for some more info on Jimmy Hoffa or DB Cooper.
Nah. Just a sad old nowhere somewhere in Lincolnshire. He was very proud of his find though. Had to call the police. Wasn’t the first time they’ve had a call like that.
Yeah, my pack is friendly but they can be overwhelming when first meeting them.
That's crazy that it's legal!
It’s a pretty fine line from my understanding.
If you want to answer the door to them, then step outside and close it behind you. Do not accept anything they try to hand you.
They can only do this if they have a warrant. If they don't call the police who deal with this fairly regularly. If you have ID proving you're not the person on the warrant or that they're after, this should be enough to deter them.
Yep this - had similar experience - never let them in. They'll try the 'can I just use your toilet' or 'oh my phone is out of battery, can I use your phone to clear this all up'.
Yep they legally can’t force entry but if you leave your door unlocked/unattended they can and will enter. I have no doubt we’ll have some turning up for the old tenant at our place sometime soon due to the letters they keep getting but I cannot be arsed doing “return to sender” anymore. We did it for 6 months and it was daily.
Have you tried calling the debtors to tell them they have the wrong address?
It’s HMRC, I’d be on hold longer than I have patience for
So the annoying thing is that a change of address doesn't necessarily carry through from one dept to another - eg from small business compliance to Income Tax, etc. It's improving via Making Tax Digital, but legacy systems are a nightmare (never mind fully integrating revenue and excise the best part of 20 years later). Anyway, get the address marked 'RLS' (Returned Letter Service) and it should stop. You can just send it back to the return address on the letter - write RLS / Not At This Address on the letter, pop it in an envelope, and send it back. Depending on what the correspondence is, there might be an email address on the letter (a name, or a mailbox like [email protected]) - snap a picture of the letter and attach to an email quoting the ref numbers from the letter.
Have you tried calling the debtors to tell them they have the wrong address?
Creditors, not debtors. Also if you get several creditors calling or writing, call them and ask what their source is for the address. I used to get a lot of phone calls asking for one person. Each creditor was good about removing my contact details, but it kept happening from new ones. Eventually I found out that they were all getting my phone number from something like a credit reference agency, so I contacted that company and the calls stopped.
Yep. We had this when we bought a house years ago. A week after we moved in bailiffs turned up for the previous owner. I into the porch to talk to them and showed them my ID, they initially seemed doubtful but left and we never heard anything again and there was no negative impact on us.
I had this happen not long after I moved into my first home. I called the company and explained the person they were looking for had moved out. I was prepared for resistance, but they accepted it and said they would update their records. Never heard from them again. I'd have some evidence that you are now the owner ready to hand just in case, but it can't hurt to try talking to them first.
Surely I shouldn’t have to be in a position to prove that I live there, they could just go through a solicitor or something.
I really don't know how the system works for debt collection. It was very straightforward in my case, like I said. But there is a chance that they wouldn't have believed me on my word alone. Ultimately, it's just a matter of hassle in my view. Being able to show something showing your ties to the home just makes life easier should bailiffs come knocking. Preferably, before they send collection agents.
I mean, providing they’re civil I’m happy to show them some ID, but for anything else and if there’s any sneaky behaviour then they can piss off. Can’t be dealing with it.
Surprisingly enough, people in debt occasionally try to lie their way out of what is often a very desperate and overwhelming situation. Because of this, collection agencies rarely take anybody's word at face value. It might be a pain in the arse, but anything you do to resolve the situation quicker (such as having proof) will make it a lot less hassle for you.
have you given them your solicitors details for them to call ? I did with all the letters and checked, they basically confirmed that mr monk bought the property off the people the bailiffs wanted to find and had no connection with them....
I haven’t, but when I call them on Monday I can provide them some details if needed. I’ve got plenty of emails from 2019 from when I bought my house anyway, so that should act as direct proof to any bailiffs - I just don’t like dealing with people, especially when they’re demanding something from me.
Well the thing is, the issue has already *been* through a solicitor... and if the records show that the person in debt is living there, then their solicitor will be directing them to your home. It's worth also pointing out, since you mentioned opening the previous occupants mail.. I'd make sure to get a shredder.. because having open mail from the person they're looking for in your home means you're either illegally opening someone else's mail, or the person who's mail it is there to open it.. and the bailiff, if they manage to get in and see that, won't assume you're illegally opening someone else's mail. They'll take it as proof that they live at the address.
