Isn't there some sort of central system that alerts people to change of address etc. Why am I still getting threatening bailiffs letters addressed to the previous owners threatening to empty the house of all its contents five years after I first moved in. I find it quite stressful as you're never sure whether the bailiffs are just going to turn up one day while you're out and start moving stuff out. Presumably they're not allowed to?
Bailiffs Threatening Notices
- Thread starter Rachelle
- Start date
Bailiffs or debt collectors? two completely different issues with different rights.
Is your property owned or rented? either way this should have been sorted either by your solicitor or rental agent before you moved in but I suspect it may be a DCA with an old address who are clutching at straws, they have no right of entry, they don't even have a right to visit without an appointment.
Send the letters back (sealed) with 'gone away' or 'not at this address' on them, if they continue to hassle you there are steps you can take but they usually just go away.
If its bailiffs working with a court warrant, you need to contact both the bailiffs and the court as they do have power of entry but obviously won't take goods if they don't belong to the debtor.
Is your property owned or rented? either way this should have been sorted either by your solicitor or rental agent before you moved in but I suspect it may be a DCA with an old address who are clutching at straws, they have no right of entry, they don't even have a right to visit without an appointment.
Send the letters back (sealed) with 'gone away' or 'not at this address' on them, if they continue to hassle you there are steps you can take but they usually just go away.
If its bailiffs working with a court warrant, you need to contact both the bailiffs and the court as they do have power of entry but obviously won't take goods if they don't belong to the debtor.
Yep, don't allow a debt collector in if the debts are not to do with you.
I honestly wouldn't sweat it Rachelle, if they ever did turn up you'd very easily be able to prove you're a different person and they'll have to go away with their tail tucked between their legs.
I honestly wouldn't sweat it Rachelle, if they ever did turn up you'd very easily be able to prove you're a different person and they'll have to go away with their tail tucked between their legs.
Thing with debt collectors is they have a very loud bark. In fact, yes, they're quite a lot like dogs. They'll chase anything and everything. If all they have on a person is their address, they'll go after that. They've probably 'purchased' a proportion of a debt off someone in the hope they'll be able to recover it (and hence profit on the difference). It's because of this that they'll chase any lost cause to the death.
The good thing is, if it's your debt it's annoying, but you're pretty much in the clear.
The good thing is, if it's your debt it's annoying, but you're pretty much in the clear.
When we bought our house 20 years ago the windowsills were piled with letters about unpaid bills and even a summons. Last year my daughter bought a house that had been a let for years and she also had piles of threatening letters. It is worth it for the peace of mind, to open them and phone each creditor, explaining that the property has changed hands. I have found in every case that one call ends the matter.