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AIBU?

WIBU to contact the previous tenant of my house on FB (re Debt?)

94 replies

MrsV2012 · 21/07/2015 19:06

To cut a long story short, me, DP and 3 DCs moved into our quiet little house nearly a year ago. It didn't stay quiet for long- we've been bloody inundated with debt letters for the previous tenant, bills, overdue TV licensing, arrears on Council Tax, but more worrying, Bailiffs are now arriving at the door.
No forwarding address given to send mail on, and I've wrote Return to Sender on countless letters, but I'm bloody sick of it now. Our main concern is these Debt Collectors on our door- all requesting this woman by name.
They've looked sceptical when I tell them it is not my debt, one asked me to prove who I am and they would 'leave me alone'.
The woman who lived here beforehand has an unusual name, and I've found her on FB, as her profile picture has her daughter on it (We met her daughter when I came to view the home, so its definitely her).
WIBU to message her and tell her to respectfully organise her finances because we are being harassed and disturbed because of her debt, and it's causing my family a lot of upset and stress?
Or is there anyone else I can contact? Any views on this would be welcome

OP posts:

Report

MrsV2012 · 21/07/2015 19:09

Personally I think she's probably happy to have 'escaped' her debt, and is glad its my getting hassled and not hers, and given half the opportunity I'd find her address and give it to them myself. It's just unfair we're being harassed for her overspending

OP posts:

cosmicglittergirl · 21/07/2015 19:11

Bit sneaky, could you ask for her address saying you have some cards/a parcel for her?

HungryHorace · 21/07/2015 19:14

If you prove who you are and when you moved in they should leave you alone. Did you show the bailiff any ID!?

Littlef00t · 21/07/2015 19:15

I imagine she's wise to contact. I'd happily show bailifs my id and council tax letter to prove she doesn't live here. Hopefully they will take that as enough proof to leave you alone and pursue the debt elsewhere.

mrsnoon · 21/07/2015 19:19

Just keep a copy of your ID and tenancy agreement near your front door to show people when they call for her. How do they know you aren't her just saying leave me alone?

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 21/07/2015 19:20

Of course you can't do that Miss Marple! You need to tackle the problem you have which is being harassed by debt collectors for a debt you don't owe.

Reply to every later stating you are not XXXX and you have no association with her and that if you receive any more communication regarding this matter you will deem it to be harassment and will not hesitate to report it to the police.

Do the same for the doorsteppers. Ask for name, company contact details etc and write to them. If they refuse to provide it or leave your property call the non-emergency police number.

There are a finite number of these companies.

I'd also get a note put on my credit file that you have no association just in case.

LIZS · 21/07/2015 19:20

If she has a distinctive name it won't be hard for council or bailiffs to track her down.

contractor6 · 21/07/2015 19:22

Doubt she will answer re facebook, she bound to know about debts... I has a bank pestering for someone's debt over the phone, even after I told them wrong number they asked me if I had right number...erm no...

EmeraldKitten · 21/07/2015 19:27

I don't really understand how it can be causing you so much stress and upset tbh.

Any letters for them, write 'not known at this address - return to sender' and take a weekly visit to the post box to drop them off.

If bailiffs/debt collectors knock, show them your ID and council tax bill and they will leave. Debt collectors will only go where they think they'll get money - they won't come back again.

There's really no need to panic about it.

MrsV2012 · 21/07/2015 19:30

It was a bit of an awkward situation the first time. They asked me who I was, and I said "Since you're at my front door, could you tell me who you are please?" They said due to Data Confidentiality, they couldn't tell me who they were. I said that respectfully, you're at my front door, please tell me who you are and who you are looking for, and I will get my Passport. They refused to tell me who they were, left a letter addressed to the previous tenant, and told me I'd be violating privacy if I opened it and its not mine to open, then walked away.
I opened it, and its a massive debt

OP posts:

MaggieJoyBlunt · 21/07/2015 19:32

Our main concern is these Debt Collectors on our door- all requesting this woman by name

Why is that a concern? That's good for your purposes and only what you'd expect anyway.

