A word of advice please
Discussion
An elderly frail lady friend of mine has been living in her flat for 16 years.
It's a converted house.
Suddenly she has started receiving letters from debt collection agencies saying, amongst other things, that they can come and force entry to her home to take away goods to the value of the debt.
The letters are addressed to men with a few different names. The flat upstairs is currently unoccupied and she has always known the names of the owners/tenants when it was occupied, none of the names on the letters ties up with the residents upstairs.
She is worried that at some point she will have to deal with a couple of debt collectors on her doorstep over something that is none of her business. They may be perfectly pleasant and understanding on the other hand they could be unpleasant.
Obviously she has returned the letters but they still keep coming. She has opened a couple of letters and called the 'enforcement officers', one very pleasant, the other not.
Is there an official body or ombudsman she can contact to put a stop to this as it's causing great distress.
Thanks.
It's a converted house.
Suddenly she has started receiving letters from debt collection agencies saying, amongst other things, that they can come and force entry to her home to take away goods to the value of the debt.
The letters are addressed to men with a few different names. The flat upstairs is currently unoccupied and she has always known the names of the owners/tenants when it was occupied, none of the names on the letters ties up with the residents upstairs.
She is worried that at some point she will have to deal with a couple of debt collectors on her doorstep over something that is none of her business. They may be perfectly pleasant and understanding on the other hand they could be unpleasant.
Obviously she has returned the letters but they still keep coming. She has opened a couple of letters and called the 'enforcement officers', one very pleasant, the other not.
Is there an official body or ombudsman she can contact to put a stop to this as it's causing great distress.
Thanks.
Are the flats clearly identified? 43a, 43b, 43c etc?
I used to help out with debt at the CAB. She has no liability for anyone elses debts and it can be a problem where there is shared entry. The best course of action is to nip it in the bud. Others will tell you to ignore these letters, but this could lead to problems later.
Debt Collection Agencies and Bailiffs are used to people returning mail saying people are no longer living there as a delaying tactic and bailiffs are either reasonable or unreasonable depending on how much they love their money!
I would get a template letter typed up and photocopied:
Mrs Marjorie Miggins is the resident of 43a Letbys Avenue since 2006.
She has been receiving letters from you for Mr X Debtor, whom she does not know and to the best of her knowledge has never lived at this address.
She is 80 years old and your attention is drawn to the fact that you are under obligation to identify the debtor correctly and that because of her age, she would be a vulnerable debtor. You are instructed not to send her any further communications, your agents are instructed not to visit her under the Protection From Harassment Act 1997 and the Police will be called. If you are a Bailiff, a complaint will be made to the Court.
I used to help out with debt at the CAB. She has no liability for anyone elses debts and it can be a problem where there is shared entry. The best course of action is to nip it in the bud. Others will tell you to ignore these letters, but this could lead to problems later.
Debt Collection Agencies and Bailiffs are used to people returning mail saying people are no longer living there as a delaying tactic and bailiffs are either reasonable or unreasonable depending on how much they love their money!
I would get a template letter typed up and photocopied:
Mrs Marjorie Miggins is the resident of 43a Letbys Avenue since 2006.
She has been receiving letters from you for Mr X Debtor, whom she does not know and to the best of her knowledge has never lived at this address.
She is 80 years old and your attention is drawn to the fact that you are under obligation to identify the debtor correctly and that because of her age, she would be a vulnerable debtor. You are instructed not to send her any further communications, your agents are instructed not to visit her under the Protection From Harassment Act 1997 and the Police will be called. If you are a Bailiff, a complaint will be made to the Court.
vikingaero said:
Funk said:
Why mention her age and that she would be a vulnerable debtor? It could confuse things...
The first part should suffice. The less said, the better usually.
There are rules that bailiffs have to abide by for vulnerable debtors. The first part should suffice. The less said, the better usually.
I thought the same as Funk.
Piersman2 said:
vikingaero said:
Funk said:
Why mention her age and that she would be a vulnerable debtor? It could confuse things...
The first part should suffice. The less said, the better usually.
There are rules that bailiffs have to abide by for vulnerable debtors. The first part should suffice. The less said, the better usually.
I thought the same as Funk.
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