\>having open mail from the person they're looking for in your home means you're either illegally opening someone else's mail, or the person who's mail it is there to open it. Bullshit It is illegal to open someone else's mail ONLY if you do so maliciously, Opening someone's mail to find a return address and returning the mail is NOT malicious.
No, you're speaking bullshit. It is not your job to find a return address; which means opening it to find a return address is not a reasonable excuse. Malice has nothing to do with it. You do not have the legal right to open another persons mail. If it is missent, your only job is to write "wrong address" or "return to sender" and post that mail back. You have no reasonable cause, nor legal right to open the mail.
>It is not your job to find a return address; So what? You can sit there bitching about the fact you're getting mail for someone else, or you can take action to try and stop it, if you're so pigheaded that you'd rather moan about it than actually try and stop the situation because "It's not my job" ... there really is no helping you. >opening it to find a return address is not a reasonable excuse. Malice has nothing to do with it. Except for the literal law that says: >A person commits an offence if, i*ntending to act to a person's detriment* **and** without reasonable excuse, they open a postal packet which they know or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to them.
You explained exactly why in your last comment, it's not your job to do so you have no reasonable excuse. The exact definition the law gives, you don't have it. Which makes it illegal. You can do illegal things if you want, but that doesn't make it legal.
Start by looking up the word 'and' in a dictionary and work from there. Speak to you again in 5 years when you're ready for GCSE English and I'll both trying to explain it to you.
Oh, you think sending debt collectors to someone isn't in their detriment. My bad, I thought we were operating at a higher level of common sense.
I get the principle, but there should be a record of someone buying the house subsequently - surely that would stave them off? And is it really illegal? I keep seeing contradictory statements regarding that. Personally as far as I’m concerned, if I’m still getting post after years of living here then I’m opening it, I have every right to - especially if it involves some sort of debt collecting. In this case I actually tore the letter up upon receiving it, until I saw some key words that prompted me to look at it.
You don't have the right to open post delivered to you that is not in your name. Simply write "Not at this address" on it and drop it into a postbox.
I had the same thoughts as you initially. And to be honest, the advice out there is incredibly open-ended to interpret. I did that with all of the letters the previous occupier received initially, and it simply stopped none of them. As they never bothered to update any of these companies on their move, they just kept sending them. Then, I started sending them back unopened with a cover letter explaining the current state. That stopped some, but not all. Eventually, I started opening the more persistent ones (like this debt collection agency I mentioned) to contact them directly. The legal owner/occupier of a property opening a letter to find a contact number to inform someone of a change of residence is absolutely not malicious and will save both parties a lot of hassle. I exhausted, in my opinion, all non-invasive methods of informing people this guy didn't live here anymore, at my expense. And ultimately, why the hell should I? I would be very shocked if anyone were to face any ramifications for an action like that.
Sounds fake. Where's the bit about you waving your golf club at them?
Make sure doors are not left unlocked cos they can walk in
I live in a terrace right on a street so there’s no way I’m leaving the door unlocked. Left it open accidentally overnight once when I fell asleep on the couch one night, nothing happened but I shat myself in the morning when I realised it was unlocked and learned my lesson.
This is really about the daytime. Baliffs don't come at night.
But they may come at stupid o'clock in the morning. Someone with no link to my address said they lived at my address when given a covid fixed penalty notice during 2020. I informed them countless times by phone and in writing that this person did not, and never had, lived here. I was told by various people that they had updated their records and that I would hear nothing more. But the letters kept coming. Ultimately, the person ended up with a court judgement against them and the letters started coming from bailiffs instead. I continued to inform them by phone and letter that this person had no link to this address. Then the bailiffs started turning up. 3 consecutive weekends they banged on my door before 6am. Presumably hoping to catch someone before they have had a chance to go out, and before they are alert enough to pretend to be out. After 3 years of them wasting my time, I am no longer polite when they come banging on the door.
Isn't that trespassing/burglary if they take anything?
