Outstanding UK debt but receiving threathning letters in Ireland

[babsysam]

Hi Everyone,

 

I desperatley need your help. Im so stressed out with this situation. I lived in UK for 8 years. I had a bank account and overdraft. When i left the UK for good in 2009, i did not realise there was still an outstanding overdraft of about £700. In the last year, i have been receiving very threatning letters from a lawyer and debt collectors agency. The letters are being sent to my parents address in Ireland and i am living in France. Obviously my parents are scared as the most recent letters are saying that someone will knock on their door and demand the money!!!! Can they do this?

What can i do? I have followed some of your advice by not contacting these agencys but i do not know what the best thing to do is.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

Thanks

[unclebulgaria67]

Hi Everyone,

 

I desperatley need your help. Im so stressed out with this situation. I lived in UK for 8 years. I had a bank account and overdraft. When i left the UK for good in 2009, i did not realise there was still an outstanding overdraft of about £700. In the last year, i have been receiving very threatning letters from a lawyer and debt collectors agency. The letters are being sent to my parents address in Ireland and i am living in France. Obviously my parents are scared as the most recent letters are saying that someone will knock on their door and demand the money!!!! Can they do this?

What can i do? I have followed some of your advice by not contacting these agencys but i do not know what the best thing to do is.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

Thanks

 

They cannot do much, unless they have a court Judgement which can be enforced in Ireland which I very much doubt. And as soon as they realise you don't live there, they won't be able to do anything, as they are not allowed to bother third parties i.e your parents. The letters they are sending are generic and are intended to create fear. They are writing to an Irish address, as presumably at some stage, you lived there, so they think you may have returned. I doubt that anyone will visit the Irish address, but even if they do, they have no powers. All they will be are self employed collectors looking to gain a payment, from which they earn a commission.

 

What I would suggest that your parents do, is to send the letter back to the company writing to their address, with a covering letter, saying that you do not live at the address and are now resident in France. They could even provide your French address if you want them to, so the debt owner can write to you if they wish. The debt owner can go to court and obtain a European Enforcement Order, but for a small debt like this they won't bother.

 

So I would not worry about it. This is a small debt and may only be an issue if you wanted to return to the UK to live.

[cerberusalert]

As it is an over draft anv over six years ol it will be statute Barred and unenforceable unless you have made a payment in the last six years.