Any advice? Lodger has left but am still receiving threatening letters from his creditors.

[Addy123]

Hi All
My lodger moved out in November. I gave him a months notice after he went away for 3 days without warning me and left my cats unfed for the duration (I was away with work).
I served notice and he replied he was about to move out the following week anyway (not giving me a months notice despite us having a signed tenancy agreement).

He still owes me £790 in back rent (long story), and has been telling me he will pay it. I have had a lot of mail for him arriving and do have his new address. This morning a ltter arrived and I couldn't see who it was addressed to. Only the address was showing in the window. I opened it and it is for him and it has commital/bankruptcy proceedings written across it in large letters!!!
I am worried as I work away a lot and don't want to come home to find bailiffs have been in and taken my stuff. Also, I reckon this is going to knacker my credit rating etc. Any advice folks?

[sengas]

please do not worry as you have his new adress put all mail in a large envelope plus letter from you asking for your rent , [ l really dont think you have much chance of getting any monies from him] the other letter that you opened l suggest you send this back with a letter explaining that he has left your home owing you money give them his new address and ask for them not to send any more letters to your address , I really dont think you have much to worry about apart from using your address check your credit rating unless he was using your name l dont think there will be a problem but check anyway, though for your own piece of mind l would change the locks as he might have got a set made , l have been in this situation before and letting a room is always a chance one takes in the future make sure you have a deposit covering any rent that could be not paid one month is usually the going rate . hope all this helps.

[R1Geezer]

just tell them his new address and they'll leave you alone. Why should you have to deal with the wake of this idiot? He'll never pay you the rent anyway people like that are just unreliable leeches.

[R1Geezer]

credit rating is based on your name and address together, should be ok

[sandyRoe]

And don't worry about the bailiffs. They're not supposed to force their way into properties without authorisation from the courts.

[joko]

had you checked with him before you went away that he would feed your cats?

you have kicked him out of his home because he didnt feed your cats...??

if you chase him to much, and cause him grief, he may try to make some claim against you for unfair eviction...

[daffy654]

Joko.... Addy is entitled to end the tenancy agreement with the lodger anytime s/he wants, for any reason, the lodger cannot make any claim for unfair eviction.

Why shouldn't s/he chase him for the back rent? he owes it for living in the home, there is also no reason whatsoever for Addy to not tell his creditors where he has moved to.

[joko]

i am not saying she shouldnt...but she should be aware he might start playing games...

[Addy123]

Joko, he lived here for 18 months and the only thing I ever asked him to do was feed the cats when I was away with work, and if he was going to be away to let me know so I could ask the neighbour to do so.

In the 18 months he lived here he did no house work, ruined the brand new £400 carpet in his bedroom, ignored me in my own home, was moody and bad tempered for a nine month period, lied to me. He also went out and bought a £1500 motorbike when he knew he owed me money.

He got made redundent 2 months after moving in and I agreed he could live rent free until he found another job and then he would pay back a little extra each month on the rent. This worked fine until the baillifs came knocking in Jan 2010. I said he could suspend the extra payments until he had sorted out whatever had led to that happening and then he went out and bought the bike.

I allowed him to have his (rather large) dog here, who he promptly abandoned, working 12 hour days, including weekends, resulting in me having to walk her and feed her. And as I said, despite having a tenancy agreement he had no intention of giving me a months notice.I gave him a month, despite the fact he ,ade my home an unbearable place to live and his attitude put me on anti depressants.
Believe me, serving notice had to be done for my sanity and health...after all he was only a lodger.

[boxtops]

Addy, I'm sorry but you have allowed this bloke to walk all over you - he must have seen you coming. He's been treating you (badly) like he lives with you, not you're his landlady. Why did you let him get away with all this? Did he have a rent book? ...why oh why did you let him behave in YOUR house like this...?

[Addy123]

Oh and let's add to all that ^ he got caught driving without insurance and lied to me about it, and I have recently found out he is/was claiming benefits despite working in a £25K a year job.
He's a single guy with no dependents For Funks Sake!
I have also found out he had CCJ's against him for +£7,000 (found this out when the baillifs came calling).
I have never had any dealings with courts, police, bailllifs etc in my life, so it kind of shook me up a bit. It's only since he's gone that I have realised what a convincing liar he is.

[Addy123]

Boxtops, you are so right. I know I have been an idiot, my only excuse is that I had never been a landlady before and I am too trusting.

I had no rwason to disbeleive him as I thought he was just a regular guy, and I judged him by how I live my life.

Yes, I feel like a plonker having been taken in, but I will get over it and learn a valuable life lesson.

[boxtops]

Addy - I wasn't getting at you, believe me - I can be taken in as much as the next person.
It was suggested to me a while back that I could let my attic bedroom to bring in some money - sorry no way, not in my house!
Seriously though I do wish you well with this, the best thing you can do is return the mail marked "gone away" - it's the lenders' problem to find the bloke, not yours to tell them where he is now.
For your own peace of mind you might want to go to the CAB and get some legal advice.
Have you changed the locks, btw? If not - suggest you do it a.s.a.p.

[boxtops]

Can the householder do that, Eddie? When I've had a redirection the form has to be signed by the person(s) whose mail is to be redirected.

[mrs_overall]

1. Write off the debt he owes you - there is no chance you will see the money
2. Open his mail and contact the people who he owes money to. Give them his new address.
3. Treat this as a harsh lesson. (I feel so sorry for you)

[Addy123]

It's ok Boxtops, I now you weren't having a pop :-)

I do feel an idiot and trust me I'm usually quite switched on about things. I just want to draw a line under the whole sorry business. I am kind of accepting that I won't see the money, and I am delighted to have my home back. I have even been able to come off the anti depressants recently. It's just as long as these letters keep coming (and the telephone calls) it's like it's still not over.
I think I will just prepare a standard letter saying he is not here any more and return all mail to sender with it.

[Megablip]

Unfortunately it is a lottery with what sort of lodger you end up with. There are plenty of flakey ones about that haven't managed to get themselves financially together and end up renting. Taking a decent deposit is a good way of weeding out some of the troublesome ones - if they can't get a deposit together then chances are they will not be reliable with paying the rent. Until the debt collectors decide the lodger is no longer at the address and leave you alone, bear in mind that there is a difference between debt collectors and bailiffs. Debt collectors can only ask for payment. However, bailiffs are not allowed to break in, but from what I have read, could take items e.g. if you leave a window open and they climb up a ladder to gain access to his items (best to read up more on the law and bailiffs for this to be sure, and how they differentiate between his items/room and yours). So best to keep the house shut in the meantime. I don't think feeding the cats for 3 days was asking very much of him. If he wasn't prepared to do that then he shouldn't have agreed to do it in the first place. It's a real dilemna when someone dodgy is under the same roof as you. If you fall out badly with them then you have the worry about your food, drink and kettle water being tampered with. Your things/fixtures/fittings could go missing or be subtly damaged in a way you don't notice until much later. It is his credit rating that will be affected, not yours, but you may have to deal with hassle at your address and explain he is not there. If the lodger is sharing facilities with you e.g. kitchen/bathroom then their legal status is an excluded occupier and they have very few legal rights. You can give them very short reasonable notice to leave which can be as little as 24 hours.