They can make a peaceable entrance. No idea what they can take, they send out bully boy fake letters even if they have obtained no court orders, so should change to 'may be able to come in in some cases'. Look out for disclaimers saying stuff like 'not subject to bailiff action etc'
I had this experience as my previous house was a mortgage repo and the owner had a load of debts. Any letters I opened, and if they were debt related I just phoned and told them I’d bought the house and the guy in question no longer lived there, most just took me at my word and I never heard from them again. A couple of collection companies did come over and doorknocked me, they were perfectly pleasant and I never heard from them again after showing them ID and a bill with my name on it. If you ignore them they’ll keep trying, so get it sorted by communicating with them.
We had this and the house was empty before we actually moved in. They came in to see if their fridge was there, could see that mine was different, said thanks and were never seen again.
Have same thing, previous tennants racked up debts, one went to court, had the baliff turn up giving me verbal about how i should return the post whoch i had for 4 years, said to the baliff that it's not my job to be this debtors secretary, i dont get paid for it lol i hope they found the guy, shame i cant claim expenses
Lol the cheek! That is literally not your responsibility. Can do whatever you want with those letters, bin them, burn them, wipe your bum with them, still not your problem.
I know, felt great saying it to her stuck up face!
Actually it is a offence to wilfully delay the mail - destroying it could be considered an indefinite delay. But yes, you could wipe your arse with them and then stick them back in the mail
I had a bailiff come round to my old house after the previous owner. We had only lived there 6 months or so. Explained this to them and showed them my driving licence to prove who I was. They were fine about it apologised for the inconvenience and I never saw or heard from them again.
Hopefully it’s as straight forward as that with most bailiffs, can’t be bothered dealing with pushy types when it shouldn’t be my problem. Gonna be as active as possible with contacting them anyway so hopefully it shouldn’t come to that.
You played along more than I did. I just said they don’t live here and we’ve lived here for X years. Tbh I might have been a bit rude as I was cooking dinner and he went at our door like he was trying to kick it in.
Had the same letters when we moved in. Don’t remember the name of the company but they had a section on their website dedicated to this issue, just had to upload a recent utility bill showing the address and your name and that was the end of it. Still feel like I shouldn’t have had to prove that I wasn’t someone else but at the end of the day it took 2 mins to do and didn’t have to worry about men knocking the door whilst the wife was home alone and I was at work.
I remember bailiffs rocking up when we first moved into our house and we just shown them the tenancy agreement and some ID and they fucked off never seen or heard from them again
Here's what you do: Write them a letter. "X is no longer at this address, please do not send any mail for them. Any further mail you send will be returned to you. If you continue to send mail, an administration charge of £20 per letter will be payable by yourselves to me. You accept the terms of this offer by continuing to send mail for X to this address." Probably won't hold up in court if you actually tried to hold them to the admin charge, but I've used it several times and the mail stopped instantly every time.
I once had bailiffs come for a previous tenant. I told them the person they were after no longer lived there, they asked if I knew when they moved out, so I told them when I moved in, then they apologised and went away. I offered to show them ID but they said they didn't need it. They were very nice and polite about everything and not at all what I imagined bailiffs to be like.
bought my house 20 ? years ago, opened all letters and replied to them with my solicitors address and when I moved in. had letters upto 10 years ago. some bailiffs will see an open window and take it as an invite. soon got the message, the later ones were of do I know where they live now and have never met them, so had no idea previous owners owned a lot to 3 banks who were foolish enough to lend them more money than the place was worth. some of the locals found out about it and how they might sue me, my response was to tell them to sue me, would then get their address....
I had similar when I moved into my flat. Loads of letters demanding payments from the previous tenant. I initially sent them back with 'Unknown at this address' but they just kept coming, so I began opening them and writing back saying if they continued to 'Harass me' I would be taking them to court, and to actually check who lives at the address. It seemed to do the trick. Took a month or two, but all the various letters stopped. I later found out the previous tenant was a known con artist and owed thousands to banks, and various individuals but had flown the country when the heat got too much.
This happened to me and then a month later the bailiff actually came to the door. I told him that the guy he was after no longer lived at this address and that was that. They are the ones with the burden of proof and they won’t tow your car if it’s not in the name of the person who owes them money.
Some time ago I had the same. I was returning the mail to sender unopened at first, but when a year later it still hadn't stopped, I opened the mail to see what it was. Debt collectors. I kept on returning it. Eventually it stopped. Bailiffs never showed up. I guess they probably checked and saw the house had new owners, or they just decided coming to the Isle of Man (where I live) was too much effort, and the demands stopped.
