Scooby Soon!

I recently purchased a repossessed house and the people before didnt pay any bills for years, most of the debts have been cleared up but I have just received a letter saying that they are sending a baliff round in 3 days time to collect £1800. I have no problem them coming round if I am at home because i will have great delight in telling them to poke off BUT my wifes normally at home during the day and I dont want her having to deal with it.

What should I do just put a note on the door? are they going to ask to see my passport/driving license etc (which I dont want them to see anyway) or just hope for the best?

The company is APEX credit management and amazingly they only have an 0871 number....great if your in debt!

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

they prob wont turn up.
if they do,simple proof of ID and thats tha,off they go

jods

DO NOT LET THEM IN.

TELL YOUR WIFE TO KEEP THE DOOR SHUT AND CALL THE POLICE.

Hmmmm - was the letter addressed to you personally?

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

why ?
he`s not the debter,they will see this all done in a few mins, doing your way will make it 10 times worse !

PeteBrant

SAYNOTO0870.COM - Non-Geographical Alternative Telephone Numbers

Apex Credit Management Ltd
0871 2442797
Geographical number 01789 203700

HTH.

Scooby Soon!

nope but the letter was not sealed, most of the letters have been returned to sender but for something like this that it involves people coming to my house then its a bit more important then the usual junk mail. All letters have a return address, put the address in to google and voila it tells you who it is from!

Scooby Soon!

Thanks Pete, worth a call in the morning even if its for entertainment sake!

bugeyeandy

Ring them up and explain the situation - I had to do something similar when I kept getting debt collection letters from a car lease company for the old occupiers of my house.
One polite phone call and it was all cleared up.

GC8

'Debt collectors' have no legal status anyway. Even if theyre court appointed baliffs then their powers are next to non-existant, as long as you dont let them into your property (they have no legal right to enter) and you dont allow them to view any property worth taking 'walking possession' of. If they do this though, they have the right to enter on their return to collect it...

DYK

OHHH they will turn up i reckon..Its a good idea not to let them in though..but bailiffs cannot force their way into your home anyway.the only bailiffs that can enter your house with force,are those from collector of taxes (inland revenue) but even then they need a warrant.you do not have to let a bailiff into your house if you answer the door to them,you have the right to refuse to let them inside..but they can enter your house if you have left a door or window open..EFFF bottom line is you dont have to let them in...

Scooby Soon!

Well i have just upped the frame rate on the cctv recorder so just in case they do try to bend the rules then at least I will have something to show the police.

DYK

cool but bailiffs will use alot of tricks to gain entry into your house peacefully..they might attempt to walk in as soon as you open the door,or they may ask if they can come inside to phone their office,or could just ask you if you would like to discuss matters inside.you have the right to refuse all of these methods..If the Police are with the bailiffs,then they are only there to prevent breach of the peace...now im gonna shut up because im fooking boring everyone

Jerome

Even if the bailiffs see something they want to take (they often peer through windows before knocking), they have to establish that the property they intend to take belongs to the debtor.

They also often give some intimidatory crap about "needing a forwarding address" before they will go away. Politely inform them that you are not the debtor, and that the debtor has moved, that you have no idea where they are now living, and that if they come round again they will be doing so without permission and it will be trespass.

The Chief

If they turn up and start getting shirty tell them you are ringing the police and have them arrested for demanding money with menaces

Sonic'

I had this happen to me once many years ago, Baliff chappie was really cool about everything, he didnt want to know the forwarding address of the folks who previously lived in that house (even though I knew) as he said it would mean he would have to go there and he wanted to go home for his dinner, so he said let the office deal with it and track them down

boxst

This happened to me. The previous occupier of my house registered this as his company address and then defaulted on thousands of pounds worth of equipment. A polite call to the debt agency explaining the situation, along with mentioning the fact that the call is being recorded and they will be trespassing if entering my property appeared to do the trick.

Steve

^OPM^

I'm in a similar position myself-for some reason british gas have set a debt collection agency onto me for a debt from a woman who has never lived at my address but somehow they have my address for her.

Despite repeated letters/phone calls etc to both british gas and the debt agency the bailiffs still turned up at my door but i didnt hear them as i work nites so was in bed-despite since then telling british gas again that i didnt know woman and they even admitting that they knew her right address and that i didnt even have my gas of them-guess what..yep the bailiffs sent me yet another letter asking me to pay up or they will start court action against this woman but at my address.

Im just worried that altho this woman is nought to do with me that it could somehow affect my credit rating.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

i had something similar happen to me years ago when i moved into my first rented flat.

lets just say the former occupent was an interesting fellow. i recieved numerous letters regards unpaid council tax, credit card etc, but the best one was when i recieved a threatening letter with regards an unpaid account for fetish **** (of the homosexual variety). i did wonder why i kept recieving these dirty mags in black plastic strinkwrap to my door offering me the lastest in "sexual gay fetish wear"

couple of embarrassing phonecalls later and a written apology, all was solved

Tidgy

just had the same, rented house and previous occupiers were foriegn. went home for a few weeks and then were refused entry back into the contry. had about 30-40 letters, most which got RTS or person not known at this address, finnaly had to pass one of the letters onto the estate agent who sent a letter to the bank, it was a credit card bill for nearly ten grand

Jerome

Unless she has the same surname as you, it won't affect your credit rating.

They changed the rules a few years back to prevent previous occupants affecting your credit rating.

If her details come up on your rating, write to the relevant credit reference agency and tell them to remove her details from your credit search.

Scooby Soon!

Well just phoned them up and told them I was recording the telephone conversation (which I did) and told them that he doesnt live here any more, they said ok no problem, I said if anyone turns up here they will be tresspassing he sais no problem it wont happen?

Surely it cant be that easy??

r32

Well done sounds as if its sorted.....

Tidgy

yeah mate it is that easy. dont forget the name on the council tax will have changed and i believe balifs can confirm names etc with the council.

scoobz72

Amazingly it is that simple. I had the same when i took over my residency, a bailiff turned up with a trailer, eyeing up our cars, we showed him our passports etc and disgruntled off they went.

Even now we get letters, but i ring them and tell em i dont know where the previous occupier lives, then no more letters.

One company I charged them £15 for my letter explaining who they wanted no longer lived here. The £15 was for my admin charges, unless they ceased sending. I never got my £15 but the letters stopped!!

Jamie

Bailiffs can not walk in your house unless you invite them,One phone call to them and the police will sort it out.

KiwiGTI

Edited for accuracy

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

now were talking

AJF

iTrader: (1)

bailiff can walk into a house if he has a warrent i know deal with them every day
force can be used to gain entry

Adrian

EddScott

Proper LOL

PeteBrant

Yes, but a warrant can only be granted for non-payment of council tax, court fines or CCJ's.

They cannot get a warrant or force entry for, say, a credit card bill.