distress warrant for old tennant re non payment of TV Licence - help!!

[Troway]

Hi,

I am new to this site and I wanted some advice on how to go about an issue.

 

I have just looked at some few threads and seen some similar situations.

 

My wife and I leave in our flat and occasionally/rarely previous occupants letters do come to our address.

 

I did speak to our Landlady regards to what to do with the letters of previous tenants and we were advised to bin them as they were probably junk letters.

 

Recently we decided to open one of the letters as we wanted to be sure our address was not used by some other person

as a couple of letters had come in for a particular name(If it was a previous tenant/occupant,I am not sure).

 

The letter stated it was a distress warrant to visit and collect a sum of £395 from our address.

 

We dont know how that may have come about as we do not have any knowldge of who the person is.

 

I have read different threads/suggestions to show a form of ID with a council tax or utility bill when they arrive at our flat

but some others have advised not to do so as my information may be taking and then the warrant may be sent in my name(is that possible?)

 

or they may not listen to me but still want to collect the money or goods.

 

What are our options?

 

How would you suggest I go about this issue?

 

I await your suggestions.

 

Thanks

[Conniff]

Who was this letter you accidently opened from ?

[Troway]

Hi,

The letter was opened on purpose not accidentally. The letter was from Collectica.

[sgtbush]

you can open any mail sent to your address, it is a common myth that you cant, only if your doing it for fraudulent reasons you can be done.

 

the warrant will be issued for the persons name at that address, your not that person so it CANNOT be changed in name to yours, the courts have no interest in you, you have not commited the offence,

all you need to do is what it says on the reverse of the letter, send either an email with a scan of your council tax bill to the email address stating when you moved in and that will be the end of the matter.

 

a report goes back to the court as a new occupier, the court then cancel the warrant for the name on your address and the court then start more tracing of the person they are after.

their is no need to be afraid or scared if your not the person named on the warrant

[Troway]

Hi Sgtbush,

 

Many thanks for your advice. I will do just that.

[Conniff]

I can't really see the problem. If you have a license and it is in your name, then the letter doesn't concern you at all so just ditch it.

[brassnecked]

If you have a TV Licence in your name, and the Collectica numpty turns up show it to him, and whisper in a Jedi Manner, "I am not the person you are looking for go on your way"

 

No seriously show some ID that shows you at that address and tell them you are contacting the court that you don't have any forwarding address. The warrant will be in the name of the debtor, and he cannot insist you pay, exactly as sgtbush has explained.