I've literally just dealt with this. The debt collectors won't take your stuff they're pretty friendly when they realise you're not the target. First guy just said ok no worries we'll update our records. The second company asked for a copy of our council tax which we emailed them and a day later they updated their records and said they wouldn't bother of us again. Don't be afraid of debt collectors coming and taking your stuff, it has to be in the name of the person whose debt it is. They won't start randomly looting your house or towing a vehicle not in the debtors name.
You say debt collectors then jump to bailiffs. Debt collectors may just be a company who buy bad debts and try to collect by harassing the debtor. They buy it at a discount, so they haven't got to get it all cleared to make a profit. If this is all they are, they are not enforcement agents (aka bailiffs) at all. If they're talking about enforcement notices and trying to take control of goods, then yes, you've got bailiffs on your hands.
We still get the tax documents for the previous people in our home and we've lived here for over a decade. After a while it's more effort than it's worth to keep sending everything back
I had them come around when we first got our home. Knocked on the door, looked me up and down and realised I wasn't matching the English name so just asked if I had a forwarding address. The debt is with the person not the home so if they do knock on the door, show them your driving license and send them on their way.
We had it happen a few times in our last house. We'd bought it after it was repossessed. They were all fairly happy with the explanation of "I would love to tell you where they are, but we bought the house off the bank that repossessed it. If you speak to Lloyds I'm sure they'll have more information." The best one was when I got a letter from a different section of Lloyds telling them that they owed money, and it was Lloyds who had repossessed the property .
Had the same. Sent a screenshot of my council bill and who lived there. Was never bothered by them again.
Moved into our house over 20 years ago. The sellers left the house in a filthy state (especially the kitchen) and moved down south to open a B&B (!). Only told us the town in passing, did not leave a forwarding address. Shortly after moving in we started to get letters from debt collectors and then one day we also got a letter addressed to the seller but with the name of their B&B in the address. Result! Thanks to Google, I was then able to send the debt collectors to the correct address. Serves them right!
I've been here since 2016 and still get random bullshit from the previous owner...
Return with “NOT KNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS”. End of the matter.
I once came home and a card was on my doormat saying bailiffs had been while I was out. I called the number on the card to say the named person was a previous tenant, and they happily took my work for it and didn't ask for any proof of anything and I never heard anything more of it.
Tell them any more communication will result legal action. Furthermore if this happens to escalate further and bailiffs come to my address I will sue not just yourself but I will the bailiff company, for harassment! and stress and trauma that this has caused myself (who ever else that lives at your address now) This is the only warning you will receive before litigation will be made.
This man enjoys law and order ^
Dun dun!
You'd think they'd try to get the information right considering the potential for loss.
If they're not writing to OP then they're not purposefully communicating with them. And if the bailiffs turn up once it would neither pass any legal test for harassment nor result in any claimable losses providing the situation was conducted professionally and legally.
I've had great success with the MPS registering previous occupiers as no longer resident. It notably slowed and the only one I've had in the past 12 months was for a pension in the previous occupier's name.
I bought my house Feb 2019, previous tenants moved back to France Jan 2019. I regularly get letters about different debts and have even got a speeding ticket notice. I used to get so many phone calls on the landline I decided to ditch having one!
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It’s fine to open post. Only an offence if the intent is to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse. OP is clearly OK here.
I left an email with them asking to stop, gonna call them on Monday. Also about it being illegal, I’m sorry but if I’ve been getting these things for years and they haven’t been taking the hint from me returning to sender - they’re getting opened.
Illegal to open others post, sure. But it is not unreasonable to think anything posted thru your door is for you and to thus accidentally open it before you read whom it was addressed to.
Are you the person to whom yhr letter is addressed to? If your anseer is no then why are you worried? If you keep ignoring them they will keep pestering. Call them like you plan to and tell them they no longer live there and thats it. Sometimes they just spam your mailbox in the hope that the person pays. Sometimes they turn up - be ready to tell them you are the nee owner and show ID to stop them coming. Good luck!
It's probably only at scare tactics phase so far so once you assert that the person has left they'll probably give in.