Ex tenant still using our address

Ex tenant still using our address

10:30 AM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago 20

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Can anyone advise on how to stop an ex-tenant using our address?

We evicted him 8 months ago for non-payment of rent. He owes us over £10,000.

Obviously we weren’t able to get a forwarding address from him. Having paid for a trace it turns out he is still using our address.

He has a company registered at Companies House to a PO Box address so I imagine he is forwarding all his post from our address to that.

Does anyone have any ideas on this please?

Nicole


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Neil Patterson

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10:38 AM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

Could the business also be bankrupt and some how trace the tenant through the insolvency register and insolvency practicioners? >> https://www.gov.uk/search-bankruptcy-insolvency-register

Ian Narbeth

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11:05 AM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

You can complain about a company: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-a-limited-company but I am not sure if your complaint is the sort they can deal with.

Is post still coming to your address. I would interrogate your tracing agents and find out what proof they have.

Tim Rogers

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11:15 AM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

Firstly are you certain the address is still being used, rather than admin somewhere not catching up with reality?

If so to what purpose, the police may well be interested if the use is potentially fraudulent. Actually a chat with the police might be beneficial anyway.

If you use a letting agent, ask them to inform the senders of any mail actually delivered that the address is no longer valid etc. Unfortunately, senders will tend to ignore any letter you send to this effect as a possible ploy by the named recipient.

Contact Royal Mail, explain the situation, suggest they maybe assisting the perpetuation of a fraud. They should stop any redirection. They have strange guide lines concerning the criteria for redirecting mail.

It might also be wise to inform the credit agencies that the address is being miss used by an ex tenant etc... You really don't want the address black listed.

Rod

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11:15 AM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

I have a tenant in the process of moving out this very moment and refuses to give me a forwarding address. It should be 'made law' they must! There are sites on line where they'll charge say, £25 for some quick legal advice so may be worth considering.

Richard Adams

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11:39 AM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

Peruse the mail arriving for the ex tenant. It may be through inefficiency senders have not updated their address records. Contact the senders to tell them he does not live at tenancy address any more so might they know his current address? Tell them you have some effects of his you wish to return NOT that you wish to chase him for unpaid rent. They might cough up his current address? Worth a shot.
This affair reinforces my view that having a rental guarantor for even seemingly good tenants at outset of tenancy tenants is becoming increasingly necessary. No bad tenant seeking to avoid paying owed back rent will ever give a forwarding address. I've recently got unpaid rent from a guarantor thanks to having one to pursue.

Sarah Fowler

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12:10 PM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

Thanks for all the suggestions. No, he's not showing up on the Insolvency Register. As a part-qualified accountant he knows exactly what he's doing.
The tracing agency say they think bank and credit card statements are still registered to that address. (Maybe I need to look further into how they know this). He does have a company registered to a PO Box so it's possible he's still using our address and forwarding all his mail to the PO Box. As we are not receiving any mail whatsoever for him I think this is highly likely.

Richard Adams

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12:19 PM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

Surely banks and credit card companies would be keen to know that a/c's are registered at an address that is not where he lives? How would they pursue him for monies owed without correct contact details including a phone number? Can you or your tracing agents inquire through his bank etc?

Ian Narbeth

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12:32 PM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Richard Adams at 21/11/2017 - 12:19
Richard
The banks/credit card companies won't give you any information for obvious reasons. If you are not receiving any mail, you may be chasing a phantom.

Richard Adams

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13:18 PM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

Of course Ian, "obvious reasons" being the absurdities of Data Protection preclude giving anyone info, but banks etc might be grateful to know that an address where an a/c is registered is phantom? How would they contact a customer who has exceeded overdraft limit for example if they don't have correct contact details? If I was owed £10,000 I would simply not lie down and take it on the chin without trying to do something like telling the bank some cleverly concocted story about why I needed to contact the ex tenant. Nobody can disappear off the face of the earth and be completely untraceable. What about the police? Is it not illegal to provide an address that is knowingly incorrect?

Rob Crawford

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14:41 PM, 21st November 2017, About 7 years ago

Get a rubber stamp made up with "not at this address return to sender" and just post it when convenient to you. I would not waste any time looking for him. If a debt collector turns up the current tenants just need to tell them he no longer resides there. If they show them a copy of their ID & tenancy agreement they will stop visiting. It can take a few years!

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