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Brexit
Original poster

Dad living abroad want to change uk bank account to my address.

30 replies

Morningstar666 · 21/09/2020 20:42

My Dad lives in Poland as a duel national for over 10 years. He lived in the UK for most of his life before moving and retained a UK bank account here for business etc.

Several banks have announced that they will be closing accounts of Expats at the end of the year and Dad believes this will apply to him (although i cannot find Poland in the list of countries this applies to)

He would like to change his UK account to my address so he can retain it. My concern is that this could be legally dubious or put us at risk.

Reading online has raised the issue of debt collectors potentially coming here for him. I can't see this would be relevant as he has been gone for so long.

Is there anyone here who could enlighten me as to any potential risks? This is apart from breaching and Banking Ts and Cs too. He Banks with Lloyds if relavent.

Thanks

OP posts:
londongirl12 · 21/09/2020 20:49

Does he have a business in the uk then?

ListeningQuietly · 21/09/2020 20:52

Does he still vote in the UK.
What address does he use for voting ?
Would he be within his rights to use that address as his UK bank address ?

Original poster
Morningstar666 · 21/09/2020 21:08

His businesses are based in Poland. He is not registered to vote in the UK. He has barely been here in the last few years.

I don't know if it is within his rights to use this address (assuming we gave permission) its my and my husbands house, Dad has never lived here.

He says its a paperless account so we would not even receive mail, would just need to confirm he lived here with the bank (a lie). Hmm...would that count as fraud?

TBH i just want a good justification to say no. we have a distant relationship, i dont want to say no for no good reason.

OP posts:
Toomanycats99 · 21/09/2020 21:13

If he had financial issues I assume it could affect you as you would be linked by the address.

carly2803 · 21/09/2020 21:18

um no. that is incredibly dodgy

BessieSurtees · 21/09/2020 21:20

Do you claim any benefits if so you could say you don’t want him linked to your home. It wouldn’t make a difference but he might not know this.

Two members of my family, different households, live abroad and both have a U.K. bank account with other family at a U.K. address, again different households, and it hasn’t raised any issues. They have a close relationship though.

If you can’t use benefits as a reason just say the banking laws are really tight and you don’t want to risk any misunderstandings.

You could just say no, if it makes you uncomfortable.

Emeraldshamrock · 21/09/2020 21:22

I wouldn't do it. It is fraudulent to lie to the bank.
Is he hiding money?

ListeningQuietly · 21/09/2020 21:24

If he has never lived at your property
does not vote in the UK etc
DO NOT TOUCH WITH A BARGEPOLE

leafeater · 21/09/2020 21:26

Why does he need a UK bank account?

Original poster
Morningstar666 · 21/09/2020 21:26

Ok Thank you everyone. Perhaps ill just be honest.

While he has had great success with his businesses, he does have a tendency to overextend financially so i would definitely never want to associate myself with him financially but like i said i think that's unlikely to be a problem.

No benefits. Ahh, will just bite the bullet and tell him, he's pretty blunt himself so perhaps it will be appreciated.

I suppose i want to know if its actually legal to do this.

OP posts:
newtb · 21/09/2020 21:29

I have a UK bank account and live permanently in France.

My uncle said to use his address. My bank's view was that to do so would be fraud. They have the French address.

1dayatatime · 21/09/2020 21:29

So the reason the banks are closing the UK accounts of UK nationals living in EU countries is because in the event of a no deal Brexit all existing agreements between the EU and the UK such as food quality standards, mobile phone roaming, AND financial passporting goes out the window.

Financial passporting means that if a UK bank meets the UK rules governing how banks interact customers- financial advice, cooling off periods, don't sell inappropriate financial products (like PPI) etc., then it automatically qualifies to offer financial services to customers in other EU countries.

In the absence of the Government doing anything this , the UK banks could go round and agree such arrangement with each EU country but that is too much like hard work. So far easier just to close the accounts.

Your father wants to pretend he is still living in the UK so his account doesn't get closed. The bank will need to check he does actually live there as part of usual money laundering regs e.g. utility bills in his name etc. The risk to you is that you lie to the bank your father is living with you but he is not. The risk to you is small very serious as you could be breaking money laundering regs. In the same way as if some rich and dodgy Russian, Colombian or Nigerian chap came up to you and said can I use your address to open a UK bank account and can you lie to the bank to say I live there with you.

Basically don't do it. He can always open an account in any other EU country or even Switzerland.

lifesalongsong · 21/09/2020 21:29

From what I've heard this is an option lots of ex-pats will be thinking about but it's against the rules of the bank accounts

It's not incredibly dodgy, it's totally understandable that expats will be looking for a solution to the issue

BessieSurtees · 21/09/2020 21:30

I think you could risk being financially linked if he has finances at your address but you can write to the credit agencies and have the connection removed. Similar for people who house share.

If you really want to know if it’s legal you could ring the bank and ask.

merryhouse · 21/09/2020 21:31

Of course it would count as fraud. Deliberately lying in order to get something you wouldn't otherwise get.

Now you can argue as much as you like that this is a silly rule and they should let him have an account, but that doesn't change the fact that pretending he lives at your address would be fraud.

Don't do it.

(Tell him if he wants the benefits of living in Britain he'll have to come back and put up with the shitty parts too. Grin)

BessieSurtees · 21/09/2020 21:37

This is interesting I know when one relative phones her bank from the EU she uses a different telephone number which they gave her because they know she lives abroad and has done for more than a decade. I think she may need to ask what happens with Brexit. So thank you for highlighting this.

1dayatatime · 21/09/2020 21:42

Why doesn't he just open a Sterling bank account in Poland or any other EU country? A lot easier and less risky than lying.

OrinocoGlow · 21/09/2020 21:50

The bank may ask for proof of residence such as a utility bill for your address which I imagine he wouldn't have. Check if that is the case and it could be a convenient excuse for you to decline.

londongirl12 · 21/09/2020 21:59

I don't understand why he needs a uk account?

Mistigri · 21/09/2020 22:31

I don't understand why he needs a uk account?

He may receive a pension or other U.K. benefit that can only be paid into a U.K. account.

This is a huge issue at the moment on forums for Britons in Europe with many thousands of people affected, mainly older people who receive pensions via their U.K. bank account.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 21/09/2020 22:35

The question is do you trust your dad? I’d do that for my mother for example but not for others

Original poster
Morningstar666 · 22/09/2020 13:12

I trust my Dad's intentions but as i said in pp, his plans often dont come to fruition and he breaks promises that he made in good faith but fails due to overreach. He has asked family members to invest in his companies but frankly would not touch it with a barge pole!!

My reading has revealed that Poland may not actually be effected by this as it only applies to some other countries listed by Lloyds. I told dad this but he is convinced its only a matter of time. He is very doom and gloom about brexit and i have to ask him to shut up about it as i can't bear every topic returning to it. As a result he has told other family members he suspects i voted leave :D.

I don't actually know why he want to keep the account, he has explained it to me before but it obviously was not interesting enough for me to remember. The pension thing is very likely to be the case. He ran a very successful business here for 20 years before selling and moving abroad.

Great work everyone! if he brings it up again i will say im uncomfortable with lying, also the utility bill issue and also unsure if its even legal for money laundering purposes.

Part of me suspects he knows its dodgy to ask which is why he hasn't brought it up again in subsequent messages.

OP posts:
Peregrina · 23/09/2020 10:36

I think HSBC said that they weren't planning (yet) to close accounts, because they are a global bank, whereas Lloyds is predominantly UK based.

bellinisurge · 24/09/2020 13:40

No. Your credit score will be affected

FairlyOddmother · 25/09/2020 13:10

The bank will want proof of address (utility bill, council tax etc) in his name. Definitely fraudulent if he doesn't actually live there (my DH works in bank fraud dept).