AIBU to report my ex using my address for car finance?

Ive had similar, I would call them. I did and gave his parents address as it was the only one I knew. The mail stopped. Have you got his new address? Is the old joint acct in is new name still on your address? If you call the bank and explain, again giving an address will help.

Before anyone starts you can legally open someone's mail if you have a reasonable excuse. I checked with Royal Mail prior. Protecting yourself from severe financial or legal complications linked to your address constitutes a valid, reasonable excuse.

If a bailiff turns up at your door, you are going to have to prove he doesnt stay there and they will likely think you are pulling a fast one.

Also, call your council and remove him from the electoral roll at your address.

Check your credit ASAP and lock it down.

Where I am, that would be address fraud and yes, I would report it. You don't want the repo men showing up and this could possible affect your credit negatively with your address linked to multiple defaults. Sever any kinds of links with your ex that might be hanging around, like that bank account.

My question is

Are you divorced and has there been a financial settlement

Also the debt you didn't know about -had he entered into credit agreements in your name but without your knowledge?

Yes phone the car finance and also the bank to tell them that he has not lived there for however long and to remove your address.

You also need to close the old joint account.

@Royaly82 definitely make sure he is removed from the electoral roll.
I would open every letter addressed to him and write to every creditor to inform them he does not live at this address.

It's not the same, but the previous owners of our house left a few things registered to this address. We were told to write to them all individually.

I would have thought the biggest short term issue is the old joint bank account that the £700 payments are coming from. If that has an overdraft and your name is on the account you'll be linked to that as well from a credit perspective

As mentioned by another poster, please arrange to get yourself removed from that joint bank account as you'll be linked financially, and if he is defaulting this will have an impact on your credit worthiness. You've said you have a second job and are doing really well now, thats fab, so dont let that joint account cause you any issues down the line! Good luck, you sound like you're doing great for yourself and your kids.

Exactly - the biggest problem is not that he is using the OP's address, but that they still have a joint bank account, for which the OP would still be liable should there be any debts run up using that account.

If he runs up an overdraft of a few thousand pounds on that account, the OP would in most circumstances be held severally liable - the bank could (and probably would) legally chase the OP for all of the money.

you are going to end up paying his debt if you dont legally separate from him financially. asap. dont wait. now.

Who owns the house?

OP I edited my post as forgot to add the bit about mail

Protecting yourself from severe financial or legal complications linked to your address constitutes a valid, reasonable excuse. Under the postal act

No you won't be in trouble for opening the mail.

So now you can stop pretending it was an accident 🤭

Everyone in their right mind would've done the same as you.

Another question, and this is important- what is this 20 grand debt that you did not know about?

If he lied or you were unaware, you should not be paying it. Have you taken independent legal advice or checked with citizens advice?

It sounds like he may be guilty of fraud and you may have been badly advised.

As others said, get that account shut down right now and take proper advice if you have not done so already.

I work in financial services and we get calls like this every day. All you need to do is tell the company a letter has arrived from them for your ex at your address and give them the approximate date when he last lived at your house. Ask them to remove your address. They will then refer the matter to a tracing agency who will locate your ex at his new address. You won't get into trouble! Your ex is an idiot btw for giving a false address as creditors will take a dim view of his behaviour.

You don't have to open his mail, simply cross out your address on the envelope. Clearly write: Return to sender, not at this address and pop it into a postbox.
Do it with every single letter. You really have to do this because bailiffs might be sent to your address if they're not informed.
We had a piss-taker who did this, long after moving out of the house we bought.
I was told at the time that it's legal to open letters which are not addressed to you if you suspect fraud is taking place.

Claim the £20,000 back as part of the divorce settlement and get it taken out of his pensions and salary

Not stupid. You had faith and were loyal. I was in the same boat after my divorce (he left for someone younger too!), took me a while to get it paid off but I did and life has never been better. As you’ve already identified get the joint account closed asap and check out your credit report see check any other financial connections/loans/bills etc.

Get a good divorce lawyer and see what they suggest. In the meantime, don't pay back any more of the debts he ran up.

Jesus, what a prick he is. I am sorry OP.

I'd like to think your parents can either wait to be paid back or be able to take him to court themselves to recover some of their money. They must understand that everyone, you included, has been defrauded by this con man. I hope they have got your back.

The stuff that's in your name, well, not much to be done there but it's definitely worth speaking to CAB and seeing if balance transfer to lower interest cards is possible. Have you tried that?

Anyway for what it's worth, I hope he gets his just desserts. But definitely getting that divorce finalised and the joint account closed has to be a priority.

Wishing you the very best.

You won't be in trouble for opening mail addressed to your home if it was accidental, or if there was genuinely a reasonable excuse. I discovered my ex was using my address dishonestly in breach of the Companies Act and the Fraud Act after becoming suspicious of mail arriving there and opening it. I reported it, and no one gave me any trouble at all about how I had obtained the information.
Since you're still actually married, I'd get your solicitor to have a collegiate chat with his solicitor and ask him to get his client to behave. Lawyers HATE it when their clients pull this crap; it makes their work so much harder.