OV9

when the move home...

We bought our house last September and the previous owners still have:

Several Bank Accounts registered here - Husband, Wife, Daughter
Wife is still on the Electoral Register
Husband's car is still registered here with the DVLA

As well as vast amounts of junk.

I know re-direct services are pretty shite ("Mr Andrew Person" will NOT Re-direct "Mr A Person" only Mr Andrew Person etc) but you'd think they'd have moved the basics - Banking, Electoral Register etc.

I still got contact lenses, three years after moving, for a previous tenant.

You'd think you'd notice that. They have stopped now, at least.

Have you tried calling the companies in question and telling them ? I did that with some tenants a while ago, and although the companies insisted they couldn't discuss it with me, the mail did stop. Their bank in particular should be quite interested to know that they don't live where they think they do.

Been here 10 years. We still get tax demands from France relating to a plot of land the previous owners have. This despite forwarding them on, and having also returned the mail to the tax office in France with a statement outlining that those concnerned haven't lived here since 2012.

So morons + French public sector beurocracy. A fine combination. At least the Mayor of the town has taken our response on board - we had a handwritten letter from him begging that the owners of said land tend to it urgently as it was becoming a fire risk and risked being home to snakes as well or something. He got a personal response back from me by e-mail to outline the situation. I did offer that if there was any legal means by which they could seize the land and transfer it to us we'd be happy to take it on and would happily maintain it properly.

I get French tax returns for a previous resident. We’ve returned to sender, we have contact with his ex-wife and she’s contacted them personally, but they still come. Just get shredded now…….

Sundayjumper wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:25 pm Their bank in particular should be quite interested to know that they don't live where they think they do.

This...

I ensure they're "Returned to Sender" immediately. I tried one of the banks - Virgin Money - held for 20 minutes and when I eventually got through, I was asked for account number - Don't have one - Can't help you. They wouldn't talk to me at all about another account.

I'm going to return important looking letters for a few more months then just bin them after that.

I always put "RTS - Not at this address" and feel like it does slowly help over time.

Fortunately in my case, I know the previous owners run the sandwich shop in town, so after a few visits to drop mail off, in front of customers, they seem to have taken care of it. Only took ten years..

In related frustration, I get emails from Norton AUS about my AV renewal, and they refuse to engage when I inform them I'm not their customer. Amusingly, the actual customers bank details no longer work, so they're chasing me for payment now.

Our house was a re-possession and we had a mail saying that a car supermarket couldn’t give me finance on a van. I rang them as it was about 5 years after they had moved and he had tried to get finance through this address somehow about 2 weeks before.
The person on the end of the phone said “I certainly can’t tell you number 25 in something close lives there as that would be immoral”

So I dropped a load of debt letters to him in person and asked him to stop using our address, with the woman’s laser eyes in the hall behind him I fear his body may not be recoverable.

Debt collectors themselves, in person were really nice to deal with but by email or on the phone the office folk were horrific.

Me - it’s not us, I have mailed you proof.
Them - ok

Them - we don’t believe you, send more.
Me - here is more proof

Them - the bill is now 20% higher, pay up now or it’s court time sonny jim
Me - sigh

Dave!

If only there was some sensible system to enable people to easily change address without having to contact every single company they deal with.

We still get junk mail for the previous owners and occasionally for the owners before that (going back to before 2006).

DeskJockey wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 7:40 pm If only there was some sensible system to enable people to easily change address without having to contact every single company they deal with.

There is.

Every Christmas we get a card for someone who hasn't lived at this address for over 25 years.

John wrote: Fri Apr 08, 2022 9:15 am Every Christmas we get a card for someone who hasn't lived at this address for over 25 years.

No fiver in it?

Unfortunately not, tight gits!

Funnily enough we had polis at the door yesterday looking for someone who used to live here, was a moment of panic before they said the name

John wrote: Fri Apr 08, 2022 9:15 am Every Christmas we get a card for someone who hasn't lived at this address for over 25 years.

Oh yes - I'd forgotten that we also get one for someone who hasn't lived here possibly since the mid-90s, so similar. In fact, I think the person it's specifically addressed to would be well over 100yo by now

We've been in our house for almost 3 years. Previous owner's son has a painting and decorating business. He clearly updated none of his details. I've been getting parking violation letters (overstaying etc). I've contacted the company twice and still they send letters threatening to take him to court. I'm still waiting for a knock on the door by some bailiffs.

I also get NHS letters for the owner prior to the previous owners (next door neighbour said he moved out around 1997-1998).