Tenants & debts: do they ever get their comeuppance?

Tom_ed1987

Tom_ed1987

Tom_ed1987

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1 Mar 2004
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Location
Warwickshire
Every property i've rented over the past 5 years, it seems the previous tenants always leave a load of debts behind.
The latest has left while owing £300 in energy bills, various storecards and an outstanding credit card debt of X thousand.

It boils my **** to think these people are getting away with it. Do the companies involved actually bother pursuing them?
 
The last person in this house has done the same, I'm sure, as there are lots of nasty-looking envelopes from AmEx and similar companies. He has an unusual name too, so must be easy to track down.
 
I know people that have maxed out credit cards and left the country for years with no intention of paying them back.

There's some rule that after 6 years a debt becomes written off or something?
 
Probably not but these people never really get on in life in the traditional way of thinking, they won't get mortgages they can afford or car loans not from Yes Car Credit and are destined to a cycle of bad debts and living week to week.

I don't know why it boils you *****, they aren't getting away with much and it everntually catches up with them.
 
Eventually they'll be found.
I know it's going to paint me in bad light however I ran away from them for a while due to various reasons, i'll not go into it but at the time I couldn't pay. I'm currently paying them back now (out of choice, not because they hassled me), it's virtually impossible to stay off the radar and live a relatively normal life.

Just because there are debts that people are 'running away' from doesn't necessarily make them a bad person though, they may have their reasons and not everybody stops paying because they just don't want to pay the money back.

That said, it's a good feeling to finally get them under control now I have the opportunity to.
 
If these envelopes are heading to your address should you tell the companies they don't live there anymore? On the one hand, you should make sure bailiffs or whatever don't turn up at your house, but on the other hand you're opening other people's mail?
 
Monkeynut said:
If these envelopes are heading to your address should you tell the companies they don't live there anymore? On the one hand, you should make sure bailiffs or whatever don't turn up at your house, but on the other hand you're opening other people's mail?
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Just write "Not at this address" on the envelopes and post them back, job done.
Baliffs can't do anything without court orders anyway and as they won't be in the new homeowners name they won't be able to remove anything from the property (afaik).
 
Very topical. Previous tenant where I live seems to have owed at least 8 different companies. Everything from BSkyB to unpaid bus lane usage. I've had a VERY mixed bag of reactions from them to say the least.

Best case: gratefully thanked for updating their records & saving them the bother & expense of chasing at this address.

Worst case:After many letters I received one from 1 company I then got a leaflet form from the collecting agency, therefore couldn't help but read it. It stated that they'd attended the property & would be returning & if necessary would claim possessions to the value of the debt. I immediately called the bailiff's mobile number but merely reached voicemail. Left a message but never heard back. I emailed the company stating the obvious 'he has moved on' but simply had an auto-reply.

Over the next week they would "attend" during daytime hours. I'm at work so made no difference. I repeatedly called the bailiff & eventually got a call back from him. An unbelievably aggressive & threatening man who stated that if he 'happened to spot a window open at 4am' then I could expect to meet him.
With a girlfriend & a 2 year old in the house I informed him how he could expect to be greeted at 4am in no uncertain terms.
That companies position was I HAD to PROVE I lived there in order for them to cease attending. My argument was why should I have to do ANYTHING & that I was already doing them a favour!
He & the company he worked for are absolute scum.
 
Edrof said:
Sadly, this hasn't stopped mine coming weekly.
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I know it's an iffy thing to do but open them & contact the debt collector. Majority of those I spoke to thanked me & updated their records which stopped mail being sent to my address.
 
Same. I own my house (Mortgage) but still receive letters through fro previous occupants, one of them seems to get debt letters and she was at least the person before the guy before me! They go straight back in the mail with a return to sender

- GP
 
I once had EU immigration bang on my door at 4am threatening to search my flat in search of a previous tennant that owed in excess of £60,000
 
I open mail for previous owners and contact the companies and let them know. I know its not legal to open mail but who is going to action it? the previous tenant?.....

Just sitting watching a pile grow is a recipe for bailiffs and court orders.
 
I've got a load of letters sat on my desk from M&S bank from the previous guy. My GF emailed them twice but they still send them, even though we've been returning the mail for months. Opened one up from the recovery company saying he owes £3k and they will be sending someone round. Ought to be fun!
 
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My lady had court bailiffs banging on the door at 7 in the morning at a previous address looking for the previous occupants whilst I was at work.

she was heavily pregnant at the time she didnt half chew their heads off for waking her up

also where I am now weve also had the police banging on the door looking for the previous tennants 2 weeks after moving in
 
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I don't know why you are all getting so Anal about writing not at this address and posting it back,so what if they send bailiffs you're not he debtor so tell them to **** off, they should do their homework better! It's really no bother to pop them I'm a post box, opening mail not addressed to you is not on!
 
MrMoonX said:
I don't know why you are all getting so Anal about writing not at this address and posting it back,so what if they send bailiffs you're not he debtor so tell them to **** off, they should do their homework better
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Yeah, I know what you mean. It's not my time they're wasting.

We used to get loads for people with crazy names in our uni flat. We'd occasionally write return to sender on them, but mostly they were just chucked. If I'd been living there more permanently I would have rang up the agencies just to stop all the post, though.
 
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