AIBU to think this intimidating house buying letter should be reported to police?

This.

The police gather intelligence on many thungand may already have information on this type of attempt to pressure vulnerable people to sell property.
The motto of the police is To Serve and Protect. Offering advice to elderly people who have been targeted aggressively is very much in the remit of the local neighbourhood team.

If the eldery couple don't have a friend or relative availabile, they could sellotape a letter addressed to the developer on their door, making it clear they have no intention of speaking to or selling to him and will view any further approaches as harassment, which will be reported to the police. If they do decide to speak to him, don't let him in the house.

Several PP have mentioned the letter writer getting names from the electoral roll. My details are not on the ER but potential purchasers of some of our land address letters to us because they have purchased our details from Land Registry- costs about £7. The ones addressed just to DH get an immediate shredding.
it is well worth them using the LR notification process, in case of any funny business. Your neighbour could do it for them as you don’t need to own the property to do it.

have you had actual letters without any contact details and saying they will be back at a certain date and time? I too live in a high demand area but the letters, even when addressed to my address, aren't so brusque as the one received by the OP's neighbour. All have contact details of the sender and none have ever said that they will be back at a set date and time.

The government should replace stamp duty with land tax. There's a wider issue about housing and people being stuck in houses etc.
But as with lots of things that's a policy issue/a system issue. It's not that a particular group of people are in the main taking the piss/behaving selfishly or to blame for the problem. That's true of elderly people in larger houses, (it's also true of council house tenants, people on benefits, the young unemployed, immigrants). The tendancy to focus on specific groups as being the reason for the countries problems rather than looking at actual systems is really corrosive.
So while, in general threads, I would agree that there is an issue with housing availability that isn't the elderly couples fault and they have every right to continue living in their house undisturbed by shady people if they want. The tone of the letter, implying they shouldn't be living in a house larger than their needs is quite vile. It also suggests they have been watched/that the letter writer specificallybtook note of their living situation which is really creepy.

These letters and occasionally people knocking on the door are not unusual in our neighborhood. It’s a high demand area and people rarely sell. Sometimes homes do indeed sell without being listed.

Just tell them to drop the letter in the bin.

Agree. They need someone strong-minded in the house for when/if this person turns up. They can then be sent on their way fromm the doorstep with a firm No. On no account should they be allowed over the threshhold into the house. "Nothing to discuss, and by the way your presumptious tactics are not appreciated. Goodbye". With bullying types like this it is important that the bully perceives that the vulnerable person(s) has strong back up. 😯

@Blopi they will have gotten the homeowners' names from the Land Registry, which is public. (Apologies if this has already been mentioned but it seems the thread has been derailed with an HMO/whether older people should be allowed to stay in their homes discussion...)

The letter's phrasing is cheeky, and I can well imagine how the couple might find it intimidating.

Are they concerned it's potential burglars casing the property? I would be wondering this.

If there are no friends or family available to support on the day and it was my friend/loved one, I think I would ring the non-emergency line of the police and see if there is a community officer who could potentially be there on the day.

WTF is wrong with people, seriously.

I agree. If you call the police, they may tell you how best to handle it and offer suggestions as to whom you should contact. In Canada we have the Public Trustees Office that protects the legal and financial interests of vulnerable people.

I once got a letter from someone when I was selling a house asking me if I could rent it to them instead and they buy at the end, yeah right! Fortunately they didn't say they were going to my address to chat about it or anything, but yeah I just ignored them because all I wanted to do was sell the house.
They can just ignore anybody knocking on the door on Thursday unless they know its the postman. Perhaps install a ring doorbell?

Yes, if one of those people left a note that said, ‘I want to buy your house and I’m coming round on x day at y time to discuss it.’

That’s why people are suggesting contacting the non-emergency police. They’re there to give advice.

Quite, I lived in one when I got divorced, granted I couldn't afford to rent by myself but it was beautiful and not mega cheap, £1200 a month over a decade ago. All single ladies over 40.

Absolutely! Elderly people are less likely to shrug it off, times have changed, this wouldn’t have happened. When they were younger and it must feel intimidating.

Only if you never read any of the stuff that comes with the reminder to review and renew your entry on the electoral roll. We opted out of the open register many years ago. It's massively reduced the spam that comes through the post, although that could be because the spammers have switched their efforts to the internet.

Intimidation of a vulnerable person to hand over a valuable asset at well under market value is a crime, surely. I know the police are very stretched but in an ideal world they should be taking an interest in things like this as a deterrent to the criminals and a reassurance to the community.

"Dillybar"! Never heard that before, love it!

I think this would be a complete waste of police time tbh. No crime has been committed or threatened. If the couple feel intimidated, they should ask someone to be there at the stated time so they have an advocate who can say "sorry, not interested" more assertively than they feel they can themselves. Depending on what the response is, it might be another matter. It's not a very professional approach, but I can't think a property developer would have the time or inclination to get into threatening them into a sale they don't want. The main reason they seem to feel intimidated is that their names have been identified, which is hardly rocket science nowadays.

No it is not!

Send a community support officer to reassure them and make sure they are not intimidated by these chancers?

I think it’s because the sender of the letter has said they will turn up at their house at a specific time on a specific day. This is most likely what has upset the elderly couple the most. My late DM would have been frightened by this when she was in her 80’s. She was a very strong person when younger but age changes some people. I agree with reporting to the non urgent police number @Blopi unless the couple have family who can look out for them.

But don't you see, that if everyone who has the mildest bit of anxiety introduced into their lives goes running to the police, every threshold is lowered.

This may seem very reasonable in the context of these facts but really it's no different to someone calling the police because of a tweet they don't like.

Believe me, you don't want the police to start policing things that are not actual or immediately likely to be proper crimes.

Dona welfare check just around 11am on Thursday....

It has left them upset and frightened. If they were laughing or commenting on how cheeky it was, that would be different. They are vulnerable and could be scammed into selling their house for a lot less than it's worth, so definitely the police should be contacted.