Perhaps the hive mind may be able to help me with this.
A person (lets call them X) left their rented accommodation rather abruptly last December, with the person they were sharing with (Y) taking over the accommodation and transferring bills into their name. The utility bills had been in X's name.
X has recently sought to negotiate a mortgage and when a mortgage company did a check on them the company found X's credit rating is affected by an unpaid utility bill for Jan/Feb this year from the old rented accommodation, which is after X moved out. The bill would have been sent to X's old accommodation after X moved out, and Y either didn't receive it, or received it and ignored it.
X had no access to the accommodation after moving out and therefore had no access to any post sent to that accommodation and was not able to set up a forwarding address for several weeks.
X has been told that this black mark on their credit rating will add some % to any mortgage they are offered. Moreover if X pays the outstanding bill they will still have a black mark on their credit rating. It seems to be an unwashable stain.
However X has been told explicitly by a mortgage broker and by the utility company that they can restore their credit rating if Y pays the bill.
Y is claiming they are not liable for the bill and are ignoring requests to help.
Here are my questions:
1. Is it correct that a 'black mark' on the credit rating cannot be expunged by X paying the overdue bill themselves?
A third party has offered to front Y the money to pay the bill but if this means that Y acquires the bad credit rating they are not going to play ball. (They are not being very helpful as it is). So,
2. If Y or a third party pays the bill will this mean they (Y or the third party) acquire the bad credit rating?
3. Is there any way of appealing this nightmare with whoever curates the credit rating, or with the utility company, and if so, how? I have heard of ombudsmen but don't know what this is.
It seems really unfair that someone can acquire a bad credit rating for not paying a bill they knew nothing about, and that ostensibly they cannot expunge the problem without dumping it on someone else.
X ideally needs to get this fixed quickly (weeks at most).
Advice greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance. HWT.
A person (lets call them X) left their rented accommodation rather abruptly last December, with the person they were sharing with (Y) taking over the accommodation and transferring bills into their name. The utility bills had been in X's name.
X has recently sought to negotiate a mortgage and when a mortgage company did a check on them the company found X's credit rating is affected by an unpaid utility bill for Jan/Feb this year from the old rented accommodation, which is after X moved out. The bill would have been sent to X's old accommodation after X moved out, and Y either didn't receive it, or received it and ignored it.
X had no access to the accommodation after moving out and therefore had no access to any post sent to that accommodation and was not able to set up a forwarding address for several weeks.
X has been told that this black mark on their credit rating will add some % to any mortgage they are offered. Moreover if X pays the outstanding bill they will still have a black mark on their credit rating. It seems to be an unwashable stain.
However X has been told explicitly by a mortgage broker and by the utility company that they can restore their credit rating if Y pays the bill.
Y is claiming they are not liable for the bill and are ignoring requests to help.
Here are my questions:
1. Is it correct that a 'black mark' on the credit rating cannot be expunged by X paying the overdue bill themselves?
A third party has offered to front Y the money to pay the bill but if this means that Y acquires the bad credit rating they are not going to play ball. (They are not being very helpful as it is). So,
2. If Y or a third party pays the bill will this mean they (Y or the third party) acquire the bad credit rating?
3. Is there any way of appealing this nightmare with whoever curates the credit rating, or with the utility company, and if so, how? I have heard of ombudsmen but don't know what this is.
It seems really unfair that someone can acquire a bad credit rating for not paying a bill they knew nothing about, and that ostensibly they cannot expunge the problem without dumping it on someone else.
X ideally needs to get this fixed quickly (weeks at most).
Advice greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance. HWT.