Threatening letters arriving to my house. Please advise!

Why do people believe this? It's not a crime.

It’s not

Why would it affect your credit score? It’s not for you.

Regurn to sender. If they turn up tell them he doesn’t live there. You aren’t responsible for a stranger’s debt

Only if you're doing it intentionally to cause issues. You can opt it so you can contact someone to tell them the letter hadn't been delivered!!!

It is not a crime to open someone else's mail.

If you do happen to have a forwarding address for the person then write "Not known at this address, try at (insert forwarding address)."

We had a letter threatening balliffs for a person not known at our address. We called the company to tell them there was nobody here with the name and then didn’t hear from them again or get any lasting problems from it.

OP I have the same problem.
I have lived at my address for 6 years.
I tried sending them back with return to sender. But they kept on coming.
Eventually about years ago I opened one and then called them to explain that this person doesn't live here and please STOP.
They stopped for 2 years. Now it's started again!!
So back to return to sender!!
I feel your pain. I won't call them again

It can’t go on your credit file it’s not in your name

It's not. Stop it.

It really isn’t it’s only a crime if you have criminal intentions like defrauding someone

@Kat256M i had disconnection notices pending from gas and electric and even window cleaner telling me to stop hiding behind sofa when I first moved in

it’s a hassle you don’t need which is why having all the details you need ready to show anyone who turns up is important. None of the issues impacted my credit rating as other people have said it is linked to the address. Like you this is very important to me

make friends with your postie!

This happened to me as well! It turned out that someone with the same surname as me racked up lots of debt with a bank and then ran away. The bank handed the case to a debt collection agency who searched all nearby buildings for names that might be the same person. It make zero sense but this is literally a method of finding debtors.

Don't worry about it as it won't affect your credit score or make you liable for anything. It's only the person addressed in the letter and the companies may have used his last known address, or he gave a fake one. It's not illegal to open other people's letters since that's the only way you can put an end to it. I opened one of the letters, called them up and explained everything which got it sorted.

Came to say this. The previous (and previously previous) tenants of my current home were being chased as soon as I moved in. Posted a few letters back but bailiffs soon came. Lucky I wasn’t home, so rang the companies to ask them to back off. They wanted proof with a council tax bill (which they didn’t process correctly, had a very angry phonecall next time a bailiff tried). Since then, any letter to a previous tenant that still turns up, I googled the address on the back. If it’s a PO Box for a debt firm, I open it and sort it there and then. Debt companies are relentless, they don’t often stop at a ‘not at this address’ return.

Yes won't affect your credit (or absolutely certainly shouldn't) as even though the address is yours, you're in no way financially 'linked' with this person. So even if bailiffs do turn up just show them some ID or something and they'll go away. They're not going to come threatening you when you're a totally different person.

It's not a crime to open someone else's post in England (unsure about rest of UK) if you have a reasonable reason to do so. OP does.

It's only a crime if you do it to cause them 'detriment'. It's absolutely fine to open a letter, call the company, and say 'this person doesn't live here, I've never heard of them'.

I wouldnt worry too much about having opened the mail. It’s easy to do this accidentally. I’m the only person to have lived in my house since it was built so I’ve opened all mail sent here. I don’t even look at who it’s addressed to. It is technically a crime but who’s going to know if you don’t tell them. Do as others have said and stick it back in the post box with “return to sender - not known at his address’ on and do the same with any more you get. Sign up for one of the free credit check agencies to check there’s no mark on you file. Clear score is one and Martyn Lewis has another one

Make sure you are the only one on the electoral register for your address.

We had this once and we were advised to do the above.

Meanwhile write 'return to sender not known at this address' on the envelope and put in the post.

No it’s not. It’s a crime to open someone else’s mail with the intent to commit fraud.

Just call the company. The person I bought my house from obviously took out multiple loans then did a runner so I had lots of those sorts of letters. I just rang them and explained and I never heard from them again.

My parents used to get road tax letters and all sorts for a variety of people who had previously lived at their address (and in cases hadn't lived there but for some bizarre reason the previous owner had let them use her address - all v dodgy). When they called the DVLA about one of these the sensible person on the other end said well naturally they could change their records unless they knew the registration number in question, so perhaps if one of the envelopes got accidentally ever so slightly torn so that the registration was visible, they could then update the record that the registered keeper no longer was at that address. So maybe given one of your envelopes has 'accidentally' come open you could call and just say not known at this address.

This is a myth. It’s only an offence if it doesn’t have your address on it and it’s been delivered by mistake. If it’s an unknown name to your address, then it’s not an offence to open it. And even then it’s only an offence if you open the letters with intent to cause harm.

It won't go on your credit file either, if a bailiff does turn up just show them your council tax bill and they'll be on their way.

If the perpetrators keep incurring charges with a vehicle that is linked to your address it will keep happening and causing you stress but your credit score won't be affected as it's not against the property or your name

Ignore people saying it's a crime to open them, they are coming to your house and you have no intent to commit malicious acts using the information so you are legally perfectly in the clear. Phone them and explain the person doesn't live there, and feel free to mark any future letters with "Not known at this address" and drop them in any post box, no payment needed.