Ok, it's a slight pain to have to keep your photo ID near the door, but not major. Just show it and/or the tenancy agreement that shows when you moved in and they'll go away.

Annoying, but there is no threat to you.

If she's in that much financial difficulty telling her to "organise her finances" won't do any good anyway.

MaggieJoyBlunt · 21/07/2015 19:35

You could ask the LL or letting agent whether they have a forwarding address for her. Giving the address to debt collectors would be fair enough.

Smoorikins · 21/07/2015 19:36

Why did you take the letter? That's a very of thing to do when you don't know how to get it to her.

TheXxed · 21/07/2015 19:37

TBH OP you are coming accross as a bit of a drama llama. The debt poses no threat to you. It sounds like you want to contact the woman on FB to humiliate her.

MrsV2012 · 21/07/2015 19:37

I don't want to hand a stranger my details on the doorstep, that's the problem really. They won't tell me who they are, they could be anyone. It doesn't seem right to have to hand over personal information about myself to people who won't even tell you their name or business at your front door. I refused the first time, then showed them my Passport the two subsequent visits. It doesn't seem right that's all.

OP posts:

MrsV2012 · 21/07/2015 19:38

I didn't take the letter, they posted it when they left.

OP posts:

Smoorikins · 21/07/2015 19:39

In that case how did they tell you that you would be violating privacy if you opened it - through the letterbox?

MrsV2012 · 21/07/2015 19:41

TheXXed the last visit was 8pm on Saturday, my DCs were all in their PJs, my DS has autism and the banging set him off. It was unexpected and out of order at that time of night. Would you like that at your door?

OP posts:

MaggieJoyBlunt · 21/07/2015 19:42

I don't see that PMing someone (who is clearly shirking or running from debts) via FB will achieve anything though.

Either you want them off your doorstep or you don't. It isn't really in your own interests to stand on principle and refuse to prove your claims to them. One other thing you could do is offer the debt collectors and bailiffs contact details for your LL but they are likely to still want proof that you aren't her.

Imustgodowntotheseaagain · 21/07/2015 19:43

Bloody hell! All of you saying this is no biggie, have you had bailiffs at your door? OP, I've been trhrough similar and it's awful. of course it's stressful.

Sadly, I doubt she will give a shit. All you can do is keep telling the debt collectors that she has moved. I found I had to call them and explain, every single time. Returning the letters was no good.

MrsV2012 · 21/07/2015 19:43

They said they had a letter to leave detailing the issue, which would be Violating Privacy if it wasn't for me, I closed the door refusing to take it, they posted it anyway smoorikins

OP posts:

PositiveAttitude · 21/07/2015 19:43

We had a similar situation and found that once the bailiff had come knocking and I had proven to him that the person he was looking for was not living at this address still he sorted out all the paperwork to get this address removed from being linked to the person who had the debt. I had loads of letters coming before then, court summons etc, and no matter how many times I returned the post and put that we did not know the person, and had no forwarding address it seemed to make no difference.

bailiffs came once and have not been back and we have not had any letters for this person since.

Did the bailiff leave a phone number? I did call up after he had left and made it clear that I wanted our address removed from any blacklist or anything in connection with this debt. Not heard a dickie bird since!

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quietbatperson · 21/07/2015 19:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Namechangenell · 21/07/2015 19:46

Can you involve the police if you know the name of the debt collection company? After all, all this pestering at the door could be said be to harassment. You shouldn't have to prove who you are in your own home to anyone!

MaggieJoyBlunt · 21/07/2015 19:46

Bloody hell! All of you saying this is no biggie, have you had bailiffs at your door?

Yes I have - including policemen with warrants to take the previous tenants to the local magistrate court there and then (they had fled police bail as well as left £££££ debts). Of course it isn't nice but you show ID and they go away.

No one has said "no biggie", lots of us have said "you need to show ID".

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