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

[Blopi]

Friend’s elderly neighbours came back from holiday to find a letter delivered by person. It has made them upset and frightened.

It was addressed to them personally Mr and Mrs (surname)
They said that their home is too big for the couple and would be suitable for a 5 bedroom HMO. Willing to pay £Xk for it (properties have been selling for 10-15% more) and will visit them on Thursday at 11am to discuss things. Signed by Mr (common surname). No phone number or email address.

Her neighbours have zero intention of moving home as they have lived there for 58 years. They are upset on how they are targeted and wondering how did they get their names?

In the past I had these letters which have been sent to others down the estate. Though not intimidating like this letter, nor personalised.

Unfortunately my friend is working on Thursday. She would have loved to have seen if the person turned up and told

Should my friend phone the police on the non emergency line about this? As maybe something else dodgy going on

Wouldn't have to explicitly say I'm out, for all they know I could just be refusing to answer.

Burglars aren't very prevalent where I live though, especially at 11am!

I wouldn’t what if someone does turn up?
and if I was your friend I’d make damn sure I was there and not on my own either!

Most burglaries occur 9-5 in broad daylight.

60% occur between 6pm and 6am according to the ONS with 50% being whilst the occupant is inside the house... not sure where you got your stats from

Also an interesting fact "In nearly half of burglary incidents over the years, the perpetrator was someone the victim knew, at least by sight"

Quite, and having the note on the door implies the occupants are out, or feel intimidated/vulnerable, or both. Easy pickings.

I’d ask for a community officer to support. It’s clearly trying to intimidate older residents and if it’s not reported nobody can help. It may be part of a bigger scam, and trying to bully people into selling for below market rate is intimidating

Just ignore it. It’s a marketing piece.

what with no contact details on? In my experience they have the contact details of the EA on them.

And cancel the cheque.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

No it is not!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.’

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?

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.