Advice needed please!

[anxiouslyworried]

Hello, this is my first post on this site so I apologise in advance if I do anything wrong!

My predicament is as follows- I have bought my own place and rent out my second bedroom to my younger brother. He has been stupid with money in the past by not paying bills etc to various companies. They have then sold off the debts to debt collecting agencies (I believe he's dealing with Robinson Way, Cabot Finance, Welcome Financial Services etc). He's ignoring their correspondance and I know he's had letters from them advising that their debt collection people will be calling at my address.

I would like to know where I personally stand in all this?? Surely they cannot take any of my own personal things? This is my first property and I really don't want the address tarnishing with his bad debts as I feel this will have a detrimental effect on myself at a later date?

Any advice would be greatly welcome please.. Thank you :?

[tomtubby]

The address could well be on it's way to being tarnished already. This is because, for the debts to have gone to the companies that you have mentioned, it is clear that his accounts would already have had default notices against them.

 

The companies mentioned are normal everyday debt collection agencies and as such each of one them would normally accept nominal repayments IF your brother were to write to them enclosing an up to date breakdown of his income and expenditure.

 

These companies are NOT bailiffs and as such their mention of calling at your home is normally a wake up call to get your brother to contact the company

[anxiouslyworried]

Hello. Thanks for the reply tomtubby, greatly appreciate your advice. As far as i'm aware the only company who have my address is the Welcome Financial Services one who I believe he is making payments to each month. I've no idea how he pays them as he seems to be able to pay them in our town and then get a receipt? I don't think he's given Robinson Way/Cabot my new address as he only seems to get letters from them after they've been re-directed on from the previous address which we rented together before I bought my current property. It's worrying that he's not told them his new address but it would be equally as worrying if he gave it out too! As far as i'm aware I think he's ignoring their calls too. Whenever I try to speak to him about things he clams up and starts shouting saying that it's nothing to do with me and then I reply with that it has everything to do with me whilst he's living at my address! It seems like a hopeless situation as he won't speak sensibly to me (probably through embarrassment), I don't know where I stand with regards to blacklisting my address etc (all he keeps saying is that debt goes against the person now and not the address). It's so frustrating!