Father blames me for closing his UK bank account

[Nindaelita]

Ok bare with me cause this is really making my anxiety come back and I'm just so stressed since they've arrived I can't even sleep properly. There's more to this than just an accusation that's why my anxiety has come back.

My father and his partner after living in the UK for many years decided to leave last year to go back to their home country and eventually retire there. The problem is my father left an opened bank account in here with some left over money to pay off any debt (I don't know amounts) and was not in contact with the bank at all for a year, (he said he was but I doubt it).

I use to live with them so after they left the house the tenancy contract was put in my name and I still live at the same adress. For a year after they left I've received countless of letters in their names that they didn't bother to ask for, nor cancel them by informing banks, NHS, GPs etc that they were no longer living here. Which I found wrong since their place in the GP could go for another local person for example.

Eventually after a couple of months of opening their letters, I decided to send letters back with "return to sender" since they no longer had any intention of coming back to the UK.
A month ago they announced that things are becoming really bad back home in terms of jobs and rising prices so they want to come back.
They said they would come for around a week this month to check how things were doing over here ( not very good, prices are sky high as well) and apparently they are fixed in coming back again. No problem with me, it's their decision.

Now here's the problem, since they arrived my father went to the bank and found out his account was closed and is now not allowed to open any other with them.
I have no idea about the details, if he owed money, if it went on overdraft and the fees and the inactivity made them close his acount, I have no idea. He doesn't tell me things properly. The bank told him that they've sent letters to my adress prior to closing it and that's where he came to me and pointed his finger.

Bare in mind after he left the country he had online banking (his words) so he could easily contact the bank and keep his acount checked every day.
Now because he was so fixed in not coming back he tro away his UK mobile number, the one that was linked to his bank account, which apparently unabled him to access his online banking again.

I am absolutely stressed cause he now says that I ducked up his credit score along with his name with the bank because I didn't keep his letters and didn't inform him they wanted to close his account! What the actual duck???

Please someone tell me I am not crazy and this whole ordeal is because he didn't take responsibility for his affairs?

The U.K. is one of the countries this applies to. It applies to most countries these days due to international money laundering/funding terror organisations laws and treaties.

Thought that was blatantly obvious given the fact the OP is in the U.K. that my comments on this thread would therefore relate to the U.K.

Not everything illegal is a crime btw. Address fraud has overlap between civil proceedings and criminal.

Fraud Act 2006, Fraud by failing to disclose information (Section 3)
The defendant:

• failed to disclose information to another person
• when he was under a legal duty to disclose that information
• dishonestly intending, by that failure, to make a gain or cause a loss.

It is complete as soon as the Defendant fails to disclose information provided he was under a legal duty to do so, and that it was done with the necessary dishonest intent. It differs from the deception offences in that it is immaterial whether or not any one is deceived or any property actually gained or lost.

So:

• OPs father failed to disclose he was moving abroad and his new address
• OPs father was under a legal obligation by contractual agreement as it is in vast majority of U.K. banks contract for services that customers must provide an address they live at, and update if they move. The fact they closed his account after learning about him no longer being at his recorded address is most likely proof of his breach of contract.
• OPs father was dishonestly intending to not have to potentially close the account or switch to a (usually less favourable account) for expats.

The credit/debit status of any bank accounts is irrelevant to the Fraud Act offences. All that is in issue is the Defendant's right to use the account.

It is no defence that the Defendant was ignorant of the existence of the duty, neither is it a defence in itself to claim inadvertence or incompetence. In that respect, the offence is one of strict liability.

I hope you don’t have to live with him again - if so I would focus on having my own home.

Not everything illegal is a crime btw.

This is the point of difference. I thought you were saying he had done something for which he could be arrested. I would have been perfectly happy if it had been clear you were only claiming he had done something that the bank could close his account for.

I presume the bank would have closed the account even sooner if he had informed them them, so it being "illegal" not to inform them of a change of address was not really much of a reason for him to do so.

No, I choose my words carefully. It’s more to express how the father is an idiot to be outraged his account was closed (and I’m sure any money he had in the accounts is also frozen) because he’s the one that is in breach of contract.

I presume the bank would have closed the account even sooner if he had informed them.
Depends on the bank. As I said I have accounts here in the U.K. that I kept whilst abroad…and yes they were fully informed as to my foreign address and contact info, tax residency and citizenship. Similarly, I have bank accounts in 2 other countries that I set up while there and have kept for various reasons, also fully informed as to my address and contact info, tax residency and citizenship. So as others have said, fully informing doesn’t mean a U.K. bank will close your account, unless it’s a U.K. bank that has decided to refuse services to nonresidents. Some U.K. banks have done this as a cost savings measure because the compliance with international financial laws is complex and expensive. Other banks have expat accounts but they have a monthly fee and don’t offer things like an overdraft.

@Discovereads what you have written is my experience.

In fact whilst holding overseas accounts, proof of address can be randomly requested via up to date utility bills for your main place of residence.

The father by stupidly throwing away his uk phone, clearly had no intention of returning and decided to ignore his mail.

He has changed his mind and is pissed off at the consequences of his actions.

Like so many men, he trys to blame the nearest woman.

He's a twat OP.
Don't accept any guff from him.

@billy1966
Thank you for chiming in as I know my experience is not at all unusual.
Completely agree this is all the OPs fathers fault and he is wrongly blaming the OP for his stupidity or dishonesty that led to the consequences he is now dealing with.

Exactly. Why does OP have to do it? It feels like a classic wife work / daughter work situation. Dad can’t be bothered sorting things so expects daughter to do it and is then annoyed when she doesn’t