Credit rating affected by wrongly addressed bill?

[raaaasss]

I have received a letter to our house addressed to a name I don't recognise (not one of our neighbours) saying that someone's unpaid bill is being passed to Arvato (debt management agency).

I am going to knock on neighbours' doors later to check no-one is moving in or out which would explain it.

But in the meantime, should I call Arvato? Can this affect my credit rating or is that a myth?

thanks for any help!

I don’t think it will affect your personal credit rating

However I used to work for a phone/broadband company and sometimes we would ask for evidence that a person didn’t live at the house, ie tenancy agreement, if there was bad debt attached the address in that persons name iyswim.

Why did you open a letter that is not addressed to you?

They obviously got the wrong address, write ‘not known at this address’ and put it back in the post.

Unless the debt is in your name it has nothing to do with your credit.

Inform the company as they then have a let obligation to check and change the address if required. You don't want debt collectors round.

It does not affect your credit rating as this is based on you as an individual not your address.

Legal obligation! It is for the company to prove it is your debt, not for you to prove it isn't.

Thanks all for the advice. I'll give them a ring and get them to update their records.

@Jolly We've been here a long time so the post that comes through the door is generally ours, I know all the neighbours and their names.

I opened it because it's addressed to my address and a strange name - so to check someone's not using our house for identity fraud - there is simply not a person with that name at my house or nearby.

If I'd seen it was for a neighbour of course I wouldn't open and take it round and anything that comes for neighbours who've moved on goes back in the postbox